Psalm 23

{{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 =

}}

{{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= 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}}".[Book of Common Prayer, 1662, Psalm 23 Dominus regit me.]{{cite web | url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/vul/psa022.htm | title=Vulgate: Psalms: Psalms Chapter 22 }}Breviarum Monasticum. Dominica ad Matutinum. Ps. 22, https://archive.org/details/breviarium-monasticum-pars-ii/Breviarium%20Monasticum%20-%20Pars%20I/page/n93/mode/2upBreviarium ad usum Sarisburiense. Psalterium. Ad Primam. Psalmus xxij. https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/bitstream/11375/15874/120/A-02%20Psalterium%20Dominica%20prime.pdf The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible,{{sfn|Mazor|2011|p=589}} and a book of the 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 Jewish and Christian liturgies. It has often been set to music. Haredi educator Tziporah Heller referred to it as perhaps the best-known of the psalms due to "its universal message of trust in God, and its simplicity".{{cite web |url=http://www.aish.com/sp/pg/48890772.html |title=The Lord is My Shepherd |first=Rebbetzin Tziporah |last=Heller |author-link=Tziporah Heller |date=3 August 2002 |access-date=28 June 2018 |work=Aish.com}}

Interpretation of themes

File:Corriedale lambs in Tierra del Fuego.JPG

The theme of God as a shepherd was common in ancient Israel and Mesopotamia. For example, King Hammurabi, in the conclusion to 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."{{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}} 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.{{cn|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 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.J. Douglas MacMillan (1988), The Lord Our Shepherd, Bryntirion: Evangelical Press of Wales{{rp|78}} Similarly, "Thou anointest my head with oil" may refer to an ancient form of 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 sheepdogs coming behind the flock.{{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 scholars do not agree with this attributed authorship and hypothesize various other possibilities, commonly dating it to the post-exilic period.{{cite journal |last1=Morgenstern |first1=Julian |author-link=Julian Morgenstern |date=March 1946 |title=Psalm 23 |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=13–24 |doi=10.2307/3262214 |jstor=3262214}}

Taken together, Psalms 22, 23, and 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.{{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}}

Text

The following table shows the Hebrew text{{cite web |url=https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2623.htm |title=Psalms – Chapter 23 |publisher=Mechon Mamre}}{{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.org}} of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint{{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 |accessdate=3 March 2025 |publisher=Ellopos}} 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.A 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 1844 translation directly from the Septuagint by 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. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 22.

class=wikitable
# !Hebrew !English !Greek
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.}}

class=wikitable

!Hebrew

!English

!Greek

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.}}

Uses in Judaism

Psalm 23 is traditionally sung during the third Shabbat meal{{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}}{{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}} 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 keeping watch over the body before burial, and at the funeral service itself.{{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}}{{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}}

Uses in Christianity

File:Eastman Johnson, The Lord is My Shepherd.jpg's 1863 painting The Lord Is My Shepherd, depicting a devout man reading a Bible]]

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.{{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}} The phrase "the valley of the shadow of death" is often taken as an allusion to the eternal life given by Jesus.

Orthodox Christians typically include this Psalm in the prayers of preparation for receiving the Eucharist.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

The 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 and is sung as a 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.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

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

The psalm is a popular passage for memorization and is often used in sermons. 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”, 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.{{Cite web |last=slife |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}} Official liturgies of English-speaking churches were slow to adopt this practice. The Book of Common Prayer has only Psalms 39 and 90 in its Order for the Burial of the Dead, and in the Episcopal Church in the United States, Psalm 23 was not used for funerals until the 1928 revision of the prayer book.

Musical settings

=Metrical versions=

{{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 tunes. 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),{{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}} the Sidney Psalms by Philip Sidney, and settings by George Herbert and Isaac Watts.

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 Scottish Psalter.[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 Although widely attributed to the English Parliamentarian Francis Rous, the text was the result of significant editing by a translating committee in the 1640s before publication.{{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}} The hymn is one of the most popular hymns amongst English-speaking congregations today, and it is traditionally sung to the hymn tune Crimond, generally attributed to Jessie Seymour Irvine.{{cite web

|url=http://songsandhymns.org/hymns/tunes/detail/crimond

|title=Crimond

|publisher=Center for Church Music – Songs & Hymns

|access-date=2008-10-07}}{{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}} Other melodies, such as Brother James' Air or Amazing Grace, Belmont, Evan, Martyrdom, Orlington, and Wiltshire may also be used.[http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/l/m/y/s/lmysheph.htm The Lord id my shepherd] hymntime.com

