Psalms · Psalm 23

"A song of David" — The Rabbis said: Wherever it says: “A song of David,” he would play [his musical instrument] and afterwards the Shechinah would rest on him. It is a song to bring the holy spirit upon David. And, wherever it says: “Of David, a song,” the Shechinah rested on him [first] and then he recited a song. "The Lord is my shepherd" — In this desert where I am going, [therefore] I am confident that I will lack nothing.

"A psalm of David; Hashem is my shepherd, I shall not want" — this psalm is distinguished; he likened himself to a lamb that relies upon its shepherd, and behold, Hashem is the one who shepherds me, therefore I shall not lack anything. And the meaning is: I shall not lack what I need, in the full sense [of the word].

'A psalm of David' — David said this psalm about himself, at the time when he came out of distress into relief; or it is said concerning Israel, that they will say so when they come out of the exile — therefore they placed it next to the psalm before this one. And in the Midrash (Shocher Tov, with some change of wording) it is interpreted in two ways: 'He makes me lie down in green pastures' speaks of David at the time when he was fleeing from Saul. And what is written there (I Samuel 22:5)? 'And David went and came to the forest of Ḥeret.' And why was it called the forest of Ḥeret? Because it was as parched as this ḥeret [potsherd]; and the Holy One, blessed be He, moistened it from the fountain of His goodness of the World to Come, as it is said (Psalms 63:6): 'My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness.' 'He restores my soul' — this is the kingship, which I did not merit except 'for His name's sake.' 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death' — this speaks of the wilderness of Ziph. 'I will fear no evil' — why? 'For You are with me.' 'Your rod' — these are the sufferings; 'and Your staff' — this is the Torah (Editorial note: There is a jumbling of material here, and I am convinced that the Midrash before us [Shocher Tov] is also fragmentary and not whole, and it requires much study. Here, dear reader, is the emendation that I have made to the words of the Midrash, according to my limited understanding: 'they comfort me' — could this mean without any suffering at all? Scripture therefore says 'only.' 'You spread a table before me' — this is the kingship. 'In the presence of my enemies' — this is Doeg and Ahitophel. 'You have anointed my head with oil' — could this be through harsh sufferings? Scripture therefore says 'only goodness and mercy.' 'And I shall dwell in the house of Hashem' — this is the Temple. Could this mean only in this world? Scripture therefore says 'for length of days' — [meaning] in this world and in the World to Come). 'You spread a table before me' — this is the kingship. 'In the presence of my enemies' — Doeg and Ahitophel. 'You have anointed my head with oil.' Could this be through sufferings? Scripture therefore says: 'only goodness.' Could this be [only] in this world? Scripture therefore says: 'only goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life.' 'In the house of Hashem' — this is the Temple. And the Rabbis interpret the verse [as referring] to Israel: 'He makes me lie down in green pastures' — 'I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down' (Ezekiel 34:15). 'He leads me beside still waters' — 'and by the river, on its bank, on this side and on that ... and its leaf shall be for healing' (ibid. 47:12): Rav and Samuel [disagreed] — one said it means '[literally] for healing,' while the other said it means 'to loosen the mouths of the mute'; and Rabbi Yochanan said it means 'to loosen the wombs of the barren' (Editorial note: See Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 100a and Menachot 98a — there Rav Yitzchak bar Avdimi and Rav Chisda disputed this matter; but without doubt Rav and Samuel, who spent some time in the Land of Israel, brought the dispute of Hezekiah and Bar Kappara down with them to Babylonia, and their students likewise knew Rabbi Yochanan's interpretation. In any case, there is a confusion of names in the Midrash). 'He restores my soul' — this is the goodness of the World to Come. And now I will explain the psalm according to its plain sense. 'Hashem is my shepherd' — [David], reflecting on himself, likens himself to a sheep and God to a shepherd, and says: 'Hashem is my shepherd'; and since He is my shepherd, 'I shall not want' — for anything.

"Hashem is my shepherd" — Since Hashem shepherds me, then surely I shall lack nothing, for everything is in His hand.

