Psalm 23:1-3

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1

The Lord is my Shepherd . This metaphor, so frequent in the later Scriptures ( Isaiah 40:11 ; Isaiah 49:9 , Isaiah 49:10 ; Jeremiah 31:10 ; Ezekiel 34:6-19 ; John 10:11-19 , John 10:26-28 ; Hebrews 13:20 ; 1 Peter 2:25 ; 1 Peter 5:4 ; Revelation 7:17 ), is perhaps implied in Genesis 48:15 , but first appears, plainly and openly, in the Davidical psalms (see, besides the present passage, Psalms 74:1 ; Psalms 77:20 ; Psalms 78:53 ; Psalms 79:1-13 :14; Psalms... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1

Human experience and Divine inspiration. "The Lord is my Shepherd." The few verses which compose this psalm would leave but a small blank on the page, if blotted out; but suppose all translations which have been made of them into all languages, all references to them in literature, all remembrance of them in human hearts, could be effaced, who can measure the blank, the void, the loss? To have written this short psalm is one of the highest honours ever put upon man. What libraries have... 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

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-6

The good Shepherd. Dr. Arnold said that "amongst Christians, all looking upon the Scriptures as their rule of faith and life, there are particular passages which will most suit the wants of particular minds, and appear to them therefore full of an extraordinary measure of comfort and of wisdom." This is true. Most people have their favourite passages of Scripture. But it may be said of this psalm that it holds a peculiar position. It has for more than three thousand years been one of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:1-6

The power of reflection. The psalmist looks back over his life, and sings with grateful heart of God's love and care. We may use the psalm as bringing before us some of the changes and contrasts of life. I. YOUTH AND AGE . This psalm breathes the air of youth. It is the echo of the shepherd-life among the hills of Judah. But the psalmist was now old. Still, he cleaves to God. Happy are they who have sought God early, and whose days from youth to age are linked together by natural... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:2

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; literally, in grassy homesteads—" the richer, oasis-like spots, where a homestead would be fixed in a barren tract of land" (Kay). He leadeth me beside the still waters ; rather, waters of refreshment ; ἐπὶ ὓδατος ἀναπαύσεως ( LXX .). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 23:3

He restoreth my soul ; i.e. revives it and reinvigorates it when it is exhausted and weary (see the comment on Isaiah 19:7 , where the same verb occurs). He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness . Which are also "paths of pleasantness and peace" ( Proverbs 3:17 ). For his Name's sake . To magnify his Name as a gracious and merciful God. read more

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