Psalms 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Study Note
Study Note
The fourth verse of Psalm 23 marks a turning point where the metaphor shifts from the pastoral landscape to the darkest imaginable terrain — 'the valley of the shadow of death' (tsalmaveth, also rendered 'deep darkness'). The shift from third person ('He leads me') to second person ('you are with me') suggests an intensification of intimacy at the point of greatest danger. The 'rod and staff' were standard shepherd implements — the staff for guiding, the rod for protection against predators — both now understood as sources of 'comfort.' The verse has become the most commonly read funeral text in Western religious practice, testifying to a presence that accompanies rather than prevents suffering.
Other Translations
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Also--when I walk in a valley of death-shade, I fear no evil, for Thou <FI>art<Fi> with me, Thy rod and Thy staff--they comfort me.
Yes, though I go through the valley of deep shade, I will have no fear of evil; for you are with me, your rod and your support are my comfort.
Cross References
Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the …
Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;
A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light …
For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the …
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; …
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house …
Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.