There are some wonderful lines in Psalm 23, and (as in all good poetry) some head scratchers. Here it is, copied from the NKJV:
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down
in green pastures;
He leads me beside the
still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths
of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Yea, 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.
You prepare a table before
me in the presence of my
enemies;
You anoint my head with
oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the
house of the Lord
Forever.
Things I like
- I love when the first line of the poem completes a thought that begins with the title. I wonder if King David wanted it like this? That’d be a savvy move
- The green pastures and still waters in the first part of that first stanza is totally my Lake Isle of Innisfree. What a life!
- And I love the bombast of the second stanza. Epic, to fear no evil
- Also, killer move—to prepare a table in the presence of enemies. That introduces a lot of possibility for story
- The poem resolves beautifully. I like the confidence projected into the future … the rest of the speaker’s life
- Leaving the last line as a simple, cap’d “Forever” is a chef’s kiss
Things that could be improved
- Why does it switch from “He” to “You”? Maybe explore how to make that consistent
- What does “righteousness” mean here? Perhaps choose a different word that underscores the “shepherd” metaphor more clearly
- What does “for His name’s sake” mean? Can his name be used here? Or is it just “Lord” — in any event, I do feel that this doesn’t make Him likable. Instead it kind of shuts me down to wanting to know more about him
- How do the rod and staff comfort you? Understanding that requires an interpretive act that isn’t established elsewhere in the poem
I enjoyed reading the psalm this way, and look forward to seeing a second version!