Psalms

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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 Daily Temple Ritual of Amun 8:21 and Psalm 23:5

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Hebrew Bible

Summary

In the Egyptian daily temple ritual, the priest anoints the head of Amun's statue with oil. The Jerusalem temple had no statue of God, and in Psalm 23 the direction of the anointing is reversed, with God pouring oil on the psalmist's head instead.

Passages

Daily Temple Ritual of Amun 8:21

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Ritual of the Divine Cult

“Festival scent. I have filled you with the Eye of Horus which makes glad. “Oil of praise. I have filled you with the Eye of Horus, the oil praises your head. “Sefi oil. I have presented to you the Eye of Horus, by which Set was destroyed.

945–715 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Daily Temple Ritual of Amun

Psalm 23:5

Hebrew Bible

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.

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

“... The anointing of the cult statue is part of the priestly service incumbent on the Pharaoh. Since there was no cult statue in the temple at Jerusalem, this duty was omitted. Instead, we learn that Yahweh anoints the suppliant (Ps 23:5) and especially the king (Ps 45:7) with the oil of gladness. [...] According to the relief cycles, it is the Pharaoh who daily opens the holy of holies and venerates the god, his father (229-30). [...] In addition to the daily veneration, purification, censing, libation, sacrifice, and anointing, the king was also responsible for providing the cult statue with clothing and ornaments (378). ...”

Othmar Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1997), 275, 279.

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 Daily Temple Ritual of Amun 8:21 and Psalm 23:5

Summary

Passages

Daily Temple Ritual of Amun 8:21

Psalm 23:5

References

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