Psalms 23:1–6, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Psalms 23:1–6
The LORD shepherds through danger and welcome
A shepherd, a valley, and a staff that is not a charm
The LORD is the speaker's shepherd; therefore he does not lack. God makes him lie down in green pastures, leads him beside still waters, restores his soul, and leads him in paths of righteousness for God's name's sake.
Even though he walks through the valley of the shadow of death, he fears no evil, because God is with him. Rod and staff comfort. Presence is promised inside the dark valley, not a bypass around it, and not immunity from illness, violence, grief, or scarcity.
A table in enemy sight, then a house to dwell in
God prepares a table before him in the presence of his enemies, anoints his head with oil, and his cup overflows. The meal is hospitality under threat, not a fantasy that enemies have vanished.
Surely goodness and steadfast love shall pursue him all the days of his life, and he shall dwell in the LORD's house for length of days. Being followed by mercy is the last image: not a hunt, a pursuit of care. The psalm is trust poetry, not a contract that nothing hard will happen.
How this should shape us
Walk the dark stretch as a shepherded person, not as someone owed a smooth road. Receive food and rest as presence, and do not sell this psalm as a charm against dying, hunger, or harm.
Teach it back
Explain Psalms 23:1–6 in your own words. Name the poetic voice and movement, trace its place in Psalm 23 and Book I, identify one exact source control or uncertainty, and reject one use the passage does not authorize.
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Go deeper
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Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Psalms 23:1–6, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 23:1–6
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 23:1–6.
Official NET Bible Psalm 23 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 23:1–6
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Enter the Bible Psalms course, Summary, Outline, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to Psalms 23:1–6
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 23 for Psalms 23:1–6
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 23:1–6, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 23:1–6
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 23:1–6.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 23 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 23:1–6
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗modern scholarly book course
Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Fred Gaiser; revised by Nicholas Schaser
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised May 2024
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Psalms course, Summary, Outline, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to Psalms 23:1–6
Open the Enter the Bible Psalms course ↗ancient greek text translation and introduction
A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms
Albert Pietersma
International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies; Oxford University Press, 2009
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
Exact location: NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 23 for Psalms 23:1–6
Open NETS Psalms ↗