Psalm 23

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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV, Common Worship Psalter, ASB Psalter, and BCP Psalter) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • "Grace," Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit.
  • V.XXXI.2, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
  • I.7, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • Epistle LXII -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 253)
  • From Augustine's Exposition on the Psalms.
  • Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
  • From the Geneva Notes, 1599.
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary, 1710.
  • Section III, Evidences of the Christian Religion, Joseph Addison, c. 1715.
  • From Wesley's Notes, c. 1760.
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
  • From The Treasury of David by Charles H. Spurgeon. (1885)
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, Psalm 23 (Pentecost 7B) Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "Psalm 23 is classified as an Individual Psalm of Thanksgiving."
  • Commentary, Psalm 23 (Easter 4B), James Howell, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "Sheep are not brilliant creatures, and we cannot be flattered that the Psalm thinks of us as sheep. Leave a sheep without a shepherd, and he nibbles a bit of grass here, wanders over there for some more, sees a patch just past that rock; and before you know it the sheep is lost, or has fallen into a ravine, or been devoured by a wolf."
  • Psalm 23, interview with Rabbi Harold Kushner, PBS Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, November, 2004.
    • "God is good. Nature is not good. Nature is blind. Nature is amoral. Fire burns and bullets wound and falling rocks injure and disease germs infect everybody, whether you deserve it or not."
  • "Through the Pistol Smoke Dimly: Psalm 23 in Contemporary Film and Song," Karl Jacobson, Society of Biblical Literature Forum, 2009.
    • "In almost every case where the psalm is taken seriously, contemporary films and songs wrestle with the interplay of lament and trust, the exhortation to confident faith and the argument of present reality."
  • Desert Scribblings, Fourth Sunday of Easter, Geoff McElroy.
    • "The psalmist recognizes, and the text invites us to recognize as well, that our immediate circumstances are not the end of the story."
  • The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
    • "The KJV translation of the last phrase in the psalm as ‘for ever’ is another reason that the psalm has been associated with funerals. But the NRSV translation, ‘my whole life long’, is more faithful to the Hebrew and gives the psalm another context."
  • "I Don't Need Anything Else," Blogging toward Sunday, Edwin Searcy, Theolog: The Blog of The Christian Century, 2008.
    • "The Hebrew word for 'follow' is actually the word 'pursue.' Suddenly goodness and mercy are not like two little puppies following close behind, tails wagging. Now goodness and mercy are the hounds of heaven pursuing lost souls and lost congregations."
  • Lectionary Commentary and Preaching Paths, Psalm 23 by Dennis Bratcher, at The Christian Resource Institute.
    • "...the most powerful Preaching Path for this Psalm may lead to the specific life needs of a local congregation or community of faith, no matter where they are in the cycle of orientation, disorientation, or reorientation."
  • Fourth Sunday of Easter: Psalm 23, "Come and See What God Has Done": The Psalms of Easter, Frederick J. Gaiser, Texts in Context, Word & World, Luther Seminary, 1987.
    • "Psalm 23 is another psalm of trust. These apparently spring from the psalms of lament, which regularly include a confession of trust...Those confessions function something like our creeds, remembering and professing who God is and what God has done."
  • "God's Love on the Way and at the Journey's End," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Lectionary Resource for Catholics.
  • "Untamed Hospitality," study guide, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Hospitality," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2007.
  • "The Prayers of the Psalter," Henry Wansbrough, Introduction to the Psalms. (Scroll down for information about this Psalm.)
  • Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Discussion, Psalm 23, Wesley White. "A place of conversation regarding Progressive Christianity."
    • "Starting with an experience that has become a faith statement, 'The Lord is my shepherd,' we move through a variety of additional ways to receive such an experience - lying down, leading beside, restoring, fearless, comforted, etc. - to an expectation ('shall') that this will continue or be present again when needed."
  • "Shepherd and Host," Expository Essay, Psalm 23, Dr. William R. Long. Part 2.
    • "Don't wait until the battle is over to sit down for the meal."
  • "Sheep on the Run," Craig Barnes, The Christian Century, 2002. Religion Online.
    • "The reason both the psalmist and Jesus spent so much time describing us as lost was not to judge us, but to help us find our salvation. Confessing that we are frightened and lost is the first step."
  • "You Prepare a Table Before Me," Kosuke Koyama, The Christian Century, 1989. At Religion Online.
    • "The table that God prepares for us culminates in the eucharistic table of the Lord. This sacrament is the ultimate symbol of God’s hospitality, demonstrated in full view of the enemy."
  • Psalm 23, Easter 4C, The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • "An Exposition of Psalm 23," by Greg Herrick.
    • "We live in a world in which many, if not most, people are engulfed with fear and anxiety."
  • Psalm 23- A Psalm that Calms the Soul in A Psalm for All Seasons - Studies in the Book of Psalms by Robert L. Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "That which makes God a Good Shepherd also serves as a model to us of proper shepherding. Let us seek to study God’s shepherding and to strive to shepherd others as God shepherds us."
• Articles & Background:
  • "Psalm 23 and the Fear of Stagnant Waters," James H. Charlesworth, SBL Forum, Society of Biblical Literature.
  • "Singing with the Psalter," Michael Morgan, (other resources at) "Singing Our Lives," Christian Reflection, 2006.
    • "What sets the book of Psalms apart from the rest of Scripture is the sacramental nature of its songs, their ability to mold and transform the believer."
