# Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd in 4 Hebrew Words

> My shepherd, bring back, with me, pursue: a psalm of the road, with three words at its center

Full guide: 7 min · IsraelForYou

## The opening

Psalm 23 may be the best-loved chapter in the Bible. We hear it at funerals and see it printed over green hills and quiet water, and we've learned to read it as a picture of peace. In Hebrew, it's set somewhere harder. Word after word comes from the Bible's stories of hard roads: Israel's forty years in the wilderness, and Jacob's long way home.

Four Hebrew words change lines we thought we knew: “my shepherd,” “he restores,” “with me” and “follow.” Read together, they move the weight of the psalm from the calm of the sheep to the Shepherd who won't let the sheep go.

## The chapters

1. Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd in 4 Hebrew Words
2. 1. Ro’i: my shepherd, in the wilderness
3. 2. Shuv: he brings my life back
4. 3. Immadi: the center of the psalm
5. 4. Radaf: pursued all the way home

## Hebrew in this guide

[roeh](https://israelforyou.com/hebrew/roeh.md), [shuv](https://israelforyou.com/hebrew/shuv.md), [nephesh](https://israelforyou.com/hebrew/nephesh.md), [immadi](https://israelforyou.com/hebrew/immadi.md), [radaf](https://israelforyou.com/hebrew/radaf.md), [hesed](https://israelforyou.com/hebrew/hesed.md)

## Scripture it opens

- [Psalm 23:1-6](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+23%3A1-6&version=WEB)
- [Psalm 77:20](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+77%3A20&version=WEB)
- [Deuteronomy 2:7](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+2%3A7&version=WEB)
- [Exodus 15:13](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+15%3A13&version=WEB)
- [Psalm 78:19](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+78%3A19&version=WEB)
- [Mark 6:34-42](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+6%3A34-42&version=WEB)
- [Jeremiah 50:6](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+50%3A6&version=WEB)
- [Jeremiah 50:19](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+50%3A19&version=WEB)
- [Psalm 106:8](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+106%3A8&version=WEB)
- [1 Peter 2:25](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+2%3A25&version=WEB)
- [Jeremiah 2:6](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+2%3A6&version=WEB)
- [Genesis 28:20-21](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+28%3A20-21&version=WEB)
- [Genesis 48:15](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+48%3A15&version=WEB)
- [Exodus 14:9](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+14%3A9&version=WEB)
- [Luke 15:4-5](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+15%3A4-5&version=WEB)
- [Ezekiel 34:15](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+34%3A15&version=WEB)
- [John 10:11](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A11&version=WEB)
- [Psalm 22:1](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+22%3A1&version=WEB)
- [Matthew 27:46](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+27%3A46&version=WEB)
- [Revelation 7:17](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+7%3A17&version=WEB)

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You have read the opening. The other 4 chapters — with every verse opened and every Hebrew word a tap away — ship with IsraelForYou for iPhone.
https://israelforyou.com/g/psalm-23-you-are-with-me/