Psalm 23

{{Short description|Biblical psalm}} {{redirect|The Lord is my shepherd||The Lord is my shepherd (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox musical composition | name = Psalm 23 | subtitle = "The Lord is my shepherd" | type =  | image = The Sunday at Home 1880 - Psalm 23.jpg | image_upright = 1.2 | alt = | caption = Illustration from ''[[The Sunday at Home]]'', 1880 | other_name = "Dominus {{not a typo|reget}} me" | text = attributed to [[King David]] | language = Hebrew (original) | written = around 1000 BC | published = }} {{Psalm nr|23}} {{Bible chapter|letname=Psalm 23|previouslink= Psalm 22|previousletter= Psalm 22|nextlink= Psalm 24 |nextletter= Psalm 24| book= [[Book of Psalms]] | biblepart=[[Old Testament]] | booknum= 19 |hbiblepart= [[Ketuvim]] | hbooknum = 1 |category= [[Ketuvim|Sifrei Emet]] | filename= |caption=}} '''Psalm 23''' is the 23rd psalm of the [[Book of Psalms]], beginning in English in the [[King James Version]]: "'''The Lord is my [[shepherd]]'''". In Latin, it is known by the [[incipit]], "'''{{lang|la|Dominus regit me|italic=no}}'''".<ref>''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'', 1662, Psalm 23 "Dominus regit me".</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/vul/psa022.htm | title=Vulgate: Psalms: Psalms Chapter 22 }}</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/breviarium-monasticum-pars-ii/Breviarium%20Monasticum%20-%20Pars%20I/page/n93/mode/2up Breviarum Monasticum. Dominica ad Matutinum. Ps. 22]</ref><ref>[https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/bitstream/11375/15874/120/A-02%20Psalterium%20Dominica%20prime.pdf ''Breviarium ad usum Sarisburiense''. Psalterium. Ad Primam. Psalmus xxij.]</ref> The Book of Psalms is part of the [[Ketuvim|third section]] of the [[Tanakh|Hebrew Bible]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Mazor|first=Lea|editor1-last=Berlin|editor1-first=Adele|editor2-last=Grossman|editor2-first=Maxine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKAaJXvUaUoC&pg=PA589|chapter=Book of Psalms|page=589|title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0-19-973004-9}}</ref> and a book of the [[Christianity|Christian]] [[Old Testament]]. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek [[Septuagint]] and Latin [[Vulgate]] translations of the Bible, this psalm is '''Psalm 22'''.

Like many psalms, Psalm 23 is used in both [[Judaism|Jewish]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] [[Liturgy|liturgies]]. It has often been set to music.

==Interpretation of themes== [[File:Corriedale lambs in Tierra del Fuego.JPG|thumb|Psalm 23 is often referred to as the "Shepherd's Psalm".]] The theme of God as a shepherd was common in [[ancient Israel]] and [[Mesopotamia]]. For example, [[King Hammurabi]], in the conclusion to [[Code of Hammurabi|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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/165hammurabi.html |title=Hammurabi's Code, circa 1780BC |website=history.hanover.edu |access-date=2017-12-12}}</ref> This imagery and language were well known to the community that created the Psalm,{{clarify|reason=Discussion is needed on which "community" created the Psalm. The infobox above attributes it to David.|date=July 2024}} and it was easily imported into its worship.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

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|date=June 2021}} 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 [[The Wolf and the Lamb|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.<ref name=jdm>[[J. Douglas MacMillan]] (1988), ''The Lord Our Shepherd'', [[Bridgend|Bryntirion]]: [[Evangelical Press of Wales]]</ref>{{rp|78}} Similarly, "Thou anointest my head with oil" may refer to an ancient form of [[Glossary of sheep husbandry|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 [[Herding dog|sheepdogs]] coming behind the flock.<ref name=jdm />{{rp|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 [[scholar]]s do not agree with this attributed authorship and hypothesize various other possibilities, commonly dating it to the [[post-exilic]] period.<ref name="Morgenstern1946">{{cite journal |last1=Morgenstern |first1=Julian |author-link=Julian Morgenstern |date=March 1946 |title=Psalm 23 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-biblical-literature_1946-03_65_1/page/12 |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=13–24 |doi=10.2307/3262214 |jstor=3262214}}</ref>

Taken together, Psalms [[psalm 22|22]], 23, and [[psalm 24|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.<ref>{{cite web|author=H. A. Ironside |url=http://www.plymouthbrethren.org/article/6484 |title=The Shepherd Psalms (Psalms 22, 23, and 24) | Plymouth Brethren Writings}}</ref>

