How a Famous Psalm Can Say God Is the Shepherd-King of the Exodus Without Mentioning the ExodusBy BibleProject Scholarship TeamOctober 6, 202511 min readImagine your world explodes, death or conflict shatters a relationship, and you find yourself in a dark valley. You’re afraid and helpless, but then you recall the well-known words: “The LORD is my shepherd, … Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me” (Ps. 23:1; Ps. 23:4, NASB).But how can a gentle shepherd help us in the valley of death?It’s easy to miss that Psalm 23 portrays God not just as a gentle, comforting sheep herder but also as an undefeatable king, who demonstrated his power by rescuing his people from enslavement in the exodus story.We can better understand the meaning of Psalm 23 by learning to see how it blends the ideas of shepherd and king into a multifaceted conception of God as entirely trustworthy. We can trust this shepherd-king to not only provide, protect, and guide people through life’s darkest valleys but also to destroy evil so thoroughly that we can join the psalmist in saying to God, “I fear no evil, for You are with me” (NASB).The Good and Just Shepherd-KingAlthough each of the psalms stands on its own, biblical editors and compilers carefully arranged these poems into their current order, drawing connections between them to make larger points. Psalm 23 has been strategically placed between Psalms 22 and 24, which share the theme of God ruling as king (see Ps. 22:28; Ps. 24:8, Ps. 24:10). (1)In the ancient world, kings were often portrayed as shepherds. Shepherds cared for large flocks and kept them safe from dangerous predators. So as Old Testament scholar Timothy Laniak notes, “shepherd language was used … to define a king’s role as just ruler, benevolent provider and/or powerful defender.” (2)But not all kings are good shepherds. The pharaoh from the book of Exodus uses his power to brutally oppress the Israelites with forced labor and violence (Exod. 1). And when the prophet Ezekiel has to describe Israel’s own neglectful and power-hungry leaders, he calls them bad shepherds, who exploit their flock for their own advantage (Ezek. 34:2-4). Even the great shepherd-king David, traditionally understood as the author of Psalm 23, sometimes uses his power to harm others (see 2 Sam. 11).To show God not as just any shepherd but as the truly good shepherd, the psalmist draws upon the exodus narrative, where God used his authority to enliven his people with blessing and freedom.The Exodus Pattern in Psalm 23The connections between Psalm 23 and the exodus story may be less obvious to modern readers, but some of its earliest interpreters noticed them. Seeing the poem as a reference to God’s shepherding care for Israel in the wilderness, Aramaic translators of the Hebrew Bible offer an interpretive translation that explicitly connects it to the exodus story: “It is the LORD who fed his people in the desert; they lacked nothing. … He restores my soul with manna.” (3)We can see the exodus theme woven throughout the Bible as a concept that includes three key movements: rescuing people out of slavery or oppression, making a way through the dangerous wilderness, and guiding people into life in the promised land.This pattern—out, through, and in—is established in the overall exodus story (Exodus-Deuteronomy) and then repeats throughout the Hebrew Bible as the authors portray God rescuing people from other oppressors and eventually from Babylonian exile.In the New Testament, Jesus’ death and resurrection provide another exodus moment. He leads his followers out of enslavement to the powers of sin and death, through the wilderness of life in this broken world, and into a transformed way of life with him in God’s restored creation.To learn more about the exodus theme in the Bible, watch our video The Exodus Way.5:24Biblical ThemesThe Exodus WayThe exodus theme shapes so much of the biblical story that it’s not surprising to see the psalmist using it to frame Psalm 23. The poet draws especially from the second and third movements of the exodus story—when God guides Israel through the fearful wilderness with care and provision, and when God carries Israel into comfort and true rest in his presence.Green Pastures and Still WatersPsalm 23:1-3 introduces us to a shepherd who provides for his sheep as he guides them into rest and restores their lives. This is BibleProject’s translation from the Hebrew text, with key words that link to the exodus narrative noted in the translation and further discussed below.Psalm 23:1-3, BibleProject