also: まきびと
Refers to a person who tends livestock, especially in pastoral or biblical contexts. The reading ぼくじん is standard; まきびと is rarer and somewhat literary.
Herdsmen as shepherds often appear in the Bible.
When he was young, he worked as a herder on the grasslands.
Standard kanji form; reading ぼくじん is the most common.
Alternate reading まきびと is less common and may be encountered in older or literary contexts.
Compound of 牧 (boku, 'pasture') and 人 (jin, 'person'). The reading まきびと is a native Japanese reading (kun'yomi) of the same characters, literally 'pasture person'.