==Text== The following table shows the Hebrew text<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2623.htm |title=Psalms – Chapter 23 |publisher=Mechon Mamre}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.23?ven=The_Holy_Scriptures:_A_New_Translation_(JPS_1917)&lang=bi |title=Psalms 23 – JPS 1917 |publisher= [[Sefaria |Sefaria.org]]}}</ref> of Psalm 23 with vowels, alongside the [[Koine Greek]] text in the [[Septuagint]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Psalm 22 – Septuagint and Brenton's Septuagint Translation|url=https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=24&page=22 |access-date=3 March 2025 |publisher=Ellopos}}</ref> 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.<ref group="note">A [[Jewish Publication Society of America Version|1917 translation]] directly from Hebrew to English by the [[Jewish Publication Society]] can be found [https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2623.htm here] or [https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.23?ven=The_Holy_Scriptures:_A_New_Translation_(JPS_1917)&lang=bi here], and an [[The Septuagint version of the Old Testament (Brenton)|1844 translation]] directly from the Septuagint by [[Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton|L. C. L. Brenton]] can be found [https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=24&page=22 here]. Both translations are in the [[public domain]].</ref> In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 22. {| class=wikitable |- !# !Hebrew !English (Early Modern) !Greek (Koine) |- | style="text-align:right" | 1 | style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד יְהֹוָ֥ה רֹ֝עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר׃}} | A Psalm of David. The {{LORD}} is my shepherd; I shall not want. | {{Lang|grc|Ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυΐδ. – ΚΥΡΙΟΣ ποιμαίνει με καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει.}} |- | style="text-align:right" | 2 | style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|בִּנְא֣וֹת דֶּ֭שֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵ֑נִי עַל־מֵ֖י מְנֻח֣וֹת יְנַהֲלֵֽנִי׃}} | He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. | {{Lang|grc|εἰς τόπον χλόης, ἐκεῖ με κατεσκήνωσεν, ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἀναπαύσεως ἐξέθρεψέ με,}} |- | style="text-align:right" | 3 | style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|נַפְשִׁ֥י יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב יַֽנְחֵ֥נִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶ֝֗דֶק לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֽוֹ׃}} | He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. | {{Lang|grc|τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐπέστρεψεν. ὡδήγησέ με ἐπὶ τρίβους δικαιοσύνης ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ.}} |- | style="text-align:right" | 4 | style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|גַּ֤ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי׃}} | Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. | {{Lang|grc|ἐὰν γὰρ καὶ πορευθῶ ἐν μέσῳ σκιᾶς θανάτου, οὐ φοβηθήσομαι κακά, ὅτι σὺ μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ εἶ· ἡ ῥάβδος σου καὶ ἡ βακτηρία σου, αὗταί με παρεκάλεσαν.}} |- | style="text-align:right" | 5 | style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|תַּעֲרֹ֬ךְ לְפָנַ֨י ׀ שֻׁלְחָ֗ן נֶ֥גֶד צֹרְרָ֑י דִּשַּׁ֥נְתָּ בַשֶּׁ֥מֶן רֹ֝אשִׁ֗י כּוֹסִ֥י רְוָיָֽה׃}} | Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. | {{Lang|grc|ἡτοίμασας ἐνώπιόν μου τράπεζαν, ἐξεναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων με· ἐλίπανας ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὴν κεφαλήν μου, καὶ τὸ ποτήριόν σου μεθύσκον με ὡσεὶ κράτιστον.}} |- | style="text-align:right" | 6 | style="text-align:right" | {{Script/Hebrew|אַ֤ךְ ׀ ט֤וֹב וָחֶ֣סֶד יִ֭רְדְּפוּנִי כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑י וְשַׁבְתִּ֥י בְּבֵית־יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃}} | Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the {{LORD}} forever. | {{Lang|grc|καὶ τὸ ἔλεός σου καταδιώξει με πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μου, καὶ τὸ κατοικεῖν με ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου εἰς μακρότητα ἡμερῶν.}} |- |}

