Psalms 23:1 «A Psalm of David. » The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want.
Ver. 1. The Lord is my shepherd] This psalm may well be called David's Bucolicon, or pastoral; so daintily hath he struck upon the whole string, through the whole hymn. Est Psalmus honorahilis, saith Aben Ezra; it is a noble psalm written and sung by David; not when he fled into the forest of Hareth, 1 Samuel 22:5, as some Hebrews will have it (R. Kimchi, R. Solom.); but when, as having overcome all his enemies and settled his kingdom, he enjoyed great peace and quiet, and had one foot as it were upon the battlements of heaven. The Jews at this day use for the most part to repeat this psalm after they are set down to meat (Leo. Modena). God is often in Scripture called the Shepherd of his people, Psalms 80:1 Ezekiel 34:12; Eze 34:14-15 Isa 40:11 Joh 10:11 1 Peter 2:25, although non est ofiicium magis contemptibile quam opilionis, saith R. Jos. Bar. Haman, there is not a more contemptible office than that of a shepherd. Every shepherd was an abomination to the Egyptians. But God disdaineth not to feed his flock, to guide, to govern, to defend them, to handle and heal them, to tend and take care of them; and all this he hath tied himself by covenant to do, Ezekiel 34:25 : well therefore might David confidently conclude,
I shall not want] Non deficiam, iudigebo, destituar. The wicked in the fulness of his sufficiency is in straits, Job 20:22. Tantalus-like, he is ever wanting; content he hath none. Contrarily, true piety brings true plenty, and a saint is never to seek of well contenting sufficiency, 1 Timothy 6:6, for to him, Parva seges satis est. A small crop is enough, And he saith,
Discite quam parvo liceat producers vitam,
Et quantum natura petat, &c.
(Lucan. Pharsi. l. 4).