"A psalm of David" — in this psalm he inscribed the events of his life from the time he was a shepherd of sheep in the wilderness until he rose to the kingship. First he looks back upon the beginning of his days, the time he secluded himself with the flock in the wilderness, and he pictures himself as a sheep grazing in pastures of grass, and Hashem as the shepherd who watches over him with a compassionate eye. Those years were, for him, the choicest days of his life, while he was in seclusion with his Maker, while he would sing before Him, meditating on the lyre, the sweet songs of Israel, while the crown of kingship had not yet been placed upon him to separate him from cleaving to Hashem — for indeed we find that even after he became king he always called himself by the name "poor and needy," because that time was, to him, the happy time. And since it was Hashem's will to bring him out of the life of seclusion, to shepherd the flock of His people, He brought about a chain of circumstances so that he would be taken to the house of Saul, to be a player on the lyre, and there it was put into his heart to fight with Goliath, and he became renowned. Then Saul's wrath was kindled against him, and he gave him his daughter for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, and after this he pursued him to kill him. And all these were causes leading to his success, until he attained the kingship. And all this was against David's will, for he desired the life of seclusion more, and always remembered the months of old as better in his eyes than the crown of kingship. And this may be compared to a king's son, heir to the throne, who spurned the royal scepter and chose to live a life of abstinence and asceticism in a hut of branches that he made for himself in a forest, in the evening. The king appointed one of his servants to set fire to his hut, and when the hermit went to seek shelter from a storm, one of the king's servants enticed him to dwell in a small built house found in the forest; afterward they set fire to this house as well, and then they brought him up to dwell in a better house, closer to the city, and so they did to him time after time, until he drew closer and closer to the city and grew accustomed to dwelling in a better house, until he returned to the city and to his father's house. Then the hermit son understood that everything that had happened to him was through his father's stratagems, to bring him out of the life of abstinence and seclusion into the governance of the state. And he said to his father: Know that although you have maneuvered events with me until you brought me to this point — namely, to kingship — nevertheless, know that in my heart I am still a nazirite of God as before; for all the good and kindness that you did for me, to bring me to the kingship, was against my will, and I will not depart, even in the king's house, from being a servant of Hashem, and a nazirite, and holy before Him. And with this we come to the explanation. "Hashem is my shepherd" — he depicts the days of his childhood, and likens himself to a lamb, and Hashem to the one shepherding him in the wilderness. He says: behold, Hashem is my shepherd, and surely "I shall not lack" anything, for I need only good pasture and water to drink; and my shepherd, Hashem, "makes me lie down in green pastures, and beside still waters" (that is, clear water, not muddy) "He leads me." Now he begins to depict the time when Hashem brought him out of this condition and brought him to the house of Saul (for at that time he would still sometimes shepherd his father's flock, as mentioned [1 Samuel 17]), and there zeal for Hashem was stirred in his heart, to fight the Philistine. And he likens this condition of his to a lamb that began to become wayward and wild, and to stray from the pasture onto wayward mountains; and so it says, even at the time when "my soul was made wayward" — that Hashem made me wayward and wild — this too was from Hashem, in that through it "He leads me in paths of righteousness." The ma'agal [circuitous path] is the roundabout way that circles around until it reaches its desired destination — that is to say, my straying from the straight way onto the circuitous path was [still] in "paths of righteousness," for righteousness summoned him onward, step by step, on these journeys, "for His name's sake" — for through this the name of Heaven was sanctified; and all this was by the counsel and will of the Most High. Now he begins to depict the time he was pursued by Saul, who came upon him several times in tremendous dangers, until there was but a step between him and death; and he depicts how the lamb arrived, through its waywardness, at the dens of lions and mountains of leopards, where it is ready at every moment to become prey to their teeth. And so it says:

"in green pasture" — In grassy pastures. Since he commences to compare his sustenance to the pasture of an animal by saying, “The Lord is my shepherd,” “green pastures” is appropriate for the expression, “the Lord is my shepherd.” David recited this psalm in the forest of Hereth (I Sam. 22:5). Why was it called Hereth? Because it was as dry as a potsherd (חרס) and the Holy One, blessed be He, moistened it with the good of the world to come (Mid. Ps. 23:6).

