Psalm 23

Psalm 23

According to “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth” by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart, the book of Psalm consists of seven types. Psalm 23 belongs to “Songs of Trust” type where the centre of attention is that “God can be trusted and that, even in times of despair, his goodness and care for his people ought to be expressed”. [1]

Let’s apply exegetical approach[2] given in “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth”.

“Songs of Trust” (F&S Pg.214) to Psalm 23. The “Songs of Trust” type contains a mixture of elements, with minor difference in terms of sequence, found in “Lament” type and “Thanksgiving” type, with “a sense of the fragility and danger of life, and from the thanksgiving serenity arising from the experience of God’s power”.[3]

1. Address: The psalmist identifies the Lord is his shepherd; therefore, he is being contented in verse 1. The address is repeated again in verse 6. Please note that Lord is being addressed only in the first and last verse of Psalm 23. In between verse 2 to 5, Lord is being addressed as third person (“he”) and second person (“you”).
2. Introduction: Lord is psalmist’s provider, healer, guidance in verse 2 and 3.
3. Distress & Deliverance: Distress conditions are being mentioned in verse 4 and 5 – “walking through the valley of the shadow of death” (NIV[4]) or “valley of deep darkness” (NAS[5]) and “in the presence of my enemies” (NIV). Within the distress conditions verse 4 and 5, deliverance with rod/staff, with oil and overflowing cup also comes into picture.
4. Assurance & Trust: Elements of assurance and trust all embedded in verse 6; probably palmist understands that both elements came in as a package. The assurance would be void if there were no trust. The assurance is the first part of verse 6 “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” and the response of the palmist is that he “shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever”.

“The Songs of Trust are todah psalms that move even closer to hymn. There is still some sense of the immediate experience of God, yet they usually are focused more on reflective praise that is generalized into affirmations about God. They are experience generalized to trust.”[6] Therefore, one can also selectively apply elements of hymnic pslams onto Psalm 23. Not all elements of Psalm 23 can be applied to hymnic pattern, as it is only close to hymn but not actually hymn.

1. Call to Praise
1. uses an imperative: verse 1 - "…shall not be want”
2. addressed to the community (plural): not applicable as it is not a pure hymn
2. Reason for Praise
1. "because" or "for": verse 2 to 5, with following sub elements
2. God described with participial clause, "God, who [activity]": verse 2 to 3
3. God’s deliverance: verse 4 to 5
3. Renewed Call to Praise (balances beginning)
1. uses an imperative: verse 6 - “Surely…”
2. addressed to the community (plural): not applicable as it is not a pure hymn

“New American Standard Bible” provides very detail in terms of cross referencing of each word of Psalm 23. Base on cross referencing material, I have looked up corresponding implication of each keyword in the following table to clarify interpretation by referencing other passage of the Bible.

Table 1 - Cross Referencing of Psalm 23

Psalm	Keyword and its implication	Reference
Psalm 23:1	shepherd: to tend, gather, search, feed, lay his life for, guard	Ps 78:52; 80:1; Is 40:11; Jer 31:10; Ezek 34:11-13; John 10:11; 1 Pet 2:25
Psalm 23:1	not want: God as supplier	Ps 34:9, 10; Phil 4:19
Psalm 23:2	green pastures: be fed in good and rich pastures; grazing ground	Ps 65:11-13; Ezek 34:14
Psalm 23:2	leads: guide His sheep to springs of the water of life	Rev 7:17
Psalm 23:2	quiet waters: drink the river of God’s delights	Ps 36:8; 46:4
Psalm 23:3	restores: soul restoration	Ps 19:7
Psalm 23:3	guides: lead into God’s righteousness	Ps 5:8; 31:3
Psalm 23:3	paths: righteousness, justice, way of wisdom	Ps 85:13; Prov 4:11; 8:20
Psalm 23:4	walk through valley of the shadow of death: darkness	Job 10:21, 22; Ps 107:14
Psalm 23:4	fear no evil: not afraid of many people against me	Ps 3:6; 27:1
Psalm 23:4	you are with me: God continually before me, and at my right hand, God as my protection	Ps 16:8; Is 43:2
Psalm 23:4	rod and staff: a sceptre to guide, authority	Mic 7:14
Psalm 23:5	prepare a table: table in wilderness	Ps 78:19
Psalm 23:5	anointed: anointed with fresh oil	Ps 92:10; Luke 7:46
Psalm 23:5	cup overflows: Lord is the portion of my cup	Ps 16:5
Psalm 23:6	goodness lovingkindness: God remember me	Ps 25:7, 10
Psalm 23:6	dwell: meditate in His temple, conceal me in His tabernacle, hide me	Ps 27:4-6

