{"id":9275,"date":"2026-05-15T12:17:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/answers\/psalom-22-hospod-pastyr-mij-tekst\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T12:18:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:18:02","slug":"psalom-22-hospod-pastyr-mij-tekst","status":"publish","type":"answers","link":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/answers\/psalom-22-hospod-pastyr-mij-tekst\/","title":{"rendered":"What does Psalm 23, \u201cThe Lord is my Shepherd,\u201d mean?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psalm 23 \u201cThe Lord Is My Shepherd\u201d is one of the best-known and most beloved psalms in the entire Bible.<\/b> It is a short prayer of trust, read in times of anxiety, illness, loss, in the shadow of death, in difficult decisions. Millions of people repeat it from memory. Why? Because in six short verses it contains a complete picture of who God is for us \u2014 Shepherd, Protector, Host, Friend, Guest, All Eternity. Here is the full text, an explanation of each image, and why this psalm still has power after 3,000 years.<\/p>\n

Full text of Psalm 23 (Ohienko)<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name\u2019s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff \u2014 they comfort me! You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows! Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for long days!\u201d Ps. 22 (Ohienko) \/ Ps. 23 (Khomenko)<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A note about numbering.<\/i> In Ohienko it is Psalm 22. In Khomenko, Turkoniak, and English translations \u2014 Psalm 23. The text is the same.<\/p>\n

Who wrote this psalm<\/h2>\n

The heading says: \u201cA Psalm of David.\u201d Before David became king of Israel, he was a shepherd<\/b>. He knew this from his own experience \u2014 hours among sheep, in valleys, on pastures, near water. So the images in the psalm are not theoretical. They come from every day of his youth.<\/p>\n

This is especially important: when David says \u201cThe Lord is my Shepherd,\u201d he is not using a beautiful metaphor from a book he read. He is saying, \u201cGod cares for me the way I cared for the sheep.\u201d<\/i>. And in Eastern custom, a shepherd knew every sheep by name, carried the wounded one on his shoulders, and went out in the middle of the night to look for the lost one.<\/p>\n

An explanation of each verse<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want\u201d (verse 1)<\/h3>\n

The key word is \u201cmy\u201d<\/b>. Not \u201cthe Shepherd of the nation,\u201d not \u201cthe Shepherd of those who deserve it,\u201d but my<\/i> personally. This is an intimate prayer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shall not want\u201d does not mean \u201cI will have everything I want.\u201d It means that, basically,<\/b> I will not lack what is truly necessary. God cares for what is essential.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn green pastures\u2026 beside still waters\u201d (verse 2)<\/h3>\n

Two pictures: green grass (food), still water (drink). In the East, a shepherd had to find these two for the sheep\u2014and nothing else mattered. God promises not \u201cluxury,\u201d but basic needs<\/b> \u2014food and drink in the broad sense: body, soul, heart.<\/p>\n

Why \u201cstill\u201d waters? Because sheep are afraid of rushing water\u2014they do not drink from a stream; they need a calm pool. God leads us not to turbulent experiences, but to peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe restores my soul\u201d (verse 3)<\/h3>\n

The image of a lost sheep. Every person from time to time becomes \u201clost\u201d\u2014in anxiety, in sin, in weariness, in despair. God promises to restore<\/b>. Not \u201cto punish for running away,\u201d but to bring back to Himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe leads me\u2026 in paths of righteousness\u201d (verse 3)<\/h3>\n

God not only brings us out of the trap\u2014He leads us<\/b>. He does not push from behind or give lectures. He goes ahead, showing the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil\u201d (verse 4)<\/h3>\n

The most well-known verse. Notice: \u201cwhen,\u201d not \u201cif.\u201d<\/b>. The dark valley will come in everyone\u2019s life. It is not \u201cpossible\u201d; it is guaranteed. Illness, loss, fear\u2014these are realities.<\/p>\n

But David does not say \u201cI will not be in the valley.\u201d He says \u201cI will fear no evil,\u201d because \u201cYou are with me.\u201d<\/b>. God does not promise to avoid the darkness\u2014He promises to walk through it with us.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour rod and Your staff\u2014they comfort me\u201d (verse 4)<\/h3>\n

The rod (club) is the shepherd\u2019s weapon against wild animals. The staff is the tool he used to rescue sheep that had fallen into pits.<\/p>\n