Psalms 23

General context

The speaker says the Lord is his shepherd and he will not want. The shepherd makes him lie down in green pastures and leads him beside still waters; he restores his soul and leads him in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even walking through the valley of the shadow of death, the speaker will fear no evil, because the Lord is with him, and the rod and staff comfort him. The Lord prepares a table before him in the presence of his enemies, anoints his head with oil, and his cup runs over. The speaker closes by saying that surely goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life, and he will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Cited passages: Psalms 23:1, Psalms 23:2, Psalms 23:3, Psalms 23:4, Psalms 23:5, Psalms 23:6

Psalms 23 (KJV)

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Historical context

The text as printed carries no heading, so no author is stated in this source. The speaker is a single "I" and is not named or described beyond the images. Enemies are mentioned once, as present at the table, without any account of who they are or what they have done. "The valley of the shadow of death" is an image and is not located; "the house of the Lord" is named as the place of dwelling without further detail. The psalm speaks of the Lord in the third person in verses 1-3 and addresses him as "thou" in verses 4-5, before the last verse returns to "the Lord". It contains no complaint, no petition and no Selah; every line is a statement. What restoring the soul, the paths of righteousness, or the oil on the head involve is not explained in the text. The psalm is six verses long.

Cited passages: Psalms 23:5, Psalms 23:4, Psalms 23:6, Psalms 23:1

Literary context

The psalm uses two pictures in sequence. Verses 1-4 are pastoral: shepherd, pastures, waters, paths, valley, rod and staff. Verse 5 changes to a host at a meal: table, oil, cup. Verse 6 gathers both into following and dwelling. The turn from "he" to "thou" comes exactly at the valley, so the darkest line is the first spoken directly to the Lord. Leading is repeated, beside the waters and in the paths, and "for his name’s sake" gives the shepherd's motive. The enemies appear only as onlookers at the table, not as a threat to be answered. The last verse's "follow" reverses the earlier "leadeth": the speaker who was led is now followed by goodness and mercy. The poem's confidence is stated in the first line, "I shall not want", and the rest gives its grounds. Coming after Psalm 22's cries about bones, dogs and dust, this psalm's stillness is the more marked.

Cited passages: Psalms 23:2, Psalms 23:5, Psalms 23:4, Psalms 23:3, Psalms 23:6, Psalms 23:1, Psalms 22:15

Key moments

1. The Lord is my shepherd (Psalms 23:1). The speaker names the Lord his shepherd and says he will not want.
2. Green pastures, still waters (Psalms 23:2). The shepherd makes him lie down and leads him beside still waters.
3. The valley of the shadow of death (Psalms 23:4). Walking through the valley, he fears no evil because the Lord is with him.
4. A table before enemies (Psalms 23:5). The Lord prepares a table, anoints his head, and his cup runs over.
5. The house of the Lord for ever (Psalms 23:6). Goodness and mercy follow him and he will dwell in the Lord's house.

For reflection

The table is prepared in the presence of the enemies rather than after they are gone; what does the psalm suggest about where its confidence is meant to be lived?

People in this chapter

• David