Psalms 23

Psalms 23:4

4. — the valley of the shadow of death.] A valley overspread with the horrors of darkness and of death. Green.

— thy rod &c.] Thy protection will dispel all my fears. Green.

Psalms 23:5

5. — thou anointest my head &c.] The overflowing of a cup, and the being anointed with sweet-smelling oils, are the usual emblems of a feast, and are made use of in Scripture as the images of plenty and prosperity. Travell.

Psalms 23:31

31. — he hath done this.] That is, He hath fulfilled his promises and Divine predictions. Michaelis.

We are presented in this Psalm with a very plain prophetic description of our Lord’s sufferings and profound humiliation. Here we read those very words which He uttered at his crucifixion, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Here we see pour-trayed the insults offered to Him by the Jews while He hung upon the cross, his hands and his feet pierced, his garments divided by lot, and the principal circumstances described of his passion and death. God was pleased that all these things should be foretold by David, to the end that, when they came to pass, we might have the clearest proof of his being the true Messiah. The contemplation therefore of this Psalm ought on the one hand to strengthen our faith in Jesus the Saviour of the world; and, on the other hand, to quicken our hopes in Him, while it sets before us the glory to which God has exalted Him after his sufferings, and which He now enjoys at the right hand of the Father. Osterwald.

Psalm XXIII. The sweetness of many of the Psalms in composition, sentiment, diction, and arrangement, has never been equalled by the finest productions of heathen poetry. And I must confess I never met with any image so truly pleasing and delightful, as the following description of the Deity in the character of a shepherd. Bp. Lowth.

Ver. 3. He restoreth my soul.] When I am ready to faint, He refreshes me and brings me to life again. Mudge.