Psalm 23 in English

Read Psalm 23 in Hebrew with the 1917 Jewish Publication Society translation beneath each verse and a plain explanation of each. Below the text you will find its key Hebrew words, when it is sung and read in Jewish life, and how this translation compares with other English versions.

Edition:: The Masoretic Hebrew text of Psalm 23 with the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, checked verse by verse against Mechon Mamre's Hebrew-English Bible.
Written: October 23, 2026

Psalm 23: the LORD is my shepherd

The psalm moves from green pasture to a dark valley, then to a table set by a generous host, and ends in the house of the LORD. Each verse is shown in Hebrew with the 1917 JPS English beneath it.

Edition: Hebrew: the Masoretic text. English: the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917. Both checked verse by verse against Mechon Mamre's Hebrew-English Bible.

Psalms 23:1
מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד: יְהוָה רֹעִי, לֹא אֶחְסָר.
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Meaning: The heading, mizmor l'David, calls this a song of David; a mizmor is a psalm sung to music. Then comes the whole psalm in brief: the LORD is ro'i, my shepherd, so lo echsar, I shall lack nothing. Want here means to be in need, not to desire.
Psalms 23:2
בִּנְאוֹת דֶּשֶׁא, יַרְבִּיצֵנִי; עַל־מֵי מְנֻחוֹת יְנַהֲלֵנִי.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.
Meaning: Like a good shepherd, the LORD lets the psalmist lie down in ne'ot deshe, meadows of fresh grass, and leads him to mei menuchot, waters of rest, the calm pools where a flock can drink safely. Yenahaleni means to lead gently, especially to water. Rest comes first in this psalm, before any danger.
Psalms 23:3
נַפְשִׁי יְשׁוֹבֵב; יַנְחֵנִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶדֶק, לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ.
He restoreth my soul; He guideth me in straight paths for His name's sake.
Meaning: Nafshi yeshovev: He brings my soul back, revives my life; nefesh is the whole living self. The shepherd then guides along ma'gelei tzedek, right tracks, which the 1917 translation calls straight paths, for His name's sake: the shepherd's good name rests on caring for the flock.
Psalms 23:4
גַּם כִּי־אֵלֵךְ בְּגֵיא צַלְמָוֶת, לֹא־אִירָא רָע, כִּי־אַתָּה עִמָּדִי; שִׁבְטְךָ וּמִשְׁעַנְתֶּךָ, הֵמָּה יְנַחֲמֻנִי.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Meaning: Even in gei tzalmavet, a valley of deepest darkness, traditionally read as the shadow of death, the psalmist fears no harm. Here the psalm turns from speaking about God to speaking to God: for You are with me. The shepherd's shevet, rod, defends the flock, and his mish'enet, staff, supports it; both bring comfort.
Psalms 23:5
תַּעֲרֹךְ לְפָנַי, שֻׁלְחָן, נֶגֶד צֹרְרָי; דִּשַּׁנְתָּ בַשֶּׁמֶן רֹאשִׁי, כּוֹסִי רְוָיָה.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Meaning: The image changes from shepherd to host. You set a table before me in full view of tzorerai, my foes, who can watch but not harm. Anointing the head with oil was a gesture of welcome and honor for a guest, and kosi r'vayah, my cup overflows, pictures abundance beyond need.
Psalms 23:6
אַךְ, טוֹב וָחֶסֶד יִרְדְּפוּנִי, כָּל־יְמֵי חַיָּי; וְשַׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית־יְהוָה, לְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Meaning: The psalm ends in confidence. Tov va-chesed, goodness and loving faithfulness, will pursue me all my life; yirdefuni, pursue, is often used of enemies, but here kindness gives chase. The last line, rendered I shall dwell, can also be read I shall return, and l'orech yamim means for length of days.

Mizmor l'David: a psalm of David

The Book of Psalms, Tehillim in Hebrew, meaning praises, is a collection of 150 sacred songs and prayers in five books, and in most printed Hebrew Bibles it opens the Ketuvim, the Writings. Psalm 23, a song of trust in six verses, is one of the shorter psalms and one of the best known.

