Psalm 23

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Psalm 23 in the Schafstallkirche St. Martin (Munster)

The 23rd Psalm (according to the Masoretic text , in the Septuagint and Vulgate Psalm 22 ), also known as the Shepherd's Psalm or Psalm of the Good Shepherd , is one of the best-known Bible texts. His pictures are rooted in the ancient oriental cattle breeding society.

The psalm is part of the book of psalms . The 23rd Psalm has a special meaning for Christianity because , according to the Gospel of John , Jesus Christ describes himself as the “good shepherd” who is ready to give his life for the sheep ( Jn 10.11  EU ).

In addition to the motif of YHWH as shepherd, a second, less noticed motif appears in the second part of the psalm: YHWH as host. Both motives have in common the unconditional trust of the prayer in the one God, who protects and accompanies the person on his life path with all his imponderables.

The text of Psalm 23

The textual findings of the 23rd Psalm are considered extremely favorable. There are no significant deviations in the old manuscripts. In verse 6 the Masoretic text reads “ושבתי” (“and I will return”), the Septuagint translates “καὶ τὸ κατοικεῖν με” (“and my dwelling is ...”) d. H. "I will live".

  • Psalm 23, translated by Luther (1534)

  • Psalm 23 translated into Prekmurian

Translations of the Psalm

In the Catholic Church , the standard translation is used, in the Protestant Church, as a rule, the version of Luther's translation, which was adapted to contemporary German in 2017.

verse Standard translation (2016) Luther Bible (2017)
1 [A psalm of David.] The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing. A psalm of David. The LORD is my Shepherd, I will want nothing.
2 He lets me lie down on green meadows and leads me to the resting place by the water. He grazes me on a green meadow and leads me to the fresh water.
3 He brings back my life force. He leads me on the paths of righteousness, true to his name. He refreshes my soul. He leads me on the right road for his name's sake.
4th Even when I walk in the dark valley, I fear no harm; for you are with me, your stick and your staff, they comfort me. And if I already wandered in the dark valley, I fear no misfortune; for you are with me, your staff and staff comfort me.
5 You set the table for me in front of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil, my cup is overflowing. You prepare a table before me in the face of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil and pour me full.
6th Yes, goodness and grace will follow me all my life, and I will return home to the house of the Lord for long times. Goodness and mercy will follow me all my life, and I will abide in the house of the Lord forever.
verse Luther Bible (1545) Butcher Bible (2000)
1 A psalm of David. THE LORD is my Shepherd / I will lack nothing. A psalm of David. The lord is my shepherd; I will not lack anything.
2 He feeds me on a green aven / and leads me to fresh water. He grazes me on green meadows and leads me to still waters.
3 He refreshes my soul / he keeps me on the right road / Vmb his name's sake. He refreshes my soul; he leads me on the right road for his name's sake.
4th And whether I am already wandering in the dark valley / I fear no misfortune / For you are with me / Your stick and staff comfort me. And even if I wandered through the valley of the shadows of death, I fear no misfortune, for you are with me; your stick and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table for me / against my enemies / you anoint my hay with oils / and pour me full. You prepare a table before me in the face of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows.
6th Good and mercy will follow me all my life, and I will abide in the house of the Lord forever. Only goodness and grace will follow me all my life, and I will abide in the house of the Lord forever.
verse The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (1830)
1 A psalm of David. The Lord rules me and I will lack nothing:
2 He laid me down in a pasture: raised me by the refreshing water:
3 Converted my soul: led me on the ways of righteousness for his name's sake.
4th Because even if I walk in the shadow of death, I don't want to fear anything evil because you are with me. Your rod and your staff have comforted me.
5 You have prepared a table before my face against those who torment me. You have anointed my head with oil: and how glorious is my intoxicating cup!
6th And your mercy follow me all the days of my life: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord for a long time.

The Hebrew text, translations of the Septuagint and the Vulgate as well as various German translations can be found below under Ps 23.1-6  GNB (here preset to the translation Good News Bible ).

Outline and text structure

The psalm text can be divided into four sections. a. become recognizable through the change of the speaking situation.

  1. Verses 1b to 3c (he-I)
  2. Verse 4 (I-you)
  3. Verse 5 (you-me)
  4. Verse 6 (I-he)

Several structures are superimposed in the psalm: on the one hand a chiastic (crossed over), then a continuous structure.

Chiastic structural elements:

  1. The change of person mentioned above.
  2. At the beginning and at the end the name of God ( YHWH ) is mentioned.
  3. The motif of (life) danger appears in sections 2 and 3 (valley of darkness, in the face of my adversaries).

Continuous structural elements:

  1. While the motif of YHWH as a shepherd predominates in the first two sections, in sections three and four the motif of YHWH as a good host comes to the fore.
  2. The motif of eating and drinking is mentioned in sections one and three, club and stick (section 2) correspond to happiness and goodness (section 4).
  3. Another structural feature in terms of content is that of movement. First of all, people (in the shepherd's flock metaphor ) are out and about (green pastures, water, paths, valley of darkness), then they sit as (honorary) guests at the meal, and finally there is talk of (lifelong) living in the house YHWHs.