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 [[Latin Psalters#Versio juxta Hebraicum|juxta Hebraicum]] derived from the Hebrew, the [[Gallican psalter|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]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Arten |first1=Samantha |title=Singing as English Protestants: The Whole Booke of Psalmes' Theology of Music |journal=Yale Journal of Music & Religion |date=4 August 2019 |volume=5 |issue=1 |doi=10.17132/2377-231X.1119|doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Historical English=== {| class=wikitable |- !# !Old English<ref>{{cite web |title=O'Neill, Patrick P./ King Alfred's Old English Prose Translation of the First Fifty Psalms. Edited by Patrick P. O'Neill. Medieval Academy Books, No. 104 (2001). |url=https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.medievalacademy.org/resource/resmgr/maa_books_online/oneill_0104.htm#hd_ma0104_head_085 |website=cdn.ymaws.com}}</ref> (Late West Anglo-Saxon c.1050) !Middle English (Wycliff Early Version c.1382) !Early Modern English (Coverdale 1535) !Church Modern English (Challenor Douey Rheims 1752) !Church Late Modern English (Knox 1949) |- | style="text-align:right" | 1 |(Dauid sanᵹ þysne twa and twenteoᵹeþan sealm...) Drihten me ræt: ne byð me nanes ᵹodes wan. |The salm, ether the song of Dauid. The Lord governeth me, and no thing schal faile to me; |The LORDE is my shepherde, I can wante nothinge. |A psalm for David. The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing. |(A psalm. Of David.) The Lord is my shepherd; how can I lack anything? |- | style="text-align:right" | 2 |And he me ᵹeset on swyðe ᵹood feohland, and fedde me be wætera staðum, |in the place of pasture there he hath set me. He nurschide me on the watir of refreischyng; |He fedeth me in a grene pasture, ad ledeth me to a fresh water. |He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment: |He gives me a resting-place where there is green pasture, leads me out to the cool water's brink, refreshed and content. |- | style="text-align:right" | 3 |and min mod ᵹehwyrfde of unrotnesse on ᵹefean. He me ᵹelædde ofer þa weᵹas rihtwisnesse for his naman. |he convertide my soule. He ledde me forth on the pathis of ritfulneysse; for his name. |He quickeneth my soule, & bringeth me forth in the waye of rightuousnes for his names sake. |He hath converted my soul. He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name's sake. |As in honour pledged, by sure paths he leads me; |- | style="text-align:right" | 4 |Þeah ic nu ᵹanᵹe on midde þa sceade deaðes, ne ondræde ic me nan yfel, for þam þu byst mid me, Drihten. Þin ᵹyrd and þin stæf me afrefredon (þæt is, þin þreaunᵹ, and eft þin frefrunᵹ). |For whi thouȝ Y schal go in the myddis of schadewe of deeth; Y schal not drede yvels, for thou art with me. Thi ȝerde and thi staf; tho han coumfortid me. |Though I shulde walke now in the valley of the shadowe of death, yet I feare no evell, for thou art with me: thy staffe & thy shepehoke coforte me. |For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me. |dark be the valley about my path, hurt I fear none while he is with me; thy rod, thy crook are my comfort. |- | style="text-align:right" | 5 |Þu ᵹeᵹearwodest beforan me swiðe bradne beod wið þara willan þe me hatedon. Þu ᵹesmyredest me mid ele min heafod. Drihten, hu mære þin folc nu is: ælce dæᵹe hit symblað. |Thou hast maad redi a boord in my siȝt; aȝens hem that troblen me. Thou hast maad fat myn heed with oyle; and my cuppe, fillinge greetli, is ful cleer. |Thou preparest a table before me agaynst mine enemies: thou anoyntest my heade with oyle, & fyllest my cuppe full. |Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it! |Envious my foes watch, while thou dost spread a banquet for me; richly thou dost anoint my head with oil, well filled my cup. |- | style="text-align:right" | 6 |And folᵹie me nu þin mildheortnes ealle daᵹas mines lifes, þæt ic mæᵹe wunian on þinum huse swiþe lange tiid oð lanᵹe ylde. |And thi merci schal sue me; in alle the daies of my lijf. And that Y dwelle in the hows of the Lord; in to the lengthe of daies. |Oh let thy lovynge kyndnes & mercy folowe me all the dayes off my life, that I maye dwell in the house off the LORDE for ever. |And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days. |All my life thy loving favour pursues me; through the long years the Lord's house shall be my dwelling-place. |}