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  • Barnes, Craig, "Sheep on the Run," The Christian Century, 2002.
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  • Charles, Gary W., "Songcatchers," Journal for Preachers, 2008. Sermon.
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  • Gaiser, Frederic, "'Come and See What God Has Done': The Psalms of Easter," Word & World, 1987. (Section begins on page 211.)
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  • Golding, Thomas A., "The Imagery of Shepherding in the Bible, Part 1," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2006.
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  • Golding, Thomas A., "The Imagery of Shepherding in the Bible, Part 2," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2006.
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  • Goulder, Michael, "David and Yahweh in Psalms 23 and 24," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2006.
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  • Knauf, Ernst Axel, "Psalm XXIII 6," Vetus Testamentum, 2001.
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  • Koyama, Kosuke, "You Prepare a Table Before Me," The Christian Century, 1989.
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  • Long, Kimberly Bracken, "The Shepherd Jesus," Journal for Preachers, 2006. Sermon.
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  • Lundbom, Jack R., "Psalm 23: Song of Passage," Interpretation, 1986.
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  • Otey, Rush, "The Psalms of Easter," Journal for Preachers, 2002. (Section for this Psalm begins on page 9.)
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  • McCann, J. Clinton, Jr., "Preaching the Psalms: Psalm 23," Journal for Preachers, 2008.
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  • Merrill, A.L., "Psalm XXIII and the Jerusalem Tradition," Vetus Testamentum, 1965.
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  • Pyper, Hugh S., "The Triumph of the Lamb: Psalm 23 and Textual Fitness," Biblical Interpretation, 2001.
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  • Read, David H.C., "Communicating Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
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  • Rice, Gene, "An Exposition of Psalm 23," Journal of Religious Thought, 1995.
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  • Smith, Mark S., "Setting and Rhetoric in Psalm 23," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 1988.
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  • Stern, Philip, "The 'Bloodbath of Anat' and Psalm XXIII," Vetus Testamentum, 1994.
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  • Tappy, Ron, "Psalm 23: Symbolism and Structure," Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1995.
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  • Willis, Timothy M., "A Fresh Look at Psalm XXIII 3A," Vetus Testamentum, 1987.
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• Reviews:
• Sermons:
  • "A Visitor, a Mapmaker and a Banquet," the Rev. Benjamin Anthony, Day 1, 2009.
  • "Soul Restoration," the Rev. Dr. Jim Ellison, Day 1, 2008.
  • "A Child in our Midst: A Funeral Sermon," Mental Health & Disabilities Program, Mennonite Central Committee, Canada.
  • "Through the Valley of the Shadow," Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1993.
  • "The Lord Is My Shepherd," "Uncle Clarence and His Farm," Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington - Sermons from Seattle.
  • "David," from an Old Testament Sermon Series, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington - Sermons from Seattle.
  • "The Key to Peace of Mind," John Jewell, 1999.
  • "Sparing the Rod," the Rev. Nancy Hastings Sehested, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1995.
  • "God Is Our Grateful Center," the Rev. Patricia Farris, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2003.
  • "Trustworthy," the Rev. Rosemary Brown, Day 1, 2001.
• With Children:
  • "My Sheep Listen," Talks to Children, Rev. Donald McCorkindale, Dalgety Parish Church, Fife, Scotland.
  • "The Lord Is My Shepherd," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
  • "Never-Ending Forgiveness," Steve Sullivan, sermons4kids.com.
• Drama:
  • "Lambchop," Mike Poole, dramatix.
  • "False Alarm," Fred Lane, dramatix.
• Liturgy:
  • Responsive Liturgical Paraphrase at The Billabong by Rev Jeff Shrowder, Uniting Church in Australia:
    • Lent 4A
    • Easter 4 - A,B,C
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Psalm 23:1, Psalm 23:2, Psalm 23:2-3, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 23:5, Psalm 23:6, Heartlight - Free Christian PowerPoint Backgrounds.
  • "The Lord Is My Shepherd," audio-visual devotional from BeliefNet.
  • Commercial Site: The Work of the People - Psalm 23 - Films/Visual Liturgy based on RCL texts.
  • Valley of Debt, Introduction, Good, Not Good? Reverend Fun Cartoon, gospelcom.net. Check for printing permissions at right-hand side of destination page.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Psalm 23. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • Hymn Selections, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
  • The Billabong, by Rev Jeff Shrowder, Uniting Church in Australia: scroll down for hymn suggestions.
  • Hymn selections, (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
  • Psalm 23 set to Darwall's 148th (66.66.88) by Dale A. Schoening, Metrical Psalms.
  • "God Leads Us Along," George A. Young, 1903. United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • "Surely Goodness and Mercy," Richard Bruxvoort Colligan. Posted at The United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • "Walk on ahead, Good Shepherd," Brenton Prigge, NewHymn, a new, relevant hymn set to traditional tunes.
  • "The Lord Is My Shepherd," lyrics, midi, sheet music, mp3. Stephen J. Pearson, The Psalmistry.
  • At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
    • Anywhere With Jesus
    • He Leadeth Me
    • Now Praise the Hidden God of Love
    • Savior, Like a Shepherd
    • There'll Be No Dark Valley
    • Take Time to Be Holy
  • The Psalmistry: Psalm 23 - All Psalms Music: original Christian sheet music, lyrics, guitar chords, midi, mp3 files for all 150 Psalms. See Terms of Use.
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Sheep/Shepherds
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of Psalms