"In pastures" — the meaning is that he will find grass, and there will be a resting-place nearby, so that he will not have to tire himself on the mountains, at the time when the sheep lies down. "Beside the water" — he mentions the water. The meaning of "still" is the opposite of a rushing stream.

'He makes me lie down in green pastures' — explanation of 'in green pastures' (bin'ot): a place; and the alef of ne'ot stands in place of the vav of naveh/navot. The shepherds' tent is called a naveh, as in: 'I took you from the pasture (naveh)' (2 Samuel 7:8); 'to the pasture (naveh) of strength' (Jeremiah 49:19); 'pastures, cottages for shepherds' (Zephaniah 2:6). And with the vav exchanged for an alef: 'and the peaceful pastures (ne'ot) are laid waste' (Jeremiah 25:37); 'and over the pastures (ne'ot) of the wilderness, a lament' (ibid. 9:9); 'for the pastures (ne'ot) of the wilderness have sprouted grass' (Joel 2:22). The good shepherd leads his flock and grazes them in a place of grass, and there he pitches his tent and its curtains in the morning. And as the day declines, at the time of noon, he makes them lie down in the shade of his tent, as it is written (Song of Songs 1:7): 'Where do you graze your flock, where do you make it lie down at noon?' And when he wants to give them water, he leads them gently beside 'waters of rest' — that is, water that flows slowly, and not a rushing stream, lest the water sweep them away when they come to drink. Therefore it says: 'He leads me beside the still waters.'

"In pastures" — Like a compassionate shepherd who makes his flock lie down in a place of grass; and since he compared Him to a shepherd, he used language befitting a shepherd. "Still waters" — For waters that are at rest are clear, unlike flowing waters, which stir up mud and mire in their waters.

"In green pastures" — an expression of dwelling, as in "the peaceful folds" (Jeremiah 25). "He makes me lie down" — an expression of lying down to rest. "He leads me" — an expression of guiding, as in "You guided [them] by Your strength" (Exodus 15).

"He restores my soul" — My spirit, which has been weakened by troubles and haste, He will restore to its previous status. "in paths of righteousness" — In straight paths, so that I should not fall into the hands of my enemies.

"My soul" — he mentions that the shepherd does not drive [the flock] hurriedly to lead it from pasture to pasture, but rather restores its soul in tranquility and rest. And the meaning of "in straight paths" is that he does not lead him over hills and through valleys — and all this He does not do for my sake, but for His name's sake, so that His name may be told throughout the whole earth, for He is a good shepherd, and there is none as compassionate as He.

'He restores my soul' — He gives it rest, like the good shepherd who does not tire the flock and does not push them, but leads them gently, as in (Isaiah 40:11): 'He gathers the lambs in his arm and carries them in his bosom, and gently leads the nursing ewes.' And 'restores' (yeshovev) is related to 'in returning and rest' (beshuvah vanachat) (ibid. 30:15). 'He guides me in paths of righteousness' — like the good shepherd who does not drive his flock over mountains, and does not move them from mountain to mountain, and does not trouble them to go from mountain to hill, but [leads them] on level ground — so too He 'guides me in paths of righteousness'; and all this 'for His name's sake' — not that I am worthy of it.

"He guides me" — He leads me on a straight path so that I do not stumble. "For His name's sake" — To make known the greatness of His providence over those who fear Him.

"He restores" — an expression of settling and quieting.

"in the valley of darkness" — Heb. צלמות, in a land of darkness. He alludes to the desert of Ziph (I Sam. 23:13 28). Every [mention of] צלמות is an expression of darkness. Dunash ben Labrat defined it [in this manner]. "Your rod and Your staff" — The pains that came upon me, and the support, that I rely upon Your loving kindnessboth of them will comfort me, for they will serve to expiate my iniquity, and I am confident that You will set a table before me. That is the throne.

