Psalm 23 in Different Translations: Where They Diverge and Why

Psalm 23 is short enough to compare properly, and the differences between translations are more interesting than they first appear. Three phrases in particular are genuinely contested, and each changes the psalm’s meaning.

“I shall not want”

KJV: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. NIV: The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ESV: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The Hebrew verb means to lack or be without. The KJV’s “want” carried that sense in 1611 — to want something meant to lack it. In modern English “want” means desire, which produces a very different and much weaker claim.

“I lack nothing” is closer to the original meaning, even though “I shall not want” is the more famous line. The claim is about sufficiency under this shepherd’s care, not about having no desires and certainly not about wealth.

“The valley of the shadow of death”

KJV: the valley of the shadow of death NIV: the darkest valley ESV: the valley of the shadow of death NKJV: the valley of the shadow of death

The Hebrew word is tsalmaveth, and this is a real scholarly disagreement.

It can be read as a compound of tsel (shadow) and maveth (death) — hence the traditional rendering. Or as a single word from a root meaning deep darkness, with no reference to death at all.

Both are defensible. The NIV’s “darkest valley” is not evasion; it reflects a genuine position on the Hebrew.

What is not in dispute is the preposition. Every translation has through. It is terrain on the route, not a destination.

“Goodness and mercy shall follow me”

KJV: goodness and mercy shall follow me NIV: goodness and love will follow me ESV: goodness and mercy shall follow me

Two things are worth noticing.

The verb is radaph, and “follow” undersells it considerably. Radaph normally means to pursue — and it is most often used of hostile pursuit, an enemy chasing someone down. The image is not kindness trailing politely behind. It is being hunted by mercy.

And the second word is chesed, one of the hardest words in the Old Testament to render. It carries covenant loyalty, steadfast love and faithfulness together. “Mercy” catches part of it; “love” catches part of it; neither catches all of it. NASB uses “lovingkindness”, which is clumsy and closer.

Smaller differences worth knowing

“He restores my soul” (KJV, ESV) versus “he refreshes my soul” (NIV). The Hebrew nephesh means the whole living self rather than a detachable spiritual part.

“He leads me beside the still waters” versus “quiet waters”. The Hebrew suggests waters of rest or resting places — practical for sheep, which will not drink from fast water.

“Your rod and Your staff” is consistent everywhere, and they are two different tools: a club for defence and a crook for guiding. Not poetic synonyms.

Which translation to use

For memorising and reading aloud, the KJV’s rhythm is unmatched, and it is the version most people half-know already.

For understanding, use two — an essentially literal one such as ESV or NASB alongside a more dynamic one such as NIV. Where they diverge, you have found a place worth investigating, which is exactly what the three phrases above are.

The honest point: none of these differences is anyone hiding anything. They are places where the Hebrew genuinely supports more than one reading, and comparing them is one of the easiest ways to read the psalm more carefully than you otherwise would.

Hierdie artikel is ook in Afrikaans beskikbaar: Psalm 23 in Afrikaans: Vertalings Vergelyk.

Questions people ask

Which translation of Psalm 23 is most accurate?

Accuracy differs by aim. Formal translations track the Hebrew word order; functional ones track the sense. The comparison above shows where they actually diverge.

What does the valley of the shadow of death mean?

The Hebrew phrase carries deep shadow or gloom as much as death specifically. Translations split on how far to press it.

Why do translations of Psalm 23 differ so much?

Because it is poetry with compressed imagery. Short Hebrew lines carry more than one plausible English rendering, and the comparison above sets them side by side.

Something to listen to

Every translation keeps the valley in. So does this. Still I Stand — listen on Spotify.

Related reading

• Bible Verses for Hard Times
• Bible Verses About Fear
• What Is a Psalm of Lament?
• What Are the Songs of Ascents?

A note on these articles

I write these as I work through my own faith, not as someone qualified to teach it. I have no theological training. Nothing here should be taken as law or as settled — it is one person reading scripture and trying to understand it honestly.

These articles are written with AI assistance, from my own direction and my own positions. I disclose that here the same way I disclose it on every release.

I am a human trying to glorify the Kingdom of God and work through the hard questions so that I can carry myself forward. Where I have got something wrong, I would genuinely rather know.

If you see it differently, tell me. I will read it, and both of us may come out further along than we started. Get in touch