Psalm 23 still holds some treasures to be discovered. I made such a discovery the other day when I took a closer look at a word from this Psalm. Let’s listen to what the psalm poet says:
“A Harp Song of David.
HE is my shepherd,
I am not lacking. |
On grass pens
he camps me,
to waters of rest
he guides me. |
My soul
he brings back,
he guides me
in true tracks
for the sake of his name. – |”
Psalm 23:1-3
in the translation by Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig.
David’s experience
There are Bible passages that you read over and over again. You might even know them by heart. Despite all familiarity, even after years or decades, an aspect can shine anew. Something becomes clear that until then had never been seen so clearly. I felt that way about a phrase from this psalm.
David writes from his own experience. It is indeed a psalm, a song, but at the same time also something like an experience report. This is not an experience report from a journalistic perspective, but it is an experience report. He describes his experience with his God and what that does to him. David uses a figurative language for this – HE is my shepherd. And like a shepherd cares for his sheep, David experiences this secure care and testifies – I am not lacking. This is his experienced reality. And we may read from it the reality of God, for our encouragement.
Return
What struck me anew was David’s statement: “He brings back my soul”. In the Elberfelder translation, which I am more familiar with, it says in the same place: “He restores my soul”. This is undoubtedly the result. But what is going on, what David writes about, is far more memorable. In the context it says: “HE is my shepherd … the soul he brings back to me” . Not a refreshing, but a “bringing back”. The Hebrew word (hb. shuv) indicates a restoring, a bringing back to an old and familiar place, to that which is familiar.
The root word (hb. sh-v), according to Jeff A. Benner(Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible, p. 271), is formed from two letters that combine the idea of “(teeth) clenching” and “tent.” It is the pressure, the determination with which to return to the tent, to the home. From this developed more abstract concepts such as return, turn back, bring back, restore.
David now testifies that this happened to his soul. His life was often exhausting and dangerous. In the psalm we read this only indirectly. Here it is described as having been guided by calm waters – suggesting that it was probably less calm before.
Challenges led him out. But he also found his way back. The Lord was his shepherd. If he let himself be led by Him at “waters of rest”, he found there also again to himself. “The soul to me, he brings back.” There David comes to himself again, finds congruence in his life again.
In God’s nearness we find not only Him, but also ourselves and rest, because this goes hand in hand. Here we re-enter into a true and invigorating relationship.
