He causes me to lie down in beautiful pastures; he leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even when I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and your staff comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Only goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 is attributed to King David. It is part of the book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible.
According to Jewish tradition, King David composed this song in the forset of Hareth, when he was being pursued by Saul and was close to death from hunger and thirst. In it, David expresses his complete lack of worry as he trusts in God.
The psalm has two fables in it:
the first one (verses 1-4) is a sheep praising his shepherd.
the second one (verses 5-6) is about a guest and his host.
the sheep and guest is David, and the shepherd and host is (you guessed it)... God.
Jewish AnswerPsalm 23 discusses how, through thick and thin, HaShem (The Creator) is always with us. The table set before us is the Torah which guides us in how we can live righteously and become closer to HaShem.
The Lord (God) acts as a shepherd to the speaker. He makes sure the speaker isn't lacking any necessities.
The Lord takes the speaker to peaceful and relaxing places, like green fields and calm waters.
He also tends to spiritual well-being, making sure that the speaker stays on the right path.
The speaker walks through the valley of the shadow of death, but he doesn't need to be afraid. The Lord will continue to protect him like a shepherd protects his sheep.
Even when his enemies are at hand, the speaker can enjoy a fine banquet thanks to the generosity of the Lord. He lives in abundance, even luxury, with rich oils and more wine than his cup can handle.
This happy state of affairs will continue for the rest of the speaker's life, and beyond. He doesn't ever plan to leave the protection of his host and shepherd.
Here is a readable translation of the Psalm:
Tehilim (Psalms) - Chapter 23
1. A song of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He causes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.
3. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
4. Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff - they comfort me.
5. You set a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6. May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days.
The gist of this Psalm is that HaShem (The Creator) will always be with us, through thick and thin.
For a really good discussion about the meaning of this Psalm, please visit the related link.
The Shepherd Psalm. David may have composed this psalm while he was yet a shepherd boy, watching his father's flocks on the very field where, 1000 years later, the angel choir announced the birth of Jesus.
A confession of trust and confidence in what he knows is Truth.
Psalms 23 talks about God and his Shepard. This is part of the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. It is often spoken about in popular media, and even has music set to it.
King David wrote Tihimim/Psalms
Psalms 23 says that everything will be accomplished with and through the Lord, and therefore everything will be good.
1) Psalms 23 and 121 are similar to each other. Each is speaking of God's protection and help. The connection to Psalms 137 is that 137:7 is in effect asking for God's intervention. All three mention (23:4) or allude to (121:7) bad circumstances.
Answer Have No Fear?
Psalm 23 .
Psalm 23 is written by king David.
The Book of Psalms has hundreds of verses which deal with that topic (see for example 55:23). The gist of most of these verses is to lean upon God, to pray to him, and to serve him.
King David (Psalm 23 and many others), Solomon (Psalm 127); Eithan (Psalms 89), Yeduthun (Psalms 39), and Asaf (Psalms 81); Moses (Psalms 90); and the sons of Korach (Psalms 42). Those with whom King David contended: Avshalom (Psalms 3), Saul (Psalms 18), Avimelech (Psalms 34), Doeg (Psalms 52).
23 Psalms
Psalm 23:1: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want..."
Psalms 23 Philippians 4:13
No, Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible with only two verses. Psalm 23 is longer with six verses.