Psalm 23 ("The Lord is My Shepherd") Religion Quotes

The Lord is Yahweh, the God of Moses and Abraham. Many Christians, who often read the Old Testament in light of the New Testament, take the Lord to represent Jesus Christ. Notice how the name "Lord" used in the Bible already hints at the relationship of host or patron that's explored in this poem.

This is probably the only direct mention of ethics (right and wrong) in the psalm. Without the Lord's guidance, the speaker would not be able to see what's the right thing to do. He would "stray" from the path.

The speaker shifts and directly addresses God this time, revealing that the psalm is really a prayer. The Lord is for the speaker what we would nowadays call a "personal God."