Present-day usage of the word is rooted in the Biblical metaphor of shepherding. The Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) uses the Hebrew word רעה‎ (roʿeh), which is used as a noun as in "shepherd", and as a verb as in "to tend a flock."[3] It occurs 173 times in 144 Old Testament verses and relates to the literal feeding of sheep, as in Genesis 29:7.