The Twenty-third Psalm

This is not necessarily what I would call one of my father's greatest sermons. Nonetheless, I transcribed it and annotated it more to honor my brother who in our last conversation together asked me to open up Psalm 23 and to study it not only with him, but for some reason with our friend Rabbi Adam Stein. Even with his garbled speech, Jeffrey proclaimed repeatedly and unequivocally, “Lo eerah (I will not fear)!

My father reminds us:
Psalm 23 does not deal with the theme of death. It is rather an expression of confidence and faith in the providence and protection of God.

PSALM 23 IS ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN and best liked of the biblical psalms. If people do not know it, they, at least, know of it. It is possibly the only psalm that many people can identify by number. They may not know it well enough to recite it all by heart, but they do, at least, know its first words, "The Lord is my Shepherd." There is, nevertheless, a great deal of confusion also about this psalm. For example, I was once in a funeral Chapel, and there was a plaque on the wall with Psalm 23 written upon it, and one of the mourners expressed his surprise at finding such a thing in a Jewish funeral chapel. When I asked, “Why so?” he said The Lord's Prayer[1] had no business in a Jewish chapel! He had confused the Psalm of David from our Bible with the words of Jesus in the New Testament. Psalm 23 is such a favorite also among Christians, and he had probably heard it so often under Christian auspices, that he did not even realize it was Jewish in origin, and thought this was The Lord's Prayer. It is testimony to the kind of ignorance which exists today among our people.
 
Another erroneous assumption is that The 23rd Psalm is exclusively a funeral psalm. Many people do not like to hear it on any other occasion because it reminds them of death and funerals. The truth of the matter is that it is, indeed, used often during a funeral service, by Jews and Christians, but it by no means deals with the subject of death. It is rather an expression of deep faith. It is like the Kaddish[2] in this respect, which is also associated with death, but which makes no reference to death and is rather an expression of faith in God. The fact that the most common English translation has in it the phrase "the valley of the shadow of death" reinforces the mistaken notion, but when we analyze the psalm, as we shall do in a moment, we shall see that this phrase, as poetic as it may sound, has been questionably translated. Psalm 23 does not deal with the theme of death. It is rather an expression of confidence and faith in the providence and protection of God. As such it is appropriate to recite it in a time of mourning, but to consider it all together a death psalm is to misunderstand its true meaning.
 
Let me now refresh your minds with regard to the entire psalm. I shall read it first in the English version we have been accustomed to and then let us analyze its meaning in segments.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; He guideth me in straight paths for His name's sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Now let us look at this a bit more closely. The Lord is my shepherd is an expression of complete trust. It is a phrase used elsewhere in the Psalms and Jacob also, when he blessed Joseph's sons referred to God as his shepherd. It is an expression particularly suitable to David, who was himself a shepherd and who may have written the Psalm. The Psalms are traditionally considered to be the product of David, but certainly not all of them were, and it is difficult to say which, if any. This one, however, does reflect the experience of a shepherd and could well have been.
 
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Here is an example of a translation that needs to be changed. Want today means to desire something. The Hebrew really says, “I do not lack anything.” Years ago "want" was correct, but now the correct translation of the verse is, "The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing." This thought, incidentally, must have bothered the rabbis. If we are like sheep, cared for by a shepherd and lack nothing, what happens to personal initiative? Therefore, one rabbi comments and says,

Lest I think that God will bless even him who sits in idleness, Scripture reads, “The Lord, thy God, will bless thee in all the work of thy hand,” implying that when a man works, behold he is blessed, but if he does not work, he is not blessed

We continue — He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. — Some translate refreshing waters — He restoreth my soul — some translate simply He brings me back. He leads me to refreshing waters, he brings me back. The rabbinical commentary however, liked the reference to restoring the soul. They were reminded by this phrase to a similar one from Psalm 19 with which you are familiar — the Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.[3] The psalmist meant that with rest and refreshing water God revived his strength, but because of the connection in the other psalm of restoring the soul with Torah, the Rabbi said that here also it was really Torah that was meant. And since the Jew had long ago forsaken his pastoral background, as he recited Psalm 23 through the years he accepted this rabbinic interpretation and understood the verse to be a declaration that God through Torah sustained and refreshed his creatures.
 
He guideth me in straight paths for His name's sake. There are some who tell us that the words translated for His name's sake are really incapable of being translated and would rather leave a blank where this phrase goes. It is, indeed, not easy to understand what is meant if we do translate for His name’s sake. It may possibly mean that God keeps us in a straight and narrow path so that the other people who see how good care God takes of us will be impressed and will think highly of our God. But others translate not straight paths but paths of righteousness or paths of mercy, and the rabbinical interpretation is that God deals with us mercifully and graciously and thus bestows favor upon us not because any merit that we have but rather for His name's sake, out of his own graciousness, for the greater glory of His own name.
 
