Genesis 37:16

37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell ¹  me where they are grazing their flocks.”

Psalms 23:1-2

Psalm 23 ² 

A psalm of David.

23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, ³ 

I lack nothing. ⁴ 

23:2 He takes me to lush pastures, ⁵ 

he leads me to refreshing water. ⁶ 

Psalms 80:1

Psalm 80 ⁷ 

For the music director; according to the shushan-eduth style; ⁸  a psalm of Asaph.

80:1 O shepherd of Israel, pay attention,

you who lead Joseph like a flock of sheep!

You who sit enthroned above the winged angels, ⁹  reveal your splendor! ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 40:11

40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;

he gathers up the lambs with his arm;

he carries them close to his heart; ¹¹ 

he leads the ewes along.

Micah 5:4

5:4 He will assume his post ¹²  and shepherd the people ¹³  by the Lord’s strength,

by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. ¹⁴ 

They will live securely, ¹⁵  for at that time he will be honored ¹⁶ 

even in the distant regions of ¹⁷  the earth.

John 10:11

10:11 “I am the good ¹⁸  shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life ¹⁹  for the sheep.

John 10:28-29

10:28 I give ²⁰  them eternal life, and they will never perish; ²¹  no one will snatch ²²  them from my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, ²³  and no one can snatch ²⁴  them from my Father’s hand.

Revelation 7:17

7:17 because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” ²⁵ 

[37:16]  ¹ tn The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.

[23:1]  ² sn Psalm 23. In vv. 1-4 the psalmist pictures the Lord as a shepherd who provides for his needs and protects him from danger. The psalmist declares, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then extends and develops that metaphor, speaking as if he were a sheep. In vv. 5-6 the metaphor changes as the psalmist depicts a great royal banquet hosted by the Lord. The psalmist is a guest of honor and recipient of divine favor, who enjoys unlimited access to the divine palace and the divine presence.

[23:1]  ³ sn The LORD is my shepherd. The opening metaphor suggests the psalmist is assuming the role of a sheep. In vv. 1b-4 the psalmist extends the metaphor and explains exactly how the LORD is like a shepherd to him. At the surface level the language can be understood in terms of a shepherd’s relationship to his sheep. The translation of vv. 1-4 reflects this level. But, of course, each statement also points to an underlying reality.

[23:1]  ⁴ tn The imperfect verbal form is best understood as generalizing; the psalmist highlights his typical or ongoing experience as a result of having the LORD as his shepherd (habitual present use). The next verse explains more specifically what he means by this statement.

[23:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “he makes me lie down in lush pastures.” The Hiphil verb יַרְבִּיצֵנִי (yarbitseniy) has a causative-modal nuance here (see IBHS 445-46 §27.5 on this use of the Hiphil), meaning “allows me to lie down” (see also Jer 33:12). The point is that the shepherd takes the sheep to lush pastures and lets them eat and rest there. Both imperfect verbal forms in v. 2 are generalizing and highlight the psalmist’s typical experience.

[23:2]  ⁶ tn Both genitives in v. 2 indicate an attribute of the noun they modify: דֶּשֶׁא (deshe’) characterizes the pastures as “lush” (i.e., rich with vegetation), while מְנֻחוֹת (mÿnukhot) probably characterizes the water as refreshing. In this case the plural indicates an abstract quality. Some take מְנֻחוֹת in the sense of “still, calm” (i.e., as describing calm pools in contrast to dangerous torrents) but it is unlikely that such a pastoral scene is in view. Shepherds usually watered their sheep at wells (see Gen 29:2-3; Exod 2:16-19). Another option is to take מְנֻחוֹת as “resting places” and to translate, “water of/at the resting places” (i.e., a genitive of location; see IBHS 147-48 §9.5.2e).

[80:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 80. The psalmist laments Israel’s demise and asks the Lord to show favor toward his people, as he did in earlier times.

[80:1]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew expression shushan-eduth means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title. See the superscription to Ps 60.

[80:1]  ⁹ sn Winged angels (Heb “cherubs”). Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.

[80:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “shine forth.”

[40:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in his bosom” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV), an expression which reflects closeness and protective care.

[5:4]  ¹² tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”

[5:4]  ¹³ tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

[5:4]  ¹⁵ tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).

[5:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “be great.”

[5:4]  ¹⁷ tn Or “to the ends of.”

[10:11]  ¹⁸ tn Or “model” (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:386, who argues that “model” is a more exact translation of καλός [kalos] here).

[10:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or “The good shepherd dies willingly.”

[10:28]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And I give.”

[10:28]  ²¹ tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”

[10:28]  ²² tn Or “no one will seize.”

[10:29]  ²³ tn Or “is superior to all.”

[10:29]  ²⁴ tn Or “no one can seize.”

[7:17]  ²⁵ sn An allusion to Isa 25:8.