“As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats”
He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. (Matthew 25:31–46 BSB)
What it sounds like today
An arbitrary zoological sorting.
The cultural key
Palestinian flocks were mixed (sheep and goats grazed together all day under one shepherd) and were routinely separated at nightfall, since goats need shelter and warmth while sheep prefer open air. From a distance the mixed flock looks like one mass; the shepherd sorts them in moments without deliberation, because he knows each animal. The right hand was the side of favor. The verdict's basis is the parable's shock: not credentials but unglamorous mercies (food, drink, welcome, clothing, visits) done to 'the least of these,' and both groups are surprised.
Recovered meaning
The flocks mingle indistinguishably until the evening comes; then the sorting is swift and already known to the shepherd. And the criterion turns out to have been walking past everyone, all along, dressed as the hungry and the stranger.