==Uses in Judaism== Psalm 23 is traditionally sung during the [[Seudah Shlishit|third Shabbat meal]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ou.org/torah/nach/nach-yomi/psalms_chapter_23/ |title=Possibly the Most Famous Psalm of All |first=Rabbi Jack |last=Abramowitz |publisher=[[Orthodox Union]] |year=2018 |access-date=28 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishpress.com/judaism/rebbetzins-viewpointrebbetzin-jungreis/the-tragic-vacuum-part-four-2/2011/04/18/ |title=The Tragic Vacuum (Part Four) |first=Rebbetzin Esther |last=Jungreis |author-link=Esther Jungreis |date=18 April 2011 |access-date=28 June 2018 |work=[[The Jewish Press]]}}</ref> 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 [[Shemira|keeping watch over the body]] before burial, and at the [[Bereavement in Judaism#Funeral service|funeral service]] itself.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1AnLLpbX3XMC&pg=PA118 |title=An Encyclopedia of American Synagogue Ritual |first1=Kerry M. |last1=Olitzky |first2=Marc Lee |last2=Raphael |first3=Marc |last3=Raphael |year=2000 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=0313308144 |page=188}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/281559/jewish/Funeral-Service-Eulogy.htm |title=Jewish Funeral Service & Eulogy |first=Maurice |last=Lamm |access-date=29 June 2018 |work=Chabad.org}}</ref>

==Uses in Christianity== {{More citations needed section|date=October 2021}} [[File:Eastman Johnson, The Lord is My Shepherd.jpg|thumbnail|[[Eastman Johnson]]'s 1863 painting ''The Lord Is My Shepherd'', depicting a devout man reading a Bible ([[Smithsonian American Art Museum|Smithsonian]])]] 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]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=John 10:11-14 |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/eng/scriptures/nt/john/10 |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org |language=en}}</ref> The phrase "the valley of the shadow of death" is often taken as an allusion to the eternal life given by Jesus.

[[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]]s typically include this Psalm in the prayers of preparation for receiving the [[Eucharist]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://orthodox-europe.org/english/liturgics/prayers/order-of-preparation-for-holy-communion/ |title= The Order of Preparation for Holy Communion |author= |website= Orthodox Europe (Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe)|publisher= |access-date= November 20, 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.oca.org/reflections/fr.-john-jillions/october-24-2013#:~:text=Psalm%2023%20has%20so%20many,(John%2010:16). |title= Psalm 23 |last= Jillions |first= John |date= 24 October 2013 |website= Orthodox Church in America |publisher= |access-date= November 20, 2025 }}</ref>

The [[Protestant Reformation|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]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/loh/week2sundaydaytime.htm |title= Ordinary Time: Week II – Sunday (Daytime Prayer)|author= |website= The Liturgy Archive |publisher= |access-date= November 20, 2025 }}</ref> It is also sung as a [[Responsory|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.<ref>Church of England, [https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/The%20Book%20of%20Common%20Prayer%201662.pdf ''Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter''] as printed by [[John Baskerville]] in 1762, pp. 196ff</ref>

In the [[Agpeya]], the [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic Church]]'s [[book of hours]], this psalm is prayed in the office of [[Terce]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Terce|url= https://www.agpeya.org/Terce/terce.html|access-date=3 March 2025 |publisher=agpeya.org}}</ref> It is also in the prayer of the Veil, which is generally prayed only by monks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Veil|url= https://www.agpeya.org/Veil/veil.html|access-date=3 March 2025 |publisher=agpeya.org}}</ref>

The psalm is a popular passage for memorization and is often used in [[sermon]]s. 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", [[wikt:valley of the shadow of death|much of verse 4]], and "[[my cup runneth over]]".

===Use in funerals=== 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-30 |title=Twenty-Third Psalm |url=https://slife.org/twenty-third-psalm/ |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=The Spiritual Life |language=en-US}}</ref> Official liturgies of English-speaking [[Church (building)|churches]] were slow to adopt this practice. In the [[Church of England]], the ''Book of Common Prayer'' has only Psalms [[psalm 39|39]] and [[psalm 90|90]] in its Order for the Burial of the Dead.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/burial-dead |title=''Book of Common Prayer'': At the Burial of the Dead |author= |website= Church of England |publisher= |access-date= November 20, 2025 }}</ref> In the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] in the United States, Psalm 23 was not used for funerals until the [[1928 Book of Common Prayer|1928 revision]] of the prayer book.

