Psalm 23

The theme of God as a shepherd was common in ancient Israel and Mesopotamia. For example, King Hammurabi, in the conclusion to his famous legal code, wrote: "I am the shepherd who brings well-being and abundant prosperity; my rule is just.... so that the strong might not oppress the weak, and that even the orphan and the widow might be treated with justice."^[6] This imagery and language were well known to the community that created the Psalm,^{[clarification needed]} and it was easily imported into its worship.^{[citation needed]}

Psalm 23 portrays God as a good shepherd, feeding (verse 1) and leading (verse 3) his herd. The "rod and staff" (verse 4) are also the implements of a shepherd. Some commentators see the shepherd imagery pervading the entire psalm. It is known that the shepherd is to know each sheep by name,^{[citation needed]} thus when God is given the analogy of a shepherd, he is not only a protector but also the caretaker. God, as the caretaker, leads the sheep to green pastures (verse 2) and still waters (verse 2) because he knows that each of his sheep must be personally led to be fed. Thus, without its shepherd, the sheep would die either by a predator (like the wolf) or of starvation, since sheep are known for their helplessness without their shepherd.

J. Douglas MacMillan argues that verse 5 ("Thou preparest a table before me") refers to the "old oriental shepherding practice" of using little raised tables to feed sheep.^[7]: 78 Similarly, "Thou anointest my head with oil" may refer to an ancient form of backliner – the oil is poured on wounds, and repels flies. MacMillan also notes that verse 6 ("Goodness and mercy shall follow me") reminds him of two loyal sheepdogs coming behind the flock.^[7]: 82

The header or first verse of the Psalm ascribes authorship to King David, said in the Hebrew Scriptures to have been a field shepherd himself as a youth. However, some scholars do not agree with this attributed authorship and hypothesize various other possibilities, commonly dating it to the post-exilic period.^[8]

Taken together, Psalms 22, 23, and 24 are seen by some as shepherd psalms, where the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep as a suffering servant and king.^[9]

The following table shows the Hebrew text^[10][11] of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint^[12] and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions.^{[note 1]} In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 22.

There are frequently multiple renditions of the Psalms in the same language: for example renditions optimized for singing or chanting and renditions intended for study or exposition.

For example, there are three Latin versions of the Psalms associated with Jerome: the juxta Hebraicum derived from the Hebrew, the Gallican psalter, and the Roman Psalter. In Carolingian Europe, the Roman Psalter gave way to the Gallican in the liturgy (e.g. in the standard English Use of Sarum liturgies), but was still used in the Divine Office, while the Vulgate continued to use juxta Hebraicum until 1592, when it was standardized to use the Gallican version for public exegesis.

Similarly, in English the first Book of Common Prayer adopted Miles Coverdale's prose rendition, while the King James Version has its own translation. But Coverdale also published versions of Luther's translation, psalter versions more aligned with the Vulgate (for following Latin readings), and a translation of a French paraphrase. Coverdale's prose version was the basis of the popular metrical Whole Book of Psalms.^[13]

Psalm 23 is traditionally sung during the third Shabbat meal^[15][16] as well as before the first and second, and in some of Jewish communities during the Kiddush. It is also commonly recited in the presence of a deceased person, such as by those keeping watch over the body before burial, and at the funeral service itself.^[17][18]

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For Christians, the image of God as a shepherd evokes connections not only with David but with Jesus, described as the "Good Shepherd" in the Gospel of John.^[19] The phrase "the valley of the shadow of death" is often taken as an allusion to the eternal life given by Jesus.

Orthodox Christians typically include this Psalm in the prayers of preparation for receiving the Eucharist.^{[citation needed]}

The Reformation inspired widespread efforts in western Europe to make biblical texts available in vernacular languages. One of the most popular early English versions was the Geneva Bible (1557). The most widely recognized version of the psalm in English today is undoubtedly the one drawn from the King James Bible (1611).

In the Catholic Church, this psalm is assigned to the Daytime hours of Sunday Week 2 in the Liturgy of the Hours and is sung as a responsorial in Masses for the dead. In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, it is appointed to be read on the evening of the fourth day of the month.^[20]

In the Agpeya, the Coptic Church's book of hours, this psalm is prayed in the office of Terce.^[21] It is also in the prayer of the Veil, which is generally prayed only by monks.^[22]

The psalm is a popular passage for memorization and is often used in sermons. Many phrases in the English translation of the psalm have become individually popular in their own right, in particular, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”, much of verse 4, and “my cup runneth over”.

In the 20th century, Psalm 23 became particularly associated with funeral liturgies in the English-speaking world, and films with funeral scenes often depict a graveside recitation of the psalm.^[23] Official liturgies of English-speaking churches were slow to adopt this practice. The Book of Common Prayer has only Psalms 39 and 90 in its Order for the Burial of the Dead, and in the Episcopal Church in the United States, Psalm 23 was not used for funerals until the 1928 revision of the prayer book.

In Christianity, a number of paraphrased versions of Psalm 23 emerged after the Protestant Reformation in the form of Metrical psalms — poetic versions that could be set to hymn tunes. An early metrical version of the psalm in English was made in 1565 by Thomas Sternhold. Other notable metrical versions to emerge from this period include those from The Bay Psalm Book (1640),^[24] the Sidney Psalms by Philip Sidney, and settings by George Herbert and Isaac Watts.^[24]

One of the best known metrical versions of Psalm 23 is the Christian hymn, "The Lord's My Shepherd", a translation first published in the 1650 Scottish Psalter.^[25] Although widely attributed to the English Parliamentarian Francis Rous, the text was the result of significant editing by a translating committee in the 1640s before publication.^[26] The hymn is one of the most popular hymns amongst English-speaking congregations today, and it is traditionally sung to the hymn tune Crimond, generally attributed to Jessie Seymour Irvine.^[27][28] Other melodies, such as Brother James' Air or Amazing Grace, Belmont, Evan, Martyrdom, Orlington, and Wiltshire may also be used.^[29]

Another popular Christian hymn to be based on Psalm 23 is "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" by Henry Baker (1868).^[30]

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• Valley of the Shadow of Death, 1855 Roger Fenton photograph

• Mazor, Lea (2011). Berlin, Adele; Grossman, Maxine (eds.). Book of Psalms. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973004-9. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)