Its heading, mizmor l'David, is usually translated "a psalm of David," though the little word l' can mean of, for, or dedicated to. Jewish tradition holds that David, a shepherd before he became king, composed many of the psalms; many modern scholars think the psalms come from many hands over several centuries, with headings like this one added later.

The shepherd and the host

In the ancient Near East, kings were often called the shepherds of their people, and several books of the Bible speak of God as the shepherd of Israel. Psalm 23 makes the image personal: the shepherd cares for one sheep, the "I" of the psalm, finding it pasture and water, keeping it on the right track, and walking with it through danger.

In the fifth verse the shepherd becomes a host who sets a table, anoints the guest's head with oil, and fills the cup to overflowing, in full view of the guest's enemies. The psalm ends in the house of the LORD, so its journey runs from pasture, through the dark valley, to a table and a home. The voice changes too: at the darkest point, the psalmist stops speaking about God and speaks to Him.

Key Hebrew words

A handful of Hebrew words carry much of the psalm's meaning, and each holds more than one English word can.

Like much biblical poetry, the psalm also works in pairs. Most verses fall into two halves, the second echoing or extending the first, as when green pastures are followed by still waters, and words travel in pairs too, such as rod and staff or goodness and mercy.

Ro'i: My shepherd, from a root meaning to pasture a flock; the Bible also calls leaders and kings shepherds.
Menuchot: Rest or stillness, from the same root as menuchah, the rest of Shabbat.
Tzalmavet: Traditionally read as tzel, shadow, and mavet, death; many scholars hear one word for deep darkness.
Chesed: Loving faithfulness, the loyal love of a covenant. The 1917 translation has mercy; no single English word covers it.

Psalm 23 in Jewish life

Psalm 23 has a place at the Shabbat table. Many communities sing it at Seudah Shlishit, the third Shabbat meal, eaten in the late afternoon as the day of rest draws to a close, and some also say it at the other Shabbat meals. Its picture of a table prepared and a cup filled to overflowing suits the occasion.

It is also among the psalms most often read at funerals, at the graveside, and in a house of mourning during shiva, the week after a burial. Its confidence in the valley of the shadow of death has comforted mourners for generations, and many people say it privately in times of illness, fear, or loss.

The 1917 JPS and other English versions

The 1917 translation of this psalm stays close to the King James Version and keeps the phrases generations of English speakers know: green pastures, still waters, the valley of the shadow of death, my cup runneth over. It makes a few telling changes. Where the King James has "paths of righteousness," the 1917 version has "straight paths," nearer the Hebrew picture of a well-worn track. It uses the past tense "Thou hast anointed," as the Hebrew does, and it capitalizes every pronoun that refers to God.

Modern English versions, Jewish and Christian, often choose plainer or more literal words. Some render tzalmavet simply as darkness, chesed as kindness or loyal love rather than mercy, and the closing words as a long life rather than eternity. Each choice brings out one side of the Hebrew, and the key words above let you see the range for yourself.

Reading the psalm on this page

Each verse is printed in Hebrew with the 1917 English beneath it and our explanation below. The heading counts as part of the first verse, as it does in the Hebrew.

Try reading the psalm aloud slowly, once in English and once following the Hebrew, and listen for the moment the voice turns from He to You. It is short enough to learn by heart in a few readings.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote Psalm 23?

Its heading links it with King David, and Jewish tradition regards David as the author of many psalms. Many modern scholars think the psalms were written by several hands over a long period and that the headings were added later.

Why is Psalm 23 read at funerals?

It speaks of walking through the valley of the shadow of death without fear, in the company of God, and it ends in the house of the LORD. It offers mourners comfort without denying their grief.

Why do some Bibles call it Psalm 22?

Older Catholic and Orthodox Bibles follow the numbering of the ancient Greek translation of the psalms, which joins Psalms 9 and 10 into one. From that point most psalm numbers are one lower than in the Hebrew Bible, so Psalm 23 becomes Psalm 22.

Is Psalm 23 sung?

Yes. At Seudah Shlishit, the third Shabbat meal, many communities sing it to traditional melodies, and each community has its own tunes. It has also been set to music many times in modern Jewish and Christian songs.

Sources

The text above was checked line by line against these public-domain editions. The explanations are our own.

Psalm 23, Hebrew with the JPS 1917 English (Mechon Mamre)