TranslationYahweh is my shepherd (Hebrew: ro‘eh),I will not lack (khasar).In grassy pastures he allows me to lie down,beside restful (menukhah) waters he guides (nahal) me.He restores my life-being (nephesh),He leads (nakhah) me in right paths,for the sake of his name.The psalmist declares that he “will not lack (khasar)” because God is his shepherd, just as the Israelites “did not lack (khasar) anything” as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years (Deut. 2:7). Although the wilderness was a desolate place with little food and “thirsty ground,” God gave his people water from a rock and bread from the heavens (Deut. 8:15-16; see Exod. 16:1-36; Exod. 17:1-7).In Psalm 23, the shepherd leads his sheep to an abundant pasture. After eating their fill, they can lounge in the lush grass without needing to move on to find their next meal. God then steers them toward “restful” (menukhah) waters to drink, reminding readers about God’s purpose in leading Israel through the wilderness, to a suitable “resting place” (menukhah, Num. 10:33).By describing the shepherd-king as one who “guides” (nahal) and “leads” (nakhah) his flock, the psalmist echoes Moses and Miriam’s song, part of Israel’s great celebration on the other side of the Red Sea, after God liberated them from Egypt.Exodus 15:13, NASBIn your faithfulness you have led (nakhah) the people whom you have redeemed;In your strength you have guided (nahal) them to your holy habitation.Centuries later, when Israel is exiled to Babylon, their prophets pick up on this same language, declaring their trust that God will repeat the exodus sequence by leading Israel out of exile.Isaiah 40:11, BibleProject TranslationLike a shepherd (ro‘eh), he shepherds (ra‘ah) his flock;in his arms he gathers the lambs,and on his chest he carries them.He guides (nahal) the nursing ewes.The first three verses of Psalm 23 creatively portray God as the good shepherd who can be trusted because of the goodness he demonstrated in the exodus narrative. This is the God who led, fed, hydrated, and protected his people in the presence of their enemies as they marched on toward the promised land, traversing many shadowy valleys. (4)The Valley of the Shadow of DeathAt the center of the poem, the psalmist describes a situation of grave danger, which we would expect to produce a crippling sense of fear.Psalm 23:4, BibleProject TranslationEven when I walk through the valley of death-shadow (tsalmavet),I will not fear evil (ra‘),for you are with me,your rod (shevet) and staff,they comfort me.The Hebrew word tsalmavet might simply describe the valley the psalmist faces as a place of deep darkness (see the NIV), but it also looks like a combination of the Hebrew words for “shadow” and “death.”The prophet Jeremiah uses this same word when recalling the way God protected the Israelites during the exodus as he led them through a “land of drought and death-shadow (tsalmavet)” (Jer. 2:6, BibleProject Translation). The psalmist’s image of traveling through a perilous valley takes on new and deeper meaning when we recall Israel’s journey through a desolate wasteland. God continually shielded them from every threat—not just hunger and thirst but also venomous desert creatures (Deut. 8:15) and attacks from their enemies (Exod. 17:8-16; Num. 21:21-35).Here, at the heart of the poem, the psalmist makes a profound statement of trust: “I will not fear evil.” Why? Because he is neither alone nor helpless. God is with him, just as he was with Israel in the wilderness (Deut. 2:7). And the divine “shepherd” (ro‘eh, Ps. 23:1) has the power to overcome every “evil” (ra‘).The psalmist sees God protecting him by wielding a “rod” (shevet), which is an instrument of punishment and justice and likely explains why the psalmist’s enemies stand by harmlessly (Ps. 23:5). Used by both shepherds and kings elsewhere in the Bible (Lev. 27:32; Gen. 49:10), the shevet is a fitting tool for the shepherd-king of Psalm 23.Even when facing the threat of death, the psalmist is comforted because he knows that the same God who crushed Egypt’s tyrannical oppression and kept Israel’s enemies at bay as they traveled through the wilderness is also with him in his darkest moments.Dwelling in the House of the LordBuilding upon the character and action of God already envisioned in the poem so far, the psalm’s final verses describe his generous provision, protection, and loyal love, as well as the poet’s expectation that he will dwell in God’s house forever.Psalm 23:5-6, BibleProject TranslationYou set (‘arak) before me a table (shulkhan)in front of my enemies.You refresh my head with oil;my cup is full.Surely goodness and loyal love (khesed) will pursue (radaph) meall the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of Yahwehfor length of days.The shepherd-king “sets” (‘arak) a “table” (shulkhan) with an abundant feast in full view of the psalmist’s enemies. Psalm 78:19 uses the same language to recall Israel’s lack of trust in God’s power in the exodus story—“Is God able to set (‘arak) a table (shulkhan) in the wilderness?’”