"Indeed" — the meaning is: if the decrees of heaven that Hashem decreed from days of old should come to pass, bringing evil into the world — and he likens the evil to a "valley of the shadow of death" — [then] "I will fear no evil": I will not fear that evil will befall me, for Your rod will show me the way until I emerge [from it], and by this rod and this staff his heart is comforted. And the meaning is: when a year of adversity comes upon the world, Hashem brings about causes for those who take refuge in Him, to keep them alive through famine and to save their souls from death; and the meaning of "death" here is a death that does not come by the natural order, like the deaths caused by war and plague.

'Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death' — even should it happen to me that I am in a place of danger comparable to a 'valley of the shadow of death.' 'Valley' and 'shadow of death' [together] refer to the grave, which is a place of darkness, as it says (Job 10:21): 'Before I go, never to return, to a land of darkness and the shadow of death.' Therefore he compared trouble to the grave. And because David was many times in danger, he said: 'I will fear no evil' — because of his great trust in God, he was not afraid that evil would come upon him. 'For You are with me' — for I trusted that 'You are with me,' as with all who seek You. And since he had likened God to a shepherd, he said: 'Your rod and Your staff' — for the shepherd leads the flock with the staff in his hand, and leans on it when he stands. And he said: 'they comfort me' — [in the plural] even though it is one thing, because he mentioned it as two: 'rod' and 'staff.' So too for David, God's kindness and His righteousness were for him a 'rod and staff,' and they comforted him from every trouble: the 'rod' when he walked, and the 'staff' when he stood.

"In the valley of the shadow of death" — In a valley of darkness, meaning, in a place of danger. "I will fear no evil" — from any evil occurrence. "Your rod and Your staff" — The fact that You strike me with the rod of afflictions, and then return and support me — these very things are what comfort me, for by this I see that You have not abandoned me to chance events.

"The shadow of death" — the shadow of death; he means to say the darkness of the grave.

"Indeed, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" — nevertheless "I will fear no evil, for You are with me" — because he sees that the shepherd walks with him to guard him. And he carries the metaphor forward, as if the shepherd walking with him holds in one hand a small rod with which he strikes the sheep to turn it onto the right path, and in his other hand he holds his staff, which is a strong stick with which he drives away every predator and destroyer. And concerning this he says: when I see "Your rod and Your staff" — these two things, "they comfort me," for I know that no evil will come near me. And the meaning of the metaphor is that the afflictions are for his own good, to guide him through them onto the good path, and Hashem is his staff in his hand, to save him from the grip of all his enemies; therefore, trust in Hashem always.

"You anointed my head with oil" — I have already been anointed king by Your orders. "my cup overflows" — Heb. רויה, an expression of fullness.

"You prepare [a table]"... "in the presence of my enemies" — corresponding to "in the valley of the shadow of death," along the lines of "the gloom of anguish." And behold, "the table" corresponds to "the pasture." "And my cup overflows" corresponds to "beside the still waters." "Overflowing" is an adjective modifying the noun, like [the construction] "a wise woman"; and [it refers to] an abundance of richness — the delicacies that are on the table — "his head is anointed," as if it were drenched in fresh oil. And the meaning of this psalm concerns the servants of Hashem who forsake the desires of the world; they are joyful with their portion, and they consider bread and water to be equal to every pleasure of delicacies, because their thought and heart are set on the pleasures of the World to Come. Therefore they give up momentary pleasures for the sake of eternal pleasure. Therefore he says, "surely this is my whole thought"; and the meaning of "shall pursue me" is that I will so accustom myself to doing good and kindness [that it will pursue me].

