Psalm 23:1

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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1 (NKJV)

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Psalm 23:1 (NIV)

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1 (KJV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

Psalm 23:1 (NLT)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1 (ESV)

The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need.

Psalm 23:1 (NASB)

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

Psalm 23:1 (AMPC)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

God, my shepherd! I do not need a thing.

Psalm 23:1 (MSG)

Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.

New Covenant Meaning

"The Lord IS My Shepherd" Is a Covenant Claim, Not a Comfort Phrase

David does not say "the Lord is like a shepherd" or "the Lord acts as my shepherd." He says "the Lord IS my shepherd." The Hebrew uses a direct relationship statement with no qualifier. David was a shepherd himself before he was a king. He knew exactly what a shepherd does. He fed, guided, protected, fought off predators, retrieved the lost, and gave his life for the sheep. When he applies that identity to God in relation to himself, he is making the most personal covenant declaration in the psalms.

"I Shall Not Want" Covers Every Category of Need

The Hebrew lo echsar literally means I shall not lack or I shall not be in need. Echsar describes being without something necessary. With lo (not) it becomes an absolute declaration. David is not saying life will be painless. He is saying that under this Shepherd, nothing essential will be missing. Every need the sheep has, the Shepherd provides. This is not positive thinking. This is covenant language rooted in the character of Yahweh.

The name used here is not just "God" (Elohim) but Yahweh, the covenant name of God, the name He revealed to Moses as "I AM WHO I AM." David is saying: the God who is bound to me by covenant is actively shepherding me right now. Ro'eh, the Hebrew word for