==Musical settings==

===Metrical versions=== {{main|Metrical psalter}}

{{Listen|image=none|help=no|type=music |filename=HWW_The_Lords_My_Shepherd_Crimond.ogg |title=Tune ''Crimond'' |description=by [[Jessie Seymour Irvine]] (5 verses with intro) |filename2=HWW_The_Lords_my_shepherd_Brother_James_Air.ogg |title2=Tune ''Brother James's Air'' |description2=by [[James Leith Macbeth Bain]] (5 verses with intro) }} 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 tune]]s. 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),<ref name="smithcreekmusic.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.smithcreekmusic.com/Hymnology/Metrical.Psalmody/Psalm23.compared.html |title='Psalms Compared: Psalm 23', retrieved 2007-08-05. (no public access!) |publisher=Smith Creek Music |date=2007-01-17 |access-date=2014-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322113808/http://www.smithcreekmusic.com/Hymnology/Metrical.Psalmody/Psalm23.compared.html |archive-date=2015-03-22 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the ''[[Sidney Psalms]]'' by [[Philip Sidney]], and settings by [[George Herbert]] and [[Isaac Watts]].<ref name="smithcreekmusic.com"/>

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 [[Scots Metrical Psalter|Scottish Psalter]].<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/anonymous/scotpsalter.p24.html Scottish Psalter and Paraphrases] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116224839/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/anonymous/scotpsalter.p24.html |date=2006-11-16}} at [[CCEL]]</ref> Although widely attributed to the English [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] [[Francis Rous]], the text was the result of significant editing by a translating committee in the 1640s before publication.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Petersen |first1=Randy |title=Be Still, My Soul: The Inspiring Stories behind 175 of the Most-Loved Hymns |date=2014 |publisher=Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. |isbn=978-1-4143-8842-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IXEiAQAAQBAJ&q=the%20lord's%20my%20shepherd%20francis%20rous&pg=PA327 |access-date=3 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The hymn is one of the most popular hymns amongst English-speaking [[Church (congregation)|congregation]]s today, and it is traditionally sung to the [[hymn tune]] ''[[Crimond]]'', generally attributed to [[Jessie Seymour Irvine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://songsandhymns.org/hymns/tunes/detail/crimond |title=Crimond |publisher=Center for Church Music – Songs & Hymns |access-date=2008-10-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ewan |first1=Elizabeth L. |last2=Innes |first2=Sue |last3=Reynolds |first3=Sian |last4=Pipes |first4=Rose |title=Biographical Dictionary of ScottishWomen |date=2007 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-2660-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zs6qBgAAQBAJ&q=%22How%20far%20is%20it%20to%20Crimond%3F%22&pg=PA180 |access-date=3 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Other melodies, such as ''[[Brother James' Air]]'' or ''[[Amazing Grace]]'', ''Belmont'', ''Evan'', ''Martyrdom'', ''Orlington'', and ''Wiltshire'' may also be used.<ref>[http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/l/m/y/s/lmysheph.htm The Lord id my shepherd] hymntime.com</ref>

Another popular Christian hymn to be based on Psalm 23 is "[[The King of Love My Shepherd Is]]" by [[Sir Henry Williams Baker, 3rd Baronet|Henry Baker]] (1868).<ref>{{cite book |title=Famous Hymns and Their Authors |date=1903 |publisher=Hodder and Stoughton |page=178 |url=https://archive.org/details/famoushymnsandt00jonegoog/page/n210/mode/2up?q=king+of+love |access-date=17 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" |- !Sternhold and Hopkins (1628)<ref>{{cite web |title=Psalm 23, Sternhold and Hopkins |url=http://www.cgmusic.org/workshop/oldver/psalm_23.htm |website=www.cgmusic.org |access-date=17 June 2020}}</ref> !''Bay Psalm Book'' (1640)<ref>{{cite web |title=Psalm 23 · Bay Psalm Book · Scriptures (goodbooksfree.com) |url=http://goodbooksfree.com/scriptures/baypsalmbook/19023.html |website=goodbooksfree.com |access-date=17 June 2020 |language=en |date=2020}}</ref> ! Rous Psalter (1643)<ref name="ELH">{{cite web |title=Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary Handbook |url=https://dokumen.tips/documents/elh-handbook-hymn-information.html |website=dokumen.tips |publisher=Worship Committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod |access-date=3 June 2020}}{{page needed|date=October 2021}}</ref> ! ''The Scottish Psalter'' (1650)<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lord's My Shepherd |url=https://hymnary.org/text/the_lords_my_shepherd_ill_not_want_rous |website=Hymnary.org |access-date=17 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> |- | <poem>The Lord is only my support, and he that doth me feed; How can I then lack any thing, whereof I stand in need? </poem> || <poem>The Lord to me a shepherd is, want therefore shall not I. He in the folds of tender-grass, doth cause me down to lie.</poem> || <poem>My Shepherd is the Living Lord And He that doth me feed How can I then lack anything whereof I stand in need?</poem> || <poem>The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want; he makes me down to lie in pastures green; he leadeth me the quiet waters by. </poem> |}

