Psalm 23
Six verses, written by a man who had actually worked as a shepherd, and probably the best-known passage in the Bible. Below is the whole psalm in modern English and in the King James, then line by line — including the verse people quote most and the small word in it that changes everything.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the LORD’s house forever.Psalms 23 · World English Bible
Psalm 23 in the King James Version
The 1611 wording is the one most people carry in their heads, and it's the one usually read aloud at a funeral. It is in the public domain, so you can copy it anywhere you like.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.Psalms 23 · King James Version
Line by line
Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing.
The King James has I shall not want, which now reads like “I won't want things”. It means I will lack nothing I need — which is why the modern rendering says I shall lack nothing. Not a promise of everything. A promise of enough.
Psalm 23:2
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
He makes me lie down. Sheep don't rest when they're anxious — they have to be brought to a place safe enough to stop. Read that way it's a verse about being made to rest by someone else, which is a different thing from being told to relax.
Psalm 23:3
He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Restores is the language of bringing something back, not upgrading it. And the reason given isn't that you've earned it — it's for his name's sake.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The famous one. Note the direction of travel: through the valley, not into it and not around it. Nobody is promised a detour. And note where the psalm switches from talking about God to talking to him — it happens exactly here, in the dark bit.
Psalm 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.
The enemies don't leave. The table is set in front of them and the meal happens anyway. This is provision in the middle of a threat rather than rescue from it.
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the LORD’s house forever.
Follow is a mild translation; the Hebrew is closer to pursue. Goodness and mercy chasing you down is a stranger and better image than goodness trailing behind.
What Psalm 23 is actually about
It is a shepherding psalm written by someone who had done the job. That matters, because sheep are not a flattering metaphor. They are defenceless, they wander, and they will not lie down while they are frightened. The psalm isn't claiming the speaker is admirable. It's claiming he is looked after.
The rod and the staff in verse 4 are working tools, not comforting symbols. A rod was a club for driving off predators; a staff was the crook for hauling a sheep back out of a gully. The comfort on offer is active shepherding — someone doing something — rather than soothing words.
“The valley of the shadow of death”
This is the line people search for on its own, and it carries more weight than the rest of the psalm put together.
The Hebrew behind it, tsalmaveth, is often read as deep darkness as much as literally death's shadow. Both readings survive in English translations, and both are defensible. Either way the valley is a place you are passing through, and the psalm is unusually careful about that: through the valley. Not stuck in it. Not spared it.
The other thing worth noticing is a change in grammar. For the first three verses God is spoken about in the third person — he makes me lie down, he leads me, he restores. From verse 4 it switches to direct address: you are with me. The psalm gets more intimate at exactly the point it gets darkest. That's not an accident, and it's the strongest argument in six verses that the darkness is not evidence of absence.
Why it's read at funerals
Because of verse 4, mostly. But it's worth saying that Psalm 23 is not really a psalm about dying. One line of six mentions death's shadow; the rest is grass, water, food, oil and a house to live in. It is overwhelmingly a psalm about being kept alive and looked after.
That's probably why it works at a graveside better than passages actually written about death. It doesn't argue anyone out of their grief or explain the loss. It just describes being accompanied, and then keeps going.
If you're looking for something to read to someone rather than about someone, the verses for grief and loss page has more that make no demands of the person hearing them.
Using it
Both texts above are in the public domain — the King James by age, the modern rendering by the translators' choice. You can put either on an order of service, a card or a wall without asking anyone. That's deliberate on our part: most modern translations are licensed, which is why so many sites show you three verses and a permissions notice.
What this looks like on a phone
Push From God sends a passage when it fits what you've told it about your week — not on a schedule you have to keep up with.
For the drive in this morning
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalms 23:4
You said today is the hard one. Note it says through — not stuck.
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Questions
What does Psalm 23 mean?
It is a shepherding psalm: the speaker describes being led, fed, rested and accompanied by God, including through danger. The central claim is not that hardship is avoided but that it is not faced alone — verse 4 says 'through the valley', and shifts from speaking about God to speaking directly to him at exactly that point.
What does 'the valley of the shadow of death' mean?
The Hebrew term is often read as 'deep darkness' as much as literally the shadow of death, and both readings appear in English translations. In either case the psalm describes walking through it rather than remaining in it — it is a passage, not a destination.
What does 'I shall not want' mean in Psalm 23?
In 1611 English 'want' meant 'lack'. The line means 'I will lack nothing I need', which is why modern translations render it 'I shall lack nothing'. It is not a promise of everything you might wish for.
Who wrote Psalm 23?
It is attributed to David, who worked as a shepherd before becoming king. The shepherding imagery throughout is drawn from that trade rather than used as an abstract metaphor.
Can I copy Psalm 23 for a funeral order of service?
Yes. The King James Version is in the public domain and the World English Bible was placed there deliberately, so both texts on this page can be reproduced freely, with no permission and no fee.