Author's question and age of the psalm

As in almost half of all biblical psalms, the 23rd Psalm names David as the author. What is meant is the second king of Israel , who ruled around 1,000 BC and occupies a prominent position among the Israelite kings. According to biblical tradition, David was a shepherd boy in his youth. In a figurative sense, he also felt his later duty as king to be “pastoral service”.

The psalm heading "מזמור לדוד" ( mizmor ledawid ; "A psalm. From / for David") is now regarded as secondary. For most experts , u. a. the last verse of Psalm 23 against an authorship of David; here we speak of the “house of the Lord”, by which the Jerusalem temple is meant. This was only built during the reign of his son Solomon . However, some proponents of David's authorship point out that the term “house” may include “family” and “clan”.

Although the psalm takes up archaic motifs from the world of the semi-nomads , for content-related considerations (God-human relationship; pious piety) it was probably only created after the exile at the time of the second temple.

genus

In the Christian context today, Psalm 23 is mostly understood as an individual trust song. Other interpreters, given verses 5 and 6, tend to assume that Psalm 23 had its original place in the (Jerusalem) temple service. One should think of a church song that YHWH sang as the Shepherd of Israel (cf. Psalm 80 : 2).

Willy Schottroff thinks that the wording originally refers to a song of praise and thanks by a refugee in the Jerusalem temple asylum. The individual experience was preserved in the Psalter of Israel and thus became a real folk song. Because Israel knows itself to be meant by the I, this psalm and the psalms are part of the tradition and the prayer book of Israel.

According to some interpreters, the very personal formulations of the Psalm speak against this. This suggests a private prayer rather than the original location of the Psalm.

According to Erich Zenger , the psalm was originally not sung as a song of thanksgiving at a sacrificial meal in the temple, but was used as a prayer of trust. In his opinion, v. 5 cannot be an allusion to the thanksgiving meal in the Jerusalem temple , since the initiative for the meal does not come from man here; on the contrary: everything comes from God. In addition, the “practice of anointing” in v. 5c has nothing to do with a sacrificial meal. The opening confession of the Psalm also contradicts the generic feature of a thanksgiving song. Verse 1b, designed as a nominal sentence, is to be understood in the sense of a confession “YHWH is my shepherd” (and no one else). Finally, the whole psalm is pervaded by the expression of the security of the prayer in the community of life given to him by YHWH, by virtue of which he is able to endure all adversities of life.

Notes on the content

Verses from Psalm 23 on the tombstone of the former Governing Mayor of Berlin Heinrich Albertz

According to a common Christian interpretation, the 23rd Psalm reflects the deep relationship of an individual to God, who is identified with the name YHWH ( Luther translation : Lord ; Buber's German : ER ; Zunz rendering of the Eternal ). In this way, a confession against other gods and powers is formulated under the hand: YHWH (and no other god) is the shepherd of the psalmist.

The term " shepherd " is used to describe various rulers in the ancient Orient. The title is verifiable for rulers in Mesopotamia from 3,000 BC . Shepherd versus herd cattle is a metaphor known from the environment of Israel that is also used in the Bible e.g. B. for David ( 2 Samuel 24:17), for the expected messianic ruler ( Ezekiel 34,23f; Zechariah 13,7), for Moses ( Isaiah 63:11), for later leaders in Israel (Isaiah 56:11; Jeremiah 2.8; 3.15 and others; Micah 5.4), but also for foreign rulers such as the Persian king Cyrus II (Is 44.28). God himself is also referred to as the shepherd or compared to someone who tends his sheep, that is, who rules ( Genesis 48:15; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10). In contrast, Israel then appears as God's flock (Psalm 77:21). So if God grazes like a shepherd in Psalm 23, then this does not address a romantic idea of ​​pastoral life in the field and it is not thought of a job for poor people, but rather a title of power. It is always included - this is also shown by the sources from the environment of Israel at the time:

  1. a legitimate claim to rule and leadership
  2. the duty to ensure protection and order
  3. to provide the entrusted people with plenty of food and drink.

Ludwig Köhler interpreted the imagery of Psalm 23 against the background of the pasture change. In the oriental landscape there are only "island" pastures. Once the meadow has been grazed, the herd must be led to the next pasture. There are often dangerous paths between the individual “green meadows” (“and whether I have already hiked in the dark valley”). The quality of a shepherd is shown above all in “leading his flock on the right road”. This psalm describes human life as a way: even where the way seems to come to an end, it still continues. The psalmist trusts his shepherd completely and knows that he is safe with him even in the “death shadow gorge” (“in the dark valley”). Just seeing the specific shepherd's staff (each shepherd had a specially carved staff) encourages and helps against fear.

