Version: King James Version (public domain)
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23 is the “The Lord is my shepherd” psalm: in six verses, David pictures God as a shepherd who guides and protects, and as a host who welcomes him to the table even in the face of danger.
Bible text
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Original text
v. 1: Mizmor leDavid. Adonai ro’i, lo echsar.
Plain-language version
v. 1 The Lord looks after me the way a shepherd looks after sheep, so I will not lack what I truly need.
v. 2–3 He brings me to places of rest and calm water. He renews my strength and leads me on the right path, because he keeps his word.
v. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I am not afraid, because you are with me. Your rod and your staff make me feel safe.
v. 5 You welcome me like a host: you set the table, honor me with oil, and my cup overflows, even with enemies nearby.
v. 6 God’s goodness and faithful love will stay with me all my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord for a long time.
Historical context
Authorship. The Hebrew heading says mizmor leDavid, “a psalm of David”. Before becoming king, David was a shepherd in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:11; 17:34–35), which gives the image extra weight.
The shepherd image. In the ancient Near East, kings were called “shepherds” of their people. Saying “the Lord is my shepherd” means that God is the one who rules and cares for my life.
Genre. It is a psalm of trust: it asks for nothing and simply declares confidence in God. It sits between Psalm 22 (the cry of abandonment) and Psalm 24 (the King entering the temple).
Explanation
The shepherd (vv. 1–4)
The verbs are those of someone caring for sheep: making them lie down in green pastures, leading them to still waters, guiding them on the right paths. The rod was used to defend the flock; the staff, to guide and rescue.
The turn in verse 4
Up to this point the psalmist speaks about God (“he”). In the dark valley he starts speaking to God: “for thou art with me”. Presence becomes conversation at the hardest moment.
The host (vv. 5–6)
The scene shifts to a banquet. Anointing the head with oil was a way of honoring a guest, and the overflowing cup signals abundance. By the rules of hospitality, anyone at the table was under the host’s protection, even in full view of enemies.
“Shall follow me”
The Hebrew verb radaf means to pursue or chase. The psalmist flips the image: it is not enemies chasing him, but God’s goodness and mercy.
Read next
How each tradition reads it
Catholic
In Bibles that follow the Vulgate and Septuagint numbering, this is Psalm 22 (“Dominus regit me”). Church Fathers such as Cyril of Jerusalem read the water, the oil and the table as images of baptism, chrismation and the Eucharist, so the psalm was sung by the newly baptized. Today it is widely used at funeral Masses and as a responsorial psalm.
Protestant
Protestant readers often read the psalm in light of John 10:11, where Jesus says “I am the good shepherd”. It is one of the texts most often read at funerals and hospital visits. Charles Spurgeon called it “the pearl of psalms”.
Orthodox
In the Orthodox tradition (Greek numbering: Psalm 22), the psalm is part of the prayers in preparation for Holy Communion, together with Septuagint Psalms 23 and 115. The “table prepared” is read as the Eucharistic table.
Jewish
In many Jewish communities, Mizmor leDavid is sung at the third Sabbath meal (seudah shlishit) and recited at funerals and cemetery visits. Jewish reading highlights God as the shepherd of Israel, an image also found in Ezekiel 34.
Academic
Scholars debate whether the psalm has one image (the shepherd) or two (shepherd and host). The word tsalmavet, traditionally “shadow of death”, can also be read as “deep darkness”, which is why some modern translations have “the darkest valley”. The date of composition is uncertain.
Each reading is attributed to the tradition that holds it. VersePath does not take sides.
Reflect
Notice the shift in verse 4: in the darkest place, the psalmist stops talking about God and starts talking to him. Which “valley” are you walking through today, and what would change if you simply said: “you are with me”?
Did you know?
- In Hebrew, the first verse is very short: Adonai ro’i, lo echsar.
- In older Catholic Bibles and in the Orthodox tradition, this psalm is number 22.
- The phrase “valley of the shadow of death” comes from the traditional reading of tsalmavet and became fixed in classic Bibles in many languages.
- “Psalm 23” is searched hundreds of thousands of times a month in the United States alone.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Psalm 23?
The heading attributes it to David, who was a shepherd before he became king. Jewish and Christian tradition both keep this attribution.
What does “the Lord is my shepherd” mean?
That God guides, feeds and protects a person the way a shepherd does with sheep, so nothing essential is missing.
What is the “valley of the shadow of death”?
It is an image of a very dark and dangerous place. It can mean death itself, but also any time of deep suffering.
Why is Psalm 23 read at funerals?
Because it speaks of trust in the face of death (“I will fear no evil”) and ends with the hope of dwelling in the house of the Lord.
Why is it Psalm 22 in some Bibles?
Because the Septuagint and the Vulgate number the psalms differently. Modern Catholic Bibles often show “Psalm 23 (22)”.