常见问题
What does this chapter of Psalms focus on?
Psalm 23 pictures the LORD as a shepherd who provides rest, guidance, and protection, even 'through the valley of the shadow of death' (v.4), and as a generous host who prepares a table and anoints the speaker's head with oil (v.5).
What does 'I shall not want' mean in Psalm 23:1?
It means the speaker lacks nothing because the LORD is his shepherd -- the opening declaration the rest of the psalm illustrates with images of pasture, water, and a prepared table. See Psalms 23:1.
How does the psalm end?
Verse 6 closes with confidence that 'goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,' and a resolve to 'dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.'
The psalm closes with a table prepared before enemies, an anointed head, and a promise that goodness and mercy follow all the days of life. See how that provision echoes in Philippians 4:19, or read on to Psalms 24.
