Psalms 23:1–6

Its words in the original

• מִזְמוֹרmizmor· psalm

  Psalm: a song sung with instruments. It is the title of many of the poems in the book of Psalms.

• דָוִדdavid· David

  David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."

• יְהוָהyehva· YHWH

  The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

• רֹעִroi· shepherd, feed

  Shepherd: tend and feed a flock; of animals, graze. Figuratively, lead a people. As a noun, "shepherd".

• אֶחְסָרechsar· lack, be lacking

  Lack, be short of; decrease.

• נְאוֹתneot· pasture, dwelling

  Pasture, meadow: the place where the flock feeds and rests; also a quiet dwelling.

• דֶּשֶׁאdeshe· vegetation

  Tender vegetation that sprouts: new grass, green growth.

• יַרְבִּיצֵyarbitse· lie down, crouch

  Lie down, crouch, like an animal at rest or lying in wait.

• מֵיme· water

  Water. In Hebrew it is always plural ("waters").

• מְנֻחוֹתmenuchot· rest, resting place

  Rest, a place of rest.

• יְנַהֲלֵyenahale· lead gently

  Lead gently, guide with care; bring to a resting place; provide for.

• נַפְשִׁnafshi· soul, living being, life

  A breathing being, a living being. It is translated "living being" (people and animals), "life" (when living or dying is at stake), "person" (in counts and laws), "soul" (the person at the innermost: desires, joy, anguish) or "myself". In the Old Testament it names the whole living being, not only a part of it.

• יְשׁוֹבֵבyeshovev· return, turn back

  Turn back, return. Also turn away; in the causative form, bring back, give back, answer. Figuratively, turn back to God (change course). Often adverbial: "again".

• יַנְחֵyanche· lead, guide

  Lead, guide along the way; bring someone to a place.

• מַעְגְּלֵיmagle· track, encampment

  Track or path marked by wheels; also the ring around a camp, perhaps formed by the wagons.

• צֶדֶקtsedek· righteousness, what is right

  Righteousness: what is right, what is as it should be; just (weights, judgment).

• שְׁמshem· name

  Name. In the Bible a name says who someone is; so it also means fame, renown or reputation.

• אֵלֵךְelech· go, walk

  Go, walk, depart; in the causative form, lead or bring.

• גֵיאge· valley

  Narrow valley, a ravine between high slopes.

• צַלְמָוֶתtsalmavet· deep darkness

  Deep darkness: the thickest gloom. The word joins "shadow" and "death"; it is used for extreme danger, for the densest darkness and for the place of the dead.

• אִירָאira· fear

  Fear. It can be fright before a danger or deep reverence before God ("fear YHWH"). In some forms, be fearsome, awesome.

• רָעra· evil, bad, harm

  Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.

• עִמָּדִimadi· with me

  With me, beside me.

• שִׁבְטְshivt· rod, scepter, tribe

  Rod, staff; a king's scepter; also tribe.

• מִשְׁעַנְתֶּmishante· staff

  Staff on which one leans; figuratively, support.

• יְנַחֲמֻyenachamu· relent, be sorry, comfort

  A verb of deep feeling, with two uses: "comfort" someone, and "be sorry" for something or "relent". Said of God, it expresses his grief at evil or that he does not carry out a punishment he had announced; not that he had made a mistake (compare Numbers 23:19).

• תַּעֲרֹךְtaaroch· arrange, set in order

  Set in order, arrange; draw up troops for battle; compare.

• פָנַfana· face, presence

  Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".

• שֻׁלְחָןshulchan· table

  Table; also a meal.

• נֶגֶדneged· in front of, counterpart

  In front of, opposite, before. The full phrase "as in front of him" means someone who corresponds to him, a counterpart.

• צֹרְרָtsorra· bind, distress

  Wrap up, bind tightly. In other passages, be in distress, or treat with hostility.

• דִּשַּׁנְתָּdishanta· be fat; remove ashes

  Be fat, grow fat; make fat, anoint (Psalm 23:5). Also clear the altar of the fatty ashes of the sacrifices (Exodus 27:3; Numbers 4:13).

• שֶּׁמֶןshemen· oil

  Olive oil. It was used for food, light, and perfume, and also to consecrate something or someone to God (anoint).

• רֹאשִׁroshi· head, chief

  Head. From there the first or the chief of a group, the top of a mountain, the beginning of something, or the sum; also the branches of a river.

• כּוֹסִkosi· cup; owl

  Cup for drinking; figuratively, one's lot. A word with the same letters names an unclean bird, probably an owl.

• רְוָיָהrevaya· abundance, overflow

  An overflowing abundance: being filled until running over.

• טוֹבtov· good

  Good in the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".

• חֶסֶדchesed· loyal love

  "Chesed": love that stays faithful to a commitment. It is kindness that does not remain a feeling: it acts in favor of the other and does not abandon him. The Bible says it above all of God's love for his people.

• יִרְדְּפוּyirdfu· pursue

  Pursue, chase, go after someone.

• יְמֵיyeme· day

  Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").

• חַיָּchaya· living, animal, life

  Living, alive; also fresh (of water). As a noun, "living thing" or "animal" (above all wild animals); in the plural, "life".

• שַׁבְתִּיshavti· sit, dwell

  Sit, sit down; from there stay in a place, live, dwell. In the causative form, settle someone, make to dwell. Also sit as judge or as king.

• בֵיתvet· house, household

  House. Also the family that lives in it ("the house of Noah") and someone's descendants ("the house of David"); also a temple, "the house of God".

• אֹרֶךְorech· length

  Length.