Exegetical Analysis Of Psalm 23

Introduction

Psalm 23 appears as pastoral Psalm. The Psalm assures care, providence and protection of God for His people. The Psalm consoles and comforts people in their suffering, pain, agony and misery. In return people rejoice and celebrate the care and protection of God in thanksgiving. It has been expressed in metaphorical language “the Lord is my Shepherded” (verse 1). In this paper we will deal with analyzing the form, structure and setting of the Psalm, Explanation of verses (exegetical analysis), Theology of the Psalm and at the end we would like to apply the meaning of the Psalm in the contemporary. The Form of the Psalm

Regarding form of the Psalm generally it classifies as Psalm of confidence. But there is no agreement

Verses 1-4 use a metaphorical language “the Lord as divine Shepherd”. For some scholar that is debatable. At the same time using the term as imaginary or transitory from Shepherd to the Host (verses 5-6) is unacceptable. For them the Shepherd metaphor is found through the Psalm. The other possibility is that verses 5-6 do not contain metaphorical language; it interprets literary as a sacrificial banquet which provides setting of the Psalm.

The Psalm can be divided as:

• The Role of God as a Shepherd (Verses 1-4)

• The Experience of commitment, trust and confidence in God throughout life (verses 5-6)

Let us observe the structure of

It is proposed to use hypothetical proposal for example: cultic, non-cultic, pilgrimage, royal interpretation and exile setting. It can be a cultic setting in reference to verse 6 “house of the Lord.” At the same time it can be a pilgrimage setting. The Psalm can be called “Psalm of Pilgrimage.” The probable setting of the Psalm can be time of exile. That is why we find movement towards the temple for feast. The verse 5 mentions that the Psalmist was protected by God from his enemies and he thanks God. From other view the Psalm is a “song of