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 Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? It is often helpful for understanding literary structure, speaker identification, etc.
For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Participant Analysis Creator Guidelines.
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]
Participant Relations Diagram
The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:
Participant Analysis Summary Distribution
