Psalm 23 — The Lord Is My Shepherd
Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved passages in all of Scripture — the vision of God as intimate shepherd, guide, and companion through the valley of the shadow of death.
Psalm 23 has accompanied the Jewish people through every extremity of their history — from the ordinary challenges of daily life to the ultimate extremity of death. Its movement from pastoral peace (still waters, green pastures) through the 'valley of the shadow of death' to the festive table set before enemies traces the complete arc of human experience. The transition at verse 4 — from 'He leads me' to 'You are with me' — is often noted: the psalmist moves from speaking about God in the third person to speaking to God in the second person. The terror of the 'valley of the shadow' (tzalmavetz — may also mean 'deepest darkness') breaks open the formal distance and produces direct address: 'Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.' The psalm ends with radical confidence: 'Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.'
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23, attributed to David, turns at its center on 'gam ki elech b'gei tzalmavet' — 'though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.' At that verse the psalm shifts from speaking about God ('He') to speaking directly to Him ('You'); it is recited at the third Shabbat meal (Seudah Shlishit) and at Jewish funerals.
Tanakh
Written about in
- What Judaism says about grief
At verse four the psalm stops speaking about God and starts speaking to Him: "He leads me" becomes "You are with me." The shift happens in the valley of the shadow, not in the green pastures — the terror is what closes the distance.