===Liturgical and classical===

{{div col|colwidth=30em}} * [[Heinrich Schütz]]: a setting of a metric paraphrase in German by [[Cornelius Becker]], "[[Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt]]", [[List of compositions by Heinrich Schütz|SWV]] 120, for the ''[[Becker Psalter]]'' (1628) * [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]: Cantata No.112 ''[[Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt, BWV 112]]'', based on a metric paraphrase in German by [[Wolfgang Musculus|Wolfgang Meuslin]] * [[James Leith Macbeth Bain]]: hymn tune ''Brother James' Air'' * Rabbi [[Ben Zion Shenker]]: Notable performance by [[Itzhak Perlman]] and Cantor [[Yitzchak Meir Helfgot]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExF9-uFmLa8 Itzhak Perlman and Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot perform Ben-Zion Shenker's Mizmor leDavid](YouTube).</ref> * [[Lennox Berkeley]]: Op. 91, No. 1 (1975) * [[Leonard Bernstein]]: ''[[Chichester Psalms]]'' (Hebrew, in Part 2, together with [[Psalm 2]]) * [[Anton Bruckner]]: [[Psalm 22 (Bruckner)|Psalm 22]] ''Der Herr regieret mich'' WAB 34 ({{circa|1852}}) * [[Noah Creshevsky]]: ''Psalm XXIII'' (2003) * [[Paul Creston]]: ''Psalm XXIII'' (1945) * [[Antonín Dvořák]]: verses 1–4 in the 1613 Czech, No. 4 of his ''[[Biblical Songs]]'' (1894) * [[Howard Goodall]] * [[Alan Hovhaness]]: Symphony No. 12, movements 2 and 4<ref>{{cite web |title=Alan Hovhaness List of Works by Opus Number |url=https://www.hovhaness.com/hovhaness_works.html |access-date=2022-10-30}}</ref> * Herbert Howells: ''[[Hymnus Paradisi]]'' * [[Jessie Seymour Irvine]]: hymn tune ''Crimond'' * [[Friedrich Kiel]]: verse 4 in No. 1 of his [[Six Motets, Op. 82 (Kiel)|Six Motets, Op. 82]] * [[Franz Liszt]] * [[Albert Hay Malotte#Songs, sacred and secular (incomplete; published)|Albert Hay Malotte]] * [[Clément Marot]] (in Latin){{fact|date=April 2026}} * [[Alfred Newman]] in the film ''[[David and Bathsheba (film)|David and Bathsheba]]'' * [[George Rochberg]]<ref>Together with [[Psalm 43]] and [[Psalm 150]] in an a capella setting for mixed chorus written in 1954. Dixon, Joan (1992). ''George Rochberg: A Bio-Bibliographic Guide to His Life and Works''. Hillsdale, New York: Pendragon Press, p. 175.</ref> * [[Miklós Rózsa]]<ref>[http://www.mrs.miklosrozsa.info/works_voices.html The Miklós Rózsa Society Website]{{dead link|date=March 2014}}</ref> * [[Edmund Rubbra]]: Three Psalms, Op. 61 (No. 2) * [[John Rutter]]: ''[[The Lord Is My Shepherd (Rutter)|The Lord Is My Shepherd]]'' (1978), included in his ''[[Requiem (Rutter)|Requiem]]'' (1985) * [[Franz Schubert]]: "Gott meine Zuversicht" ("Gott ist mein Hirt", 1820) (German text by [[Moses Mendelssohn]])<ref>{{cite book |title=School of Music, Theatre & Dance (University of Michigan) Publications |date=1880 |publisher=School of Music, University of Michigan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kULlAAAAMAAJ&q=schubert%20gott%20meine%20zuversicht&pg=RA25-PA4 |access-date=17 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> * [[Charles Villiers Stanford]]: "The Lord is my shepherd" (1886)<ref>{{cite book |publisher=[[Music Sales Group|Novello & Co Ltd.]] |title=#NOV290116}}</ref> * [[Randall Thompson]]<ref>Blotner, Linda Solow (1983). ''The Boston Composers Project: A Bibliography of Contemporary Music''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, p. 547.</ref> * [[Benjamin Till]]: "Mizmor L'David" (2020, in Hebrew) * [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Settings of: Psalm 23 |work=ChoralNet |access-date=2012-02-25 |url=http://www.choralnet.org/view/221254}}</ref> * [[Alexander von Zemlinsky|Alexander Zemlinsky]]: Op. 14, (1910) for chorus and orchestra * Rabbi [[Shlomo Carlebach]]: Gam Ki Elech b'Gey Tzalmavet Lo Irah Rah Ki Atah Imadi. גם כי אלך<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23slHr5Tm9Y Gem Ki Elech 1](YouTube).</ref> {{div col end}}