'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies' — now he brought the metaphor back to plain language, and said: 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies,' so that they see my glory and their bones rot from their envy. 'You have anointed my head with oil' — oil is moisture; and if the 'head is anointed,' so is the whole body. His meaning is that nothing is lacking, for God provides him with everything he needs. 'My cup runs over' (kosi revayah) — [the word revayah is] complete, with its third radical showing; for elsewhere it appears without the third radical showing, [as in] 'to add the watered to the thirsty' (Deuteronomy 29:18). Its meaning is 'satisfied' — that is, that it [the cup] is always full and satisfied, and those who drink from it are always satisfied. All this is because of the great goodness that God gave to him and to his whole household.

"You prepare" — And through this I trust that You will yet prepare before me a table of delicacies, to delight in them. "In the presence of my adversaries" — He means to say: they will see my glory. "You have anointed" — He means to say: from then You anointed my head with anointing oil, to be king. "My cup runs over" — You promised me that my cup would be full, meaning, that I would reign according to every desire of my soul; and will Your word not stand?

"You have anointed" — from the term denoting fatness and richness. "Runs over" — an expression of being sated, as in "drenching its furrows" (below, 65).

"You prepare" — now he depicts the time when all Israel anointed him king, and he depicts that then he emerged from his former state, in which he resembled a sheep grazing in green pastures and drinking still waters. For "You have prepared a table before me" — meaning, I no longer eat on the ground like a sheep, but rather at a table; I am no longer a sheep, but on a different level, like a human being who eats at a table. And this You did "in the presence of my enemies" — for they could not prevent this, since he had prevailed over the house of Saul and Ish-bosheth. And also "You have anointed my head with oil" — for all Israel anointed him with oil as king over them, and I no longer drink water like a sheep, but rather "my cup overflows" with abundant royal wine.

"Goodness" is toward my own soul, and "kindness" is toward others — to teach them and instruct them to serve Hashem — until it becomes a fixed habit for me; for even if I wished to set aside "the good" for a single moment, it would pursue me. And the meaning of "and I shall dwell" is "again and again," along the lines of "it is consumed, returning in its course." And some say it is like "and I shall be quiet," from the same stem as "in returning and rest you shall be saved." And behold, the meaning is that I will forever do good and kindness; all the days [of my life] I shall dwell in the house of Hashem, to know His deeds — and this is the true prayer, for then a person withdraws from other people.

'Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me' — I acknowledge to You the good that You have given me until today; 'surely' this is what I ask of You: 'that Your goodness and Your mercy follow me' 'all the days of my life' — and that the wars and affairs of the world not trouble me. 'and I shall dwell' — that I may be able to rest 'in the house of Hashem forever' — and to be secluded there, and I will direct my heart and my thoughts to Your service and to declaring Your oneness. 'And I shall dwell' (veshavti) is related to 'in returning and rest' (beshuvah vanachat) (Isaiah 30:15); or its meaning is 'I dwelt' (yashavti), according to its plain sense — meaning that he continually went there again and again. The meaning of 'in the house of Hashem' is the place of the Ark. And the meaning of 'forever' (le'orekh yamim, lit. 'for length of days') is like what he said, 'all the days of my life'; but he was asking that his life be long, in proportion to the years of man — and that is [the meaning of] 'forever.'

"Surely goodness" — No evil at all shall come upon me anymore, and only goodness and kindness shall pursue me, coming to me. "And I shall dwell" — My dwelling in the house of Hashem shall be for length of days, and I shall no longer be driven out and cast about.

"Surely" — now the devout nazirite says to his Father in heaven: know that everything You did to bring me out of my life of abstinence and asceticism into kingship was against my will, and I do not desire the table of kings. And even now "goodness and mercy pursue me" — meaning that I constantly flee from this goodness and mercy, and they pursue me against my will. And this will be "all the days of my life," for I choose rather "to dwell in the house of Hashem for length of days." Therefore, even though You brought me to kingship, I will always dwell in the house of Hashem and live the life of a nazirite, and the goodness and mercy will be like something pursuing me against my will. And he also means that from now he sees that what his enemies pursued him with, all the days of his life, was actually only goodness and mercy, for through these pursuits he attained the kingship; and nevertheless he will dwell in the house of Hashem, for length of days, and will not abandon his service and his fear of Him.