Psalm 23 meaning, the lord is my shepherd

Discover everything related to Psalm 23 of the Bible. If you haven’t read it yet, don’t worry, we will put it in context to help you reflect on these words of the Holy Scriptures. Let’s get to it!

Psalm 23, the lord is my shepherd

Now we propose you to listen to this relaxing audio version so that you can relax and empty your mind of external worries. It is time to listen to the Word of God and feel Our Lord in your heart.

If you do not remember the lyrics well, in the following section you have the complete text in English and large print.

Psalm 23 complete in English and large print

As we were saying, here you will find the 23rd Psalm of the Bible in English and with a font size that will make it easier for you to read.

Keep in mind that this is the most widely read Psalm in the Bible and, on top of this, it is one of the most popular texts within Christian communities and society in general. Read it carefully and delight yourself with such beautiful words.

1 The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;

to the waters of rest he leads me.

3 He restores my soul;

guides me along paths of justice

for his name’s sake.

4 Though I pass through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and in the house of the Lord I will dwell for long days.

Meaning Psalm 23: the lord is my shepherd i shall not want

You have just read and listened to Psalm 23 or also called the Shepherd’s hymn because of the opening verse. It receives this name due to the transcendence of its meaning that is known worldwide, becoming the most read Psalm in the Bible and one of the most recognized biblical chapters in the world.

And no wonder, the words contained in this psalm are of unparalleled beauty and are shared by the vast majority of the Christian community.

Psalm 23 is part of the Book of Psalms, belonging to the Old Testament and, like many of the other psalms, was written by King David, of whom we have already spoken in this article on
Samuel 1. The Psalms are texts written especially to be sung, and Catholics do so at the time of the Eucharist.

To better understand Psalm 23 we will analyze the meaning of each verse, to help you reflect and draw some conclusions.

As you will see, Psalm 23 revolves around a beautiful metaphor where we understand God as the shepherd and the faithful as his flock. He guides and safeguards us in a world that is often dangerous and cruel.

1 The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

This is the most read verse of the psalm, and also the best known. It is a statement of great beauty, which gives rise to the metaphor of the shepherd and the flock. In addition, it has a great emotional and reassuring charge, since, when you pronounce these words, you feel that with God’s love everything is going to be all right.

Remembering this verse in difficult moments will help you find the way out and the path to follow in complicated situations, offering you relief and serenity.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;

to the waters of rest he leads me.

Continuing with the metaphor, this verse reminds us that the way of the Lord is the way of love. If we follow his teachings, we will live in a happy world where we are all brothers and sisters.

For this reason, as Christians we must carry the message of solidarity and love of neighbor as a banner, and act accordingly.

3 He restores my soul;

guides me along paths of justice

for his name’s sake.

Here King David again insists on the goodness and love of God. As it says, Our Lord will watch over us and heal our souls when we come to him through the Holy Scriptures. We must not lose heart at any moment, God is at our side.

4 Though I pass through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Continuing with the message of calm and tranquility, we have verse 4. Even if things go very badly, we should not fear for nothing because the Lord will give us the impetus to continue.

Always keep God present in your life, and you will see how difficult situations become less distressing. Read the Bible frequently, and you will see how remembering the path to follow will help you a lot in your day-to-day life.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

In verse 5 we see the importance of dialogizing and loving even those people we consider our enemies. Jesus did so and died for us on the cross to transmit this message. We are all children of God and as such we should love each other and help each other to improve, even if it is often difficult.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and in the house of the Lord I will dwell for long days.

To end Psalm 23, David uses a verse of reaffirmation of Christianity and faith. Christians are characterized by forgiveness and doing good, and these should be our core values in life.

If we do so, we will follow God’s teachings and enjoy a happy and loving life. Let us take God to every corner of this world and show the beauty of his message.

More information on Psalm 23

Being so well known, Psalm 23 is a reference for the Christian faith, and this beautiful metaphor of the shepherd and his flock has been used on many other occasions in the Bible. So much so that the word shepherd appears more than 170 times in the Old Testament and about 29 times in the New Testament.

In addition, the word pastor designates, in many branches of Christianity, the priests, since their job is to guide us with the Word of God. Jesus is also called Shepherd on numerous occasions in the Bible. In one of them, He calls Himself the Good Shepherd.

To finish this article, we want you to know that Psalm 23 is used by many people to start their prayer times, because it is a very good and beautiful way to address God.

We end the article with a beautiful song that refers to Psalm 23 of the King James Version Bible, we hope you like it very much:

Now you know everything there is to know about Psalm 23 of the Catholic Bible! We hope you liked our explanations and that you learned things you didn’t know. Another reading? Psalm 30 and Psalm 34 are most profound! If you want the analysis of more interesting verses, feel free to browse through our website. Share this article if you found it interesting!