Psalm 23:2-6 NIV

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:6

Goodness and mercy shall follow me - As I pass on through the vale of life, thy goodness and mercy shall follow my every step; as I proceed, so shall they. There seems to be an allusion here to the waters of the rock smitten by the rod of Moses, which followed the Israelites all the way through the wilderness, till they came to the Promised Land. God never leaves his true followers providential mercies gracious influences, and miraculous interferences, shall never be wanting when they are... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:2

Verse 2 2.He maketh me to lie down in pastures of grass. With respect to the words, it is in the Hebrew, pastures, orfields of grass, for grassy and rich grounds. Some, instead of translating the word נאות,neoth, which we have rendered pastures, render it shepherds’ cots or lodges. If this translation is considered preferable, the meaning of the Psalmist will be, that sheep-cots were prepared in rich pasture grounds, under which he might be protected from the heat of the sun. If even in cold... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:3

Verse 3 3.He restoreth my soul As it is the duty of a good shepherd to cherish his sheep, and when they are diseased or weak to nurse and support them, David declares that this was the manner in which he was treated by God. The restoring of the soul, as we have translated it, or the conversion of the soul, as it is, literally rendered, is of the same import as to make anew, or to recover, as has been already stated in the 19th psalm, at the seventh verse. By the paths of righteousness, he means... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:4

Verse 4 4.Though I should walk. True believers, although they dwell safely under the protection of God, are, notwithstanding, exposed to many dangers, or rather they are liable to all the afflictions which befall mankind in common, that they may the better feel how much they need the protection of God. David, therefore, here expressly declares, that if any adversity should befall him, he would lean upon the providence of God. Thus he does not promise himself continual pleasures; but he... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:5

Verse 5 5.Thou wilt prepare. These words, which are put in the future tense, here denote a continued act. David, therefore, now repeats, without a figure, what he has hitherto declared, concerning the beneficence of God, under the similitude of a shepherd. He tells us that by his liberality he is supplied with all that is necessary for the maintenance of this life. When he says, Thou preparest a table before me, he means that God furnished him with sustenance without trouble or difficulty on... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:6

Verse 6 6.Surely goodness and mercy. Having recounted the blessings which God had bestowed upon him, he now expresses his undoubted persuasion of the continuance of them to the end of his life. But whence proceeded this confidence, by which he assures himself that the beneficence and mercy of God will accompany him for ever, if it did not arise from the promise by which God is accustomed to season the blessings which he bestows upon true believers, that they may not inconsiderately devour them... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-4

The Shepherd of Israel. To a countryman of David, an ancient Israelite, the shepherd with his flock was no poetical figure, but a most familiar object. From Carmel to Gilead, from Hermon to the pastures of the wilderness of Paran, the green hills of Canaan were covered with flocks. On these same hills and plains the forefathers of the nation—Abraham, Isaac, Israel—had pitched their camps and fed their flocks, when as yet they could not call a rood of land their own. With us the shepherd's... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-4

God's providential care. "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want" etc. God's care and providence over man are denoted by the following things. I. HE GIVES REST TO THE WEARY . "Maketh me to lie down in green pastures." Man is a combatant; he has a fight to maintain, a work to do; and he shall have seasons to rest from his exhaustion. He is a pilgrim-traveller. He has rest from bodily toil. So also rest from spiritual work. But the rest is spiritual in its kind. Not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-6

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-6

The good Shepherd and his flock. This is one of the sweetest of all the psalms. That it was written by him who was raised from having care of a flock to be the king on Israel's throne, there is no reason for doubting, spite of all that destructive critics may say. No amount of Hebrew scholarship can possibly let any one into the deep meaning of this psalm. No attainments in English literature will ever initiate any student into the mysteries of a mother's love, and no attainments in... read more

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:6

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:2

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:3

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:4

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:5

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 23:6

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-6

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-6

Group of Brands