I am not literate in Hebrew, therefore in order to find an English Bible closer to Hebrew original syntax, I selected “The Holman Christian Standard Bible” as one of the components on comparing. “The Holman Christian Standard Bible” strikes a balance between the two prevailing philosophies of Bible translation: formal equivalence (literal, "word-for-word", etc), found in translations like the New American Standard Bible and the English Standard Version, and dynamic or functional equivalence ("thought-for-thought"), found in translations like the New International Version and the New Living Translation. The translators call this balance Optimal Equivalence which is "to convey a sense of the original text with as much clarity as possible" in terms of semantic and linguistic equivalence.[7]

Table 2 - Versions Comparing of Psalm 23

English Standard Version	The New International Version	New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update	The Holman Christian Standard Bible
1 A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.	1 A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.	1 A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.	1 A Davidic psalm. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.	2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,	2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.	2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.	3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.	3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.	3 He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.	4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.	4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.	4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.	5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.	5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.	5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.	6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.	6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.	6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

“Table 1 - Cross Referencing of Psalm 23” and “Table 2 - Versions Comparing of Psalm 23” can lead us into more insight in terms of the exegesis of Psalm 23. The poet used the sub genre of metaphor on the first verse describing “Lord is my shepherd”. The functionalities of a shepherd are taken into the account of understanding poet’s description of the Lord. The shepherd’s functionality is to tend, gather, search, feed, guard, and lay his life for his sheep. Besides the obvious metaphor of the Lord being the shepherd, there is a hidden metaphor that the poet viewed himself as sheep to be taken care by the Lord.

“I shall not be want” does not mean the poet does not need anything. “The Holman Christian Standard Bible” said that it is nothing lack, which means the poet still has needs, but those needs are being taken care of by the Lord. Personally, I think there is also a flavour of thanksgiving and a sense of being contented.

The poet was not on holiday – laid down on the green pasture for sun tanning, and the quiet water was not a swimming pool in a resort. Quiet water is water we can drink from and green pasture is rich pasture which the poet is being fed.

“Restores my soul” may sound abstract to most people; “The Holman Christian Standard Bible” gives us a closer and practical term “renews my life”. Life will be renewed if one is walking on the right path God has prescribed.

Some people may relate the shadow of death being seriously sick physically. Both cross references and “The Holman Christian Standard Bible” describe the shadow of death as darkness. When the poet was walking through the darkest valley, cross reference said that the poet was not afraid people against him; and “The Holman Christian Standard Bible” interpreted evil as danger. To my imagination, valley is a dangerous place for a person as his enemies can attack him from above leaving the person without any route to escape but to be buried at the bottom of the valley; to make thing even worse, in darkness due to limited vision one cannot even stun from enemies shooting above. The poet was safe only almighty God was with him. The only protection to seek is God alone.

Many people interpreted the “rod and the staff” as weapons to defend against wild animals attack (e.g. lions) to the flock. Probably the role of the “rod and the staff” acted as sceptre to guide and spank sheep into the right path according to cross reference. In Old Testament rod and staff was not only for protection, as Isaiah described Assyria is rod, it could be used for teaching and disciplining God’s people for obedience.[8] Rod/staff also serves as a sign of God with the poet; therefore, being comforted that God was with him. When the poet diverged from God’s way, teaching and disciplines from God are being viewed as sign that God is with him.

The table was a table of enemies eating with the poet. Cross reference referred to it as a table of wilderness – an open and unprotected place. “Anoint my head with oil” and “my cup overflows” as enriching with a sense of abundance and blessing, blessing were being offered when the poet was among all enemies in which their purpose of existence were to help on trimming and forming the poet’s character. God was turning curse into blessing.

On verse 6 the original word “follow” in Hebrew was with a negative sense of “chasing after” (being victim), as in “The Holman Christian Standard Bible” used the word “pursue” instead of “follow”. Probably facts happened to poet in the past became blessing through God (originally was cursing but God has transformed cursing into blessing due to poet’s trust in God). The word “forever” was not about eternal life (after death); however, it was pertaining to this earthly life as “The Holman Christian Standard Bible” translated from Hebrew to a closer phase in English: “as long as I live”.

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[1] Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart, How to Read The Bible for All Its Worth, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2003), p. 214

[2] Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart, How to Read The Bible for All Its Worth, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2003), p.215-220

[3] Dianne Bergant & Robert J. Karris, The Collegeville Bible Commentary, (Liturgical Press), p.768

[4] The Holy Bible: New International Version

[5] The Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible

[6] Dennis Bratcher, Patterns for Life: Structure, Genre, and Theology in Psalms, (Biblical and Theological Resources For Growing Christians), http://www.crivoice.org/psalmgenre.html#Trust

[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holman_Christian_Standard_Bible

[8] Stephen Lee, Psalm Audio CD, (www.GoodnewsCom.org), Disk1