Another popular Christian hymn to be based on Psalm 23 is "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" by Henry Baker (1868).{{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}}

class="wikitable"
Sternhold and Hopkins (1628){{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}} !Bay Psalm Book (1640){{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}} ! Rous Psalter (1643){{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}} ! The Scottish Psalter (1650){{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}}
The Lord is only my support, and he that doth me feed; How can I then lack any thing, whereof I stand in need?	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.	My Shepherd is the Living Lord And He that doth me feed How can I then lack anything whereof I stand in need?	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.

class="wikitable"

Sternhold and Hopkins (1628){{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}}

!Bay Psalm Book (1640){{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}}

! Rous Psalter (1643){{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}}

! The Scottish Psalter (1650){{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}}

The Lord is only my support,

and he that doth me feed;

How can I then lack any thing,

whereof I stand in need?

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.

My Shepherd is the Living Lord

And He that doth me feed

How can I then lack anything

whereof I stand in need?

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.

=Liturgical and classical=

Heinrich Schütz: a setting of a metric paraphrase in German by Cornelius Becker, "Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt", 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 Meuslin
James Leith Macbeth Bain: hymn tune Brother James' Air
Rabbi Ben Zion Shenker: Notable performance by Itzhak Perlman and Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExF9-uFmLa8 Itzhak Perlman and Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot perform Ben-Zion Shenker's Mizmor leDavid](YouTube).
Lennox Berkeley: Op. 91, No. 1 (1975)
Leonard Bernstein: Chichester Psalms (Hebrew, in Part 2, together with Psalm 2)
Anton 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, No. 4 of his Biblical Songs (1894)
Howard Goodall
Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 12, movements 2 and 4{{cite web |title=Alan Hovhaness List of Works by Opus Number |url=https://www.hovhaness.com/hovhaness_works.html |access-date=2022-10-30}}
Herbert Howells: Hymnus Paradisi
Jessie Seymour Irvine: hymn tune Crimond
Friedrich Kiel: verse 4 in No. 1 of his Six Motets, Op. 82
Franz Liszt
Albert Hay Malotte
Clément Marot (in Latin)
Alfred Newman in the film David and Bathsheba
George RochbergTogether 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.
Miklós Rózsa[http://www.mrs.miklosrozsa.info/works_voices.html The Miklós Rózsa Society Website]{{dead link|date=March 2014}}
Edmund Rubbra: Three Psalms, Op. 61 (No. 2)
John Rutter: The Lord Is My Shepherd (1978), included in his Requiem (1985)
Franz Schubert: "Gott meine Zuversicht" ("Gott ist mein Hirt", 1820) (German text by Moses Mendelssohn){{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}}
Charles Villiers Stanford: "The Lord is my shepherd" (1886){{cite book |publisher=Novello & Co Ltd. |title=#NOV290116}}
Randall ThompsonBlotner, Linda Solow (1983). The Boston Composers Project: A Bibliography of Contemporary Music. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, p. 547.
Benjamin Till: "Mizmor L'David" (2020, in Hebrew)
Ralph Vaughan Williams{{cite news |title=Settings of: Psalm 23 |work=ChoralNet |access-date=2012-02-25 |url=http://www.choralnet.org/view/221254}}
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[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23slHr5Tm9Y Gem Ki Elech 1](YouTube).

=Songs=

1958: Duke Ellington – "Part VI" from 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" 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
1977: Pink Floyd – "Sheep" from the album Animals
1978: Patti Smith Group – "Privilege (Set Me Free)" from the album Easter
1980: Grateful Dead – "Alabama Getaway" from the album Go to Heaven
1981: 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
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
1994: Garnett Silk - "Splashing Dashing" from the album Give I Strength{{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}}
1995: Coolio feat. L.V. – "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: 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
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
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
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
2008: The Offspring – "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" from the album American Tragedy
2012: Shawn James (musician) – "Through the Valley" from the album Shadows
2013: J. Cole (featuring Kendrick Lamar) — "Forbidden Fruit"
2016: The Last Shadow Puppets – "Everything You've Come to Expect" from the album of the same name
2017: Atzmus (band) - "Más Humano" (single)

Notes

References

Works cited

{{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

|title=Book of Psalms

|work=The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion

|publisher=Oxford University Press

|year=2011

|isbn=978-0-19-973004-9

}}

External links

{{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]
[https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/23.html BibleStudyTools.com] – various translations and commentaries
[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}}