Psalm 23 Participant Analysis
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Psalm 23/Participant Analysis
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YHWH is My Shepherd
Psalm 23
Participant Analysis
Participant Set List
There are three participants/characters in Psalm 23:
| David (vv. 1–6) |
| YHWH (vv. 1–6) |
| "My shepherd" (v. 1) |
| YHWH's rod and staff (v. 4) |
| YHWH's goodness and loyalty (v. 6) |
| Harm (v. 4) |
| Adversaries (v. 5) |
- David (the psalmist): Psalm 23 is traditionally attributed to David, and he is named as the author in the superscription.
- YHWH: is depicted as David's shepherd and host who leads, protects, and provides for David's needs.
- YHWH's rod and staff are regarded as participants here because they are the subject of the verb "comfort" in v. 4, i.e., they are personified as the agents responsible for dispensing YHWH's care, protection, and guidance.[1]
- YHWH's goodness and loyalty are regarded as participants here because they are the subject of the verb "pursue" in v. 6, i.e., they are personified as David's pursuers (cf. Venn diagram for רדף "to pursue").
- Harm (v. 4) and adversaries (v. 5) are not active participants in this psalm for they do not function as agentive subjects of a verb. Nevertheless, we have included them in the participant list because they play a relational role in the psalm.
- It is not clear if the adversaries have any connection with the harm mentioned in v. 4. The harm could be inflicted by adversaries, but it could also be an unrelated misfortune or calamity. It is clear though that YHWH's presence with David instills him with confidence and drives out fear of external threats. Therefore, David expresses to YHWH that he is not afraid of danger because, "You are with me."
- Meanwhile, the adversaries are David's opponents in whose presence YHWH prepares a feast for David (cf. v. 5). Although they opposed David, they seem to represent no threat to him for David has guest-right with Yahweh. "In accordance with Oriental customs, the host is obliged to protect his guest from all enemies, at all costs."[2] Additionally, "There may be a tone of derision, as the psalmist taunts his enemies by reminding them that they cannot harm him."[3]
Notes
v. 6c: ** for revocalization see exegetical issue The Text of Ps. 23:6b (MT: וְשַׁבְתִּ֥י).
vv. 1-3, 6: YHWH as the addressee?
- YHWH is directly addressee in vv. 4-5.
- The addressee for vv. 1-3, 6 is unspecified. Since YHWH is clearly the addressee in vv. 4-5, he is probably the addressee of vv. 1-3, 6, even though spoken of in the third person. Psalm 23 makes no reference to a potential addressee outside of YHWH himself. The portions which do not directly address YHWH (vv. 1-3, 6) are devoid of any 3rd or 1st person plural suffixes, vocatives, or references to a congregation. For instance, Ps 100:3 also employs the shepherd metaphor, but the psalmist includes himself among the people whom he is addressing (אֲנַ֑חְנוּ עַ֝מֹּ֗ו וְצֹ֣אן מַרְעִיתֹֽו - "we are his people and the sheep of his pasture"[4]). In Ps 23:1, on the other hand, the psalmist refers only to himself (יְהוָ֥ה רֹ֝עִ֗י - "YHWH is my shepherd"[5]). Therefore, the psalmist does not appear to be directly addressing any other person or group.
- Moreover, the fact that YHWH is talked about in the third person should not exclude the possibility that he is the addressee of Ps 23. Alternating speech to and about a person is not infrequent in the psalms, and they may serve to enhance dramatic effect.[6] For instance, the superscription of Ps 18 explicitly names YHWH as the direct addressee, yet portions of the psalm refer to him in the third person (vv. 3-14, 16-24, 28b, 29b-34, 46-48a, 50). Similarly, Ps 67 opens with a series of third-person references to YHWH (e.g., vv. 1-2) before beginning to alternate between second- and third-person references to YHWH. Nevertheless, YHWH remains the addressee throughout.[7]
- In Ps. 23, the psalmist addresses YHWH in the second person when he mentions the valley of darkness and his adversaries. This shift in address may serve the purpose of intensifying the psalmist's intimacy with YHWH in spite of trouble and danger.[8]
Participant Relations Diagram
The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:
Participant Analysis Summary Distribution