—before going on to describe his miraculous provision of water, bread, and meat (Ps. 78:20). By describing a heavily laden table in the midst of a dangerous valley, Psalm 23 alludes to this incredible moment in Israel’s story.As a generous host, God refreshes the psalmist by pouring oil on his head, following an ancient practice of hospitality (see Luke 7:46), and filling his cup to the brim. This host is both powerful and attentive. He strikes fear into the hearts of enemies who lurk nearby, yet he waits on the psalmist with lavish and bountiful care.The psalmist concludes by rejoicing in the comfort of God’s goodness and “loyal love” (khesed), which he declares will “pursue” (radaph) him all the days of his life. Radaph is most often used in the Bible to describe what an enemy does. Pharaoh and his army “pursued” (radaph) Israel with horses and chariots when they escaped from Egypt (Exod. 14:9), but God cut the Egyptians off and led Israel with his “loyal love” (khesed, Exod. 15:13).The psalmist is confident that he doesn’t need to worry about his enemies chasing him; instead, God’s khesed will pursue him as God brings him into God’s own house.With this final line, the psalmist refers to the temple, where God’s presence took up residence in Israel. So the image of the table prepared by God and filled with food in verse 5 also calls to mind the table holding the bread of the presence in the holy place of the temple (Exod. 25:30).Most Israelites would visit the temple’s outer court no more than a few times a year, and only the priests could enter into the holy place. But the psalmist looks forward to when God’s presence will not be limited to a particular time and place. Just as God led Israel into the promised land, so the psalmist trusts that one day God will draw his people into his presence forever.History-Based Confidence in GodPsalm 23 is punctuated by three statements revealing the psalmist’s personal trust in God as the ultimate shepherd-king: “I will not lack,” “I will not fear,” and “I will dwell” (Ps. 23:1; Ps. 23:4; Ps. 23:6).The psalmist seems to be concluding that because of God’s character, as revealed in the exodus story, God will provide everything he needs. His fear dissipates because his good shepherd is also the strong king who defeated Pharaoh, an icon of evil thought to be invincible.Even better, the psalmist doesn’t have to dwell alone, trembling in a self-made “house” that’s being torn apart by chaos and darkness. God enters into his situation, and he also enters into ours. Embracing each of us with strong arms, God promises that he will be with us through every dark valley we face.God’s exodus-style deliverance culminates in Jesus’ willing death and powerful resurrection. Joining with humanity, he experiences true suffering and death, in order to lead us toward the greener pastures and quiet waters of life in his Kingdom. So Jesus describes himself this way in the Gospel of John:John 10:14-15, NRSVI am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.Saturated with hyperlinks to key symbols and words from the exodus narrative, Psalm 23 expresses a history-based confidence in God. The psalmist has good reason to trust that God will preserve his life through the dark valley and pursue him with goodness and loyal love every day.As creation’s ultimate king, God liberates us with his infinite power. And as creation’s good shepherd, God guides us into his presence so that we may endlessly dwell with him, alive and resting in true peace.Carissa Quinn, The Arrival of the King: The Shape and Story of Psalms 15-24, (Bellingham: Lexham Academic, 2023).Timothy S. Laniak, Shepherds after My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bible, New Studies in Biblical Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2006), 58.See Ps. 23:1; Ps. 23:3a, in David M. Stec, The Targum of Psalms: Translated, with a Critical Introduction, Apparatus, and Notes, The Aramaic Bible 16 (London: T&T Clark, 2004), 61. For the story of God feeding the Israelites with manna, see Exod. 16.See also Ezekiel 34:11-16