And then comes the dramatic phrase we referred to previously. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. The words are poetic and beautiful, but have you ever stopped to think of what they mean? The New English Bible[4] just published gives it as Even though I walk through a dark valley as death. Dr. Orlinsky[5], who is editor-in-chief of the new JPS Bible translation, tells us that the Hebrew words mean simply through a valley utterly dark. A resemblance to the Hebrew words for shadow and death caused the translation with which we are so familiar. Basically, the psalmist is saying that even though he walks in a dark valley which is dangerous because of the wild beasts or robbers that may be lurking there, he fears no evil. It is not a reference to death itself. It is an expression of utmost confidence that will protect him even as a shepherd protects his flock. The faith of the psalmist as is here expressed is complete and unconditional. Later on, as in the book of Job, there would be questions raised about evil. Though such thought disturbs the psalmist. He is confident that God protects. The rabbis who commented later on this psalm did not see it as such a simple matter. They imply that God does not always protect from evil, but their answer to the problem was that when God afflicts, his chastisements are also for the benefit of the receiver. The psalmist says Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me meaning the shepherd’s rod and staff, but the rabbis add the rod is the rod of God's chastisements and the staff is the Torah. By chastisements and Torah God comforts man. Or perhaps it is even better to accept the suggestion made that the word comfort is also one of those words that are garbled and that we should use the word direct instead. In other words, Thy rod and Thy staff, they direct me. It sounds reasonable. Or as the rabbis would interpret it Thy chastisements and Thy Torah, these are what give us a sense of direction in life and are both intended for our good. We don't solve completely the problem of good and evil in the world by such thinking, but it nevertheless is at least partially true that often the things we find burdensome are what do help us find a sense of values and to refine our character. However, this is rabbinic commentary and not implied by a literal reading of the psalm itself.
 
The psalm continues now with a change in the metaphor. God is not spoken of anymore as a shepherd. He is pictured as a gracious host. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…. One translator suggests we read despite my enemies, which would seem to make better sense. God is a gracious host and does not cooperate with the enemy. He sustains us in spite of their desire to see us defeated. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over. It was an ancient practice to anoint the body with oil and God provides all things necessary for a festive meal. And the psalmist is confident that goodness and mercy will be his lot all the days of his life and he shall dwell — where? — in the house of the Lord forever.  But what does that mean? And here's another problem. The House of the Lord is literally the Temple, but one does not dwell in the Temple forever. Or perhaps, and this is good, the house of the Lord refers to the world in general, to living in the presence of God which is everywhere. Psalm 90 speaks of the Lord as a dwelling place in all generations.[6] This may be similar. The word forever here is also a problem. Is the House of the Lord the future life? The rabbis, with their way of interpreting, take it that way. In this case forever would be a suitable word, but the Hebrew does not really say forever, after all. It says simply length of days which means a long time, but not forever. Therefore, the first interpretations are not ruled out. There is however another suggestion which says the Hebrew for House of the Lord here is possibly garbled and what is meant is, therefore, I shall live in my home for a long time to come. We cannot be altogether sure but to take it as living in God's presence seems in keeping with the mood of the psalm and that is what I prefer. Let us sum up. The 23rd Psalm is a beautiful and poetic piece, but in the version we have become accustomed to there are some inaccuracies. If we were to translate correctly we may perhaps not find the English quite so lyrical but we would gain a more logical interpretation of what the psalm says. Thus we would read:

The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in grassy meadows. He leads me to refreshing waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in right paths for His name's sake. Even though I walk through a dark valley, I do not fear evil for you are with me. Your rod and staff — they direct me. You set the table before me despite my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup is filled to overflowing. Surely goodness and loving kindness shall attend me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for many days.

There is no doubt that when we create a new translation some of the beauty and poetry of the old English translation is lost, but what do you want — good poetry or good sense?


[1] The Lord's Prayer is a venerated Christian prayer that, according to the New Testament, was taught by Jesus to his disciples. There are several versions, the following being one of the most popular: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.”

[2] Kaddish is a hymn of praises to God found in the Jewish prayer service, the central theme of which is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. The term "Kaddish" is often used to refer specifically to "The Mourner's Kaddish", said as part of the mourning rituals in Judaism in prayer services, funerals, and memorials.
 

[3] In returning the Torah to the Ark during the Shabbat morning service, on p. 149 of the Union Prayer Book in use at the time, the Reader would recite: “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing in the heart; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. Behold, a good doctrine has been given unto you; forsake it not.”

[4] The New English Bible was a translation undertaken by the major Protestant churches of the British Isles. Scholars translated from the best Hebrew and Greek texts, aiming to present the full meaning of the original in clear and natural modern English. The translation was published jointly by the University Presses of Cambridge and Oxford.

[5] Harry M. Orlinsky (1908 –1992) was the editor-in-chief of the New Jewish Publication Society (NJPS) translation of the Torah (1962). He was also instrumental in helping to get The Prophets (1978) and The Writings (1982) published as well. Orlinsky helped move the translation of the Bible away from the literalism of the Kings James Version to the exegesis that was the hallmark of JPS’s 1917 translation and Orlinsky’s earlier translation work.

[6] Psalm 90:1