Psalm 23.
“The Lord Is My Shepherd”.
From: “The Sunday at Home”.
Date: 1880.
Illustration: WIKIPEDIA
Illustration from The Sunday at Home, 1880.
Other name: “Dominus reget me”.
Written around 1000 B.C.
Text attributed to King David.
Language Hebrew (original).
Psalm 23.
“The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want”.
Funeral Of HM Queen Elizabeth II (R.I.P.).
Westminster Abbey.
2022.
Available On YouTube
“The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want”, is a metrical translation of Psalm 23, found in the “Scottish Psalter” of 1650, set to the tune “CRIMOND”, by Jessie Irvine (1836 - 1887).
The descant used in verses two and five
was composed by W. Baird Ross (1871 - 1950).
This Hymn was sung at the State Funeral of
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (R.I.P.),
at Westminster Abbey,
Monday, 19 September 2022.
May her Soul
and the Souls of all the Faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
Rest in Peace.
Amen.
Psalm 23 is the Twenty-Third Psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: “The Lord is my Shepherd”.
The Book of Psalms is part of the Third Section of the Hebrew Bible,[5] and a book of the Christian Old Testament.
In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this Psalm is Psalm 22.
Like many Psalms, Psalm 23 is used in both Jewish and Christian Liturgies. It has often been set to music.
The theme of God as a Shepherd was common in ancient Israel and Mesopotamia. For example, King Hammurabi, in the conclusion to his famous legal code, wrote:
Like many Psalms, Psalm 23 is used in both Jewish and Christian Liturgies. It has often been set to music.
The theme of God as a Shepherd was common in ancient Israel and Mesopotamia. For example, King Hammurabi, in the conclusion to his famous legal code, wrote:
“I am the Shepherd
Who brings well-being and abundant prosperity;
My rule is Just . . . so that the strong
Might not oppress the weak,
And that even the orphan and the widow
Might be treated with justice.”[6]
This imagery and language were well-known to the community that created the Psalm, and it was easily imported into its Worship.
Psalm 23 portrays God as a good Shepherd, feeding (verse one) and leading (verse three) his Herd.
Psalm 23 portrays God as a good Shepherd, feeding (verse one) and leading (verse three) his Herd.
The “Rod and Staff” (verse four) are also the implements of a Shepherd. Some commentators see the Shepherd imagery pervading the entire Psalm.
It is known that the Shepherd is to know each Sheep by name, thus, when God is given the analogy of a Shepherd, He is not only a protector but also the caretaker.
God, as the caretaker, leads the Sheep to Green Pastures (verse two) and Still Waters (verse two), because He knows that each of His Sheep must be personally led to be fed.
Thus, without its Shepherd, the Sheep would die, either by a predator (like the Wolf) or of starvation, since Sheep are known for their helplessness without their Shepherd.
J. Douglas MacMillan argues that verse five (“Thou preparest a table before me”) refers to the “old oriental Shepherding practice” of using little raised tables to feed Sheep.[7]:
J. Douglas MacMillan argues that verse five (“Thou preparest a table before me”) refers to the “old oriental Shepherding practice” of using little raised tables to feed Sheep.[7]:
The header, or first verse, of the Psalm, ascribes authorship to King David, said in the Hebrew Scriptures to have been a Field Shepherd, himself, as a youth.
Taken together, Psalm 22, Psalm 23, and Psalm 24, are seen by some as Shepherd Psalms, where the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the Sheep as a suffering Servant and King.[9]
Psalm 23.
Douai-Rheims Bible.
Bishop Challoner Revision.
A Psalm for David.
The Lord ruleth me:
And I shall want nothing.
He hath set me in a place of pasture.
He hath brought me up,
on the water of refreshment:
He hath converted my Soul.
He hath led me on the paths of justice,
for His own name’s sake.
For though I should walk
in the midst of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me.
Thy Rod and Thy Staff, they have comforted me.
Thou hast prepared a table before me
against them that afflict me.
Thou hast anointed my head with oil;
and my Chalice which inebreateth me,
how goodly is it !
And Thy mercy will follow me
all the days of my life.
And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
unto length of days.
Text of Psalm 23, above, is from the
Douai-Rheims Bible at BIBLE HUB
Uses in Judaism.
Psalm 23 is Traditionally sung during the Third Shabbat Meal[15][16], as well as before the First and Second, and in some Jewish communities during the Kiddush.
It is also commonly recited in the presence of a deceased person, such as by those keeping watch over the body before burial, and at the funeral service.[17][18]
“The Lord Is My Shepherd”.
“Crimond”.
Requested by Queen Elizabeth II (R.I.P.)
at her Wedding in 1947.
BBC Radio 4 Extra Broadcast available at
Spoiler Alert !!!
Ensure you have a large box of tissues with you,
when listening to this not-to-be-missed broadcast.
Listen to this wonderful programme from Radio 4 Extra about the much-loved Hymn “Psalm 23”, set to music many times, including “Brother James’ Air” and “Crimond” [Editor: Crimond is a Village in Aberdeen-shire, Scotland].
The Queen (Queen Elizabeth II) requested
the “Crimond” version at her wedding in 1947.
Harriet Bowes Lyon tells the story that her mother, Lady Margaret Colville, (formerly Lady Margaret Egerton) taught the descant to the Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) and Princess Margaret, and she (Lady Colville) was summoned to sing it to the Presbyter in Westminster Abbey, when, two days before the Wedding, the descant music could not be found
and nobody knew what the tune was !!! The Presbyter
wrote down what he had heard from Lady Colville
and all went ahead very well.
Howard Goodall, who wrote a new setting for
“The Vicar of Dibley” television programme,
describes how he composed it in a taxi.
Selina Scott says that the “Crimond” always
puts her in mind of her Scottish grandmother.
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