===Songs=== {{unreferenced section|date=January 2020}} {{div col|colwidth=45em}} *1958: [[Duke Ellington]] – "Part VI" from ''[[Black, Brown and Beige (1958 album)|Black, Brown and Beige]]'' with [[Mahalia Jackson]] *1966: [[The Moody Blues]] – "23rd Psalm" from the album ''[[The Magnificent Moodies]]'' deLuxe Edition (not released until 2014) *1966: [[Ed Ames]] – "My Cup Runneth Over" [[RCA Victor]] single from the Musical Production "I Do!, I Do!" *1972: [[Dave Cousins]] – "[[Lay Down (Strawbs song)|Lay Down]]" from the album ''[[Bursting at the Seams]]'' *1977: [[Dennis Brown]] – "Here I Come" from the album ''[[Wolf & Leopards]]'' *1977: [[Peter Tosh]] – "Jah Guide" from the album ''[[Equal Rights (album)|Equal Rights]]'' *1977: [[Pink Floyd]] – "[[Sheep (Pink Floyd song)|Sheep]]" from the album ''[[Animals (Pink Floyd album)|Animals]]'' *1978: [[Patti Smith Group]] – "[[Privilege (Set Me Free)]]" from the album ''[[Easter (Patti Smith Group album)|Easter]]'' *1980: [[Grateful Dead]] – "[[Alabama Getaway]]" from the album ''[[Go to Heaven]]'' *1981: [[Venom (band)|Venom]] – "Welcome To Hell" from the album ''[[Welcome to Hell]]'' *1982: [[Keith Green]] – "The Lord is my shepherd" from the album ''[[Songs for the Shepherd]]'' *1983: [[Marillion]] – "Forgotten Sons" from the album ''[[Script for a Jester's Tear]]'' *1985: [[Judy Collins]] – "The Lord is my shepherd" from the album ''[[Amazing Grace (Judy Collins album)|Amazing Grace]]'' *1988: [[Diamanda Galás]] – "The Lord is my shepherd" from the album ''[[You Must Be Certain of the Devil]]'' *1988: [[U2]] – "[[Love Rescue Me]]" from the album ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'' *1989: [[Lil' Louis]] – "Blackout" from the album ''From The Mind Of Lil Louis'' *1990: [[Bobby McFerrin]] – "The 23rd Psalm" from the album ''[[Medicine Music]]'' *1993: [[Alpha Blondy]] – "Psaume 23" from the album ''Jerusalem'' *1993: [[Christian Death]] – ''Psalm (Maggot's Lair)'' from album ''Path of Sorrows'' *1994: [[Howard Goodall]] – theme to ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'', later covered by [[Katherine Jenkins]] and [[The Choirboys (boyband)|The Choirboys]] *1994: [[Garnett Silk]] – "Splashing Dashing" from the album ''Give I Strength''<ref>{{cite web |title=Splashing Dashing Lyrics |url=https://www.jiosaavn.com/lyrics/splashing-dashing-lyrics/QD0-UzNpQHw |website=JioSaavn |date=18 August 2018 |access-date=29 May 2024}}</ref> *1995: [[Coolio]] feat. [[L.V. (singer)|L.V.]] – "[[Gangsta's Paradise (song)|Gangsta's Paradise]]" *1995: [[Michael W. Smith]] – "As It Is In Heaven" from ''[[I'll Lead You Home]]'' *1995: [[Tupac Shakur]] – "[[So Many Tears]]" from the album ''[[Me Against The World]]'' *1996: [[Cissy Houston]], ([[Whitney Houston]]'s mother) – "The Lord is my shepherd" from ''[[The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album]]'' *1996: [[Staind]] – "Four Walls" from the album ''Tormented'' *1997: [[The Notorious B.I.G.|Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.)]] – "You're Nobody ('Til Somebody Kills You)" from the album ''[[Life After Death]]'' *1998: [[Colin Mawby]] – recording with [[Charlotte Church]] *1998: [[Kathy Troccoli]] – "Psalm 23" from ''[[Corner of Eden]]'' *1999: [[E Nomine]] – "Psalm 23" from the album ''[[Das Testament (E Nomine album)|Das Testament]]'' *1999: [[Jonathan Elias]] – "Forgiveness" from the album ''[[The Prayer Cycle]]'' *1999: [[Ky-mani Marley]] – "Lord is my shepherd" from the album ''The Journey'' *2000: [[Mark Knopfler]] – "Baloney Again" from the album ''[[Sailing to Philadelphia]]'' *2000: [[Marilyn Manson]] – "In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death" from the album ''[[Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)|Holy Wood]]'' *2001: [[Dan Nichols]] – "Psalm 23" from the album ''Be Strong'' *2002: [[Boards of Canada]] – "From One Source All Things Depend" from the album ''[[Geogaddi]]'' *2003: [[Lucinda Williams]] – "Atonement" from the album ''[[World Without Tears]]'' *2004: [[Kanye West]] – "[[Jesus Walks]]" from the album ''[[The College Dropout]]'' *2004: [[Megadeth]] – "Shadow of Deth" from the album ''[[The System Has Failed]]'' *2004: [[OverClocked Remix]] – "Beneath the Surface (Aquatic Ambiance)" from ''Kong in Concert'' *2005: [[Ministry (band)]] – "No W (Redux)" from ''Rantology'' *2005: [[The Tossers]] – "The Valley of the Shadow of Death" from the album ''[[The Valley of the Shadow of Death]]'' *2006: [[Don Moen]] – "Psalm 23" from the album ''Hiding Place'' *2007: [[Group 1 Crew]] – "Forgive Me" from the album ''[[Group 1 Crew (album)|Group 1 Crew]]'' *2007: [[Dream Theater]] – "In The Presence Of Enemies Part 2" from the album ''[[Systematic Chaos]]'' *2008: [[Jon Foreman]] – "The House of God, Forever" from the EP, ''[[Summer (Jon Foreman EP)|Summer]]'' *2008: [[The Offspring]] – "[[Hammerhead (The Offspring song)|Hammerhead]]" from the album ''[[Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace]]'' *2009: [[India.Arie]], [[MC Lyte]] – "Psalms 23" from the album ''[[Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics]]'' *2009: [[Rick Ross]] – "Valley of Death" from the album ''[[Deeper Than Rap]]'' *2010: [[Nas]] & [[Damian Marley]] – "Strong Will Continue" from the album ''[[Distant Relatives]]'' *2011: [[Hollywood Undead]] – "[[Hear Me Now (Hollywood Undead song)|Hear Me Now]]" from the album ''[[American Tragedy (album)|American Tragedy]]'' *2012: [[Shawn James (musician)|Shawn James]] – "Through the Valley" from the album ''Shadows'' *2013: [[J. Cole]] (featuring [[Kendrick Lamar]]) — "[[Forbidden Fruit (J. Cole song)|Forbidden Fruit]]" *2016: [[The Last Shadow Puppets]] – "[[Everything You've Come to Expect (song)|Everything You've Come to Expect]]" from the [[Everything You've Come to Expect|album of the same name]] *2017: [[Atzmus (band)]] – "Más Humano" (single) {{div col end}}

