Psalms

About this book

Psalm 23

1 A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd,⁠ I lack nothing.⁠ 2 He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water.⁠ 3 He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation. 4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me. 5 You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil;⁠ my cup is completely full. 6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days, and I will live in the Lord’s house for the rest of my life.

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 40:11 and Psalm 23:1

Hebrew Bible

Summary

Isaiah uses shepherd imagery immediately after describing God arriving as a victorious warrior, following a pattern of referring to a king as the shepherd of his people, the same language Psalm 23 opens with.

Passages

Isaiah 40:11

Hebrew Bible

9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion. Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! Shout, don’t be afraid! Say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 Look, the Sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; his military power establishes his rule. Look, his reward is with him; his prize goes before him. 11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock; he gathers up the lambs with his arm; he carries them close to his heart; he leads the ewes along.

740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

Psalm 23:1

Hebrew Bible

1 A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation. 4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me.

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

“... The metaphorical shift from the imperial parousia to the shepherd caring for his flock is less sudden than might appear to the modern reader, since the topos of king as shepherd of his people was entirely familiar at that time and in that place. David shepherded his people (2 Sam 5:2), and it is anticipated that Cyrus will do the same, with special reference to Judeans (Isa 44:28). The representation of Yahveh as shepherd, familiar to many from Ps 23 but also appearing frequently elsewhere (Gen 49:24; Ps 78:52; 80:2; Ezek 34:1-31) is a slippery metaphor that, given the association of sheep with passivity and fecklessness in general, carries potentially unflattering implications for the shepherd’s charges. The original intent of the metaphor, however, was to temper the image of absolute royal power with a concern for justice and care for society’s losers and outcasts, and in this sense the figure of the good shepherd was taken up in the Gospels (Luke 15:3-7; John 10:1-18). ...”

Joseph Blenkinsopp, Isaiah 40–55: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New York: Doubleday, 2002), 186–187.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Psalms150 psalms

Compare Isaiah 40:11 and Psalm 23:1

Summary

Passages

Isaiah 40:11

Psalm 23:1

References

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