A Psalm. Of David. The Lord takes care of me as his sheep; I
will not be without any good thing.
My own rough translation from the Hebrew:
A song of the beloved. The One who exists, who has existed and who will
exist, shepherds without diminishing.
Interlinear translation from the Greek (LXX):
A psalm to David. The
Lord tends me, and not one thing lacks for me.
Some commentary from various sources about this verse or particular
words in it:
The word for ‘shepherd’ goes beyond merely feeding, guarding
and guiding the sheep. It implies
rulership; a relationship of provision and authourity to receiving and
obedience. Even within this authourity,
a shepherd is the sheep’s companion and true friend. The Hebrew word for shepherd is ra’ah,
interestingly, the Hebrew word for evil is ra.
The meanings given for ra’ah include idolater, devour, evil entreat,
also wander and waste.
The Strong’s number for ra’ah (shepherd) is H7462, a
primitive root and a verb. A related
word is re’eh (H7463) a friend of the king.
The statement made in this verse establishes that the God
who made Adam in His image, can be entirely trusted to rule over him/us in a
way that is only for his/our good. That
even through adversity, we can continue to trust in God’s good provision.
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