==See also== *''[[Valley of the Shadow of Death (Roger Fenton)|Valley of the Shadow of Death]]'', 1855 [[Roger Fenton]] photograph

==Notes== {{reflist|group=note}} {{notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Wikisource|Bible (King James)/Psalms#Psalm 23|Psalm 23}} * {{IMSLP|work=Category:Pieces with text from Psalm 23|cname=Pieces with text from Psalm 23}} * {{ChoralWiki|work=Psalm 23}} * [https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2623.htm Psalm 23 in Parallel English (JPS translation) and Hebrew] * [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2023 Psalm 23] at biblegateway.com * [https://hymnary.org/browse/scripture/Psalms/23?sort=totalInstances Hymns for Psalm 23] hymnary.org * [http://zemirotdatabase.org/view_song.php?id=28 Hebrew text, translation, transliteration, recorded melodies from The Zemirot Database] * [http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=16244 Tehillim – Psalm 23 (Judaica Press)] translation with [[Rashi]]'s commentary. * {{cite web |last=Oldham |first=Jeffrey D. |date=17 February 2006 |title=Various Translations of Psalm 23 |website=Stanford University |url=https://theory.stanford.edu/~oldham/church/ps23-translations-2006Feb22/ps23-translations-2006Feb22.pdf |ref=none}}

[[Category:Texts assigned to David]] [[Category:Psalms|023]] [[Category:Shepherds]] [[Category:Zemirot]]