In this context, the sudden change of form in verse 4 is remarkable: talking about the good shepherd becomes talking to him with the keyword "Death Shadow Gorge". From the “he” the “you” develops suddenly, from a commitment to YHWH as the good shepherd becomes a prayer : “... for you are with me, your stick and staff comfort me.” In verses 5 and 6 this becomes The image of the shepherd and the sheep suddenly broken. YHWH appears as the host who sets “the table in the face of the enemy”, pours the psalmist vigorously (full) and - as is usual with a distinguished guest - doused him with anointing oil . The psalmist does not see himself as just a sheep in the flock of his divine Shepherd; here he becomes a servant, an honored guest.

Some interpreters have therefore assumed that two originally independent psalms have been combined here: "YHWH, the good shepherd" and "YHWH, the friendly host". Others deny this. Be that as it may: The combination of the two images reveals biblical humor: Who knows a sheep who is allowed to sit down at his shepherd's table and is served all around by him? And which sheep is allowed to live under the same roof with its shepherd? The answer must be: There is no such thing in the world of shepherds and sheep, but there is with him whose shepherd is YHWH.

Verse 6 offers another interesting statement: "Only good and mercy will follow me all the days of my life ..." So the psalmist does not expect to encounter "good and mercy" throughout his life. That would also contradict the experience of the "Death Shadow Gorge" and the encounter with the enemy (verse 5). Put simply, his deep conviction is: Whatever happens on my way, God's goodness stays on my heels. The dimension of this faith becomes clear in view of the fact that this psalm is not only loud in Christian worship services, but is also sung in Judaism after the Shoah .

Settings

Psalm 23 in a setting by Dvořák

Re-seals

literature

Medieval commentary by Notker Labeo
  • W. Philipp Keller: Psalm 23 - from the point of view of a shepherd. Asslar 1993 (22nd edition), ISBN 3-89437-295-8 .
  • Charles Haddon Spurgeon : From the Treasury of David. Vol III: The message of trust and salvation in psalms. (Revised), Kassel 1964, p. 18ff.
  • Ton Veerkamp : The song: He is my shepherd. In: Texts & Contexts - Exegetical Journal No. 8, Volume 3, 2/1980, pp. 4–21.
  • Alfons Deissler : The Psalms. Patmos , Düsseldorf 1963 (7th edition 1993), ISBN 3-491-69062-5 .
  • Heinrich Groß , Heinz Reinelt: The Book of Psalms. Part I (Ps 1-72). (= Spiritual reading, Volume 18/1), St. Benno , Leipzig 1979 (3rd edition 1986).
  • Erhard S. Gerstenberger : Psalms. Part I (Ps 1-60). The Forms of the Old Testament Literature. Grand Rapids 1991.
  • Erich Zenger : With my God I jump over walls. Psalm interpretations. 1st 2nd edition. Herder, Freiburg / Basel / Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-451-08810-X .
  • Frank-Lothar Hossfeld , Erich Zenger: The Psalms I. Psalm 1-50. (= NEB.AT 29) Würzburg 1993.
  • S. Mittmann: Structure and unity of the song of thanksgiving Psalm 23. In: Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche (ZThK) 77, 1980, 1–23.
  • Werner Stenger : Structural "relecture" from Ps 23. In: Festschrift Heinrich Groß. Stuttgart 2nd ed. 1987, pp. 441-455.
  • Ludwig Köhler: Psalm 23: Journal for Old Testament Science 68 (1956), 227-234.
  • Willy Schottroff: Psalm 23. On the method of socio-historical interpretation of the Bible. In: Willy Schottroff / Wolfgang Stegemann (ed.): Tradition of Liberation. Munich 1980, pp. 78-113.
  • Leonardo Boff : The Lord is my Shepherd. Psalm 23 interpreted by LB Patmos, Düsseldorf 2005, ISBN 3-491-70388-3 .
  • Hans-Joachim Kraus : Psalms. 1st subband. Psalms 1-59 (= Biblical Commentary Old Testament Volume XV / 1), Neukirchen 6th edition 1989 (1st edition 1960), 334–341.

Web links

Commons : Psalm 23  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Text and translations

Animations and dubbing

Comments and sermons

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, Volume Three (with approval of the Apostolic See), translation by Joseph Franz von Allioli , 4th edition, pp. 120–121, Landshut, 1839 - used for Anton Bruckner's Psalm 22, WAB 34
  2. ↑ Erich Zenger: Psalm 23. In: Frank Lothar Hossfeld / Erich Zenger: Psalms I. Psalm 1-50 (= The New Real Bible. Commentary on the Old Testament with the standard translation , vol. 29) Würzburg 1993, pp. 152–156 , ISBN 3-429-00744-5 .
  3. ↑ Willy Schottroff: Psalm 23 , in: Willy Schottroff, Wolfgang Stegemann (Ed.): Traditions der Befreiung Vol. 1, Munich 1980 pp. 78–113. ISBN 3-459-01316-8
  4. ↑ Erich Zenger: Psalm 23 , in: Erich Zenger: With my God I jump over walls. Psalmenauslelegungen 1,, Freiburg et al. 2nd ed. 1994, pp. 225–232. ISBN 3-451-08810-X
  5. ^ Literarian Blätter, XIII, Nürnberg, March 31, 1804, p. 204
  6. ↑ Hymnary.org: My guardian and my shepherd is the Lord God