Psalms 23:1-3
Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Interpretation
Wisdom shapes a provision that is traced in conflict and celebration. Psalms 23:1-3: notice "yahweh" and "shepherd". Practice provision through how disagreements are handled—let grace redraw instincts. Through wisdom & worship, Poetry and wisdom teach reverent, honest life before God—through praise, lament, and reflection.
Context
In Psalms (Poetry/Wisdom), naming provision. Placed in ch. 23, the nearby lines set its tone. There’s a line into wisdom & worship. The nearby sentences supply the texture.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
Among the most stable texts in the Hebrew Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls (11QPsa) preserve it nearly identical to the Masoretic Text. The divine name YHWH as 'shepherd' appears consistently. The only variant: some manuscripts have 'paths of righteousness' (plural) while others have 'path' (singular). The Septuagint, completed in the 3rd century BCE, confirms the antiquity of this text. Over 3,000 years of transmission show minimal change.
Sources & witness notes
MT