Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 1 · Psalm 23
The Twenty Third Psalm.
A Psalm of David.
Paraphrase. The twenty third Psalm was composed by David, and is a most passionate expression of Gods abundant care and providence toward all those that faithfully depend on him: (And hath its most eminent completion in Christ, the great shepheard and Bishop of our souls, of whom that this Psalm is a prophecy, see Maximus foreign. l. 3. c. β. and l. 2. 55. &c.)
1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord my God is to me (and all that diligently wait on him) as a Pastor is to his flock of sheep,‖foreign the Lord hath fed his people in the wilderness, Chald. though it be in a wildernesse; he is able to provide for me, I shall not be lest destitute.
2. He maketh me to ly down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He provideth abundantly both for my food and refreshment.
3. He‖or refresheth, see note on Ps. xix.c. restoreth my soule; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his names sake.
He revives and refreshes and comforts me by his spirit, affords me a full and plenteous baite, and thereby enables me for the hardship of a journey; (as he did Ellas 1 King. 19.8.) and then leads me forth in the even paths of pious duties, gently and carefully, as I am able to goe; by this means directing me to that true felicity even of this life, the exercising my selfe, and guiding my steps by his excellent lawes, and rules of living: and this out of his free mercy to me, the greatest and most valuable that any mortal is capable of.
4. Yea, though I walke through the valley of the shaddow of death, I will feare no evill; for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me.
And though this course should engage me in the greatest distresses, the lowest depression of sadnesse, the most palpable darknesse of despaire, yet am I chearfully resolved not to be discouraged therewith, or to apprehend 'twill make me miserable, being confident of the continuance of this special guard about me, and that, as a shepherd still, thou wilt keep me from straying from thee, and protect me from all dangers.
5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oyle; my cupa. runneth over.
Nay more, thou givest me that treatment of the most indulgent possessor 2 Sam. 12.3. that admitted his beloved lamb unto his table, to eate of his bread, and drink of his cup with him; thou omittest no expression of respect and tender love to me. By this means thou providest all plenty for me, maugre the malice of my enemies, who grieve to see the riches of thy bounty to me, and care over me. Thou entertainest me with wine and oyle in the most festival manner, affordest me, not only in a sufficient, but in a most plentifull degree, all things that are for the advantage, as well as support, both of my body and soule.
6. Surely,‖benignity foreign goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life; and I†or shall willb. dwell in the house of the Lord*for length of dayes. foreign for ever.
And I cannot doubt but this bounty and superabundant mercy of thine shall continue to me all my dayes; and, for my returne to thee, I shall most diligently frequent the publick assembly of thy saints and servants, wheresoever the Arke is placed, and there blesse and praise thy name, and address my prayers to thee, as long as I live. (And this is a farther addition to the felicities of my life, that thou wilt afford me this honourable and glorious way of inhabiting in thy sanctuary, and most amicably conversing with thee.) Or to crown all this, thou shalt enfold me at last in that best of sheep-coats; that place of equal purity and safety, where no unclean or ravenous beast can come; there shall I rest, and there abide for ever.
Annotations on Psalm XXIII.
V. 5. Runneth over] The Lxxii. for foreign foreignexuberant, read foreign inebriating: but this is their ordinary use of the word foreign, for drinking liberally, not being intoxicated or drunk. The word foreign signifies moist, watered, and (watering being a means of making ground fertile) plentifull, exuberant, and so is fitly applied to the festival cup here. But to this the Lxxii, adde foreign; the Latine, quam praeclarus est? how excellent is it? This they doe, by taking the beginning of the next verse, and adding it to the end of this, foreign foreign, which they therefore render, how good? But that belongs to the consequent words, and so is rendred by the Chaldee foreign but goodnesse or benignity, and so the Syriack and the Arabick; who yet finding foreign in the version of the Lxxii. render that there, inebriating as pure wine, accounting that the meaning of foreign best, the wine which hath no dash of water being such. In this place the Lxxii. read foreign thy cup, and from them the Arabick and Aethiopick; but the Hebrew hath foreign foreignmy cup, and so the Chaldee and Syriack and Latine; and S. Hierome in his Epistle to Sunia and Fretella saith, that in the edition of the Lxxii. it was my cup, and that thy cup was an error of the Scribes.
V. 6. Dwell] foreign foreignwhich the interlinear regularly renders, I shall return, from foreign which is commonly taken in that sense, is by all the antient Interpreters rendred I shall dwell, foreign in the Chaldee, foreign in the LXXII. and so in the rest, from a second notion of foreign to inhabite, in which we have it Jer. xLii. 10. foreign. We render it, if ye shall still abide, and the Chaldee foreign if by dwelling ye shall dwell, and so the LXXII. foreign, if ye shall surely abide, and the Arabick, if ye shall remain firm, and the Latine, si quiescentes permanseritis, if ye shall abide quiet, and so the Syriack also. Thus 2 Sam. xix. 32. foreign in his abiding, the Chaldee again foreign in his dwelling at Mahanaim. And that thus it was taken here, is much more probable from their general consent, than that they read (as some imagine) foreign from foreign and not foreign from foreign, it being ordinary for words of so neer alliance, as are foreign to dwell, and foreign to returne (and I may adde foreign to rest) to change significations, the one with the other, and so to signifie the same thing; especially when 'tis remembred, that he that is returned to a place, is supposed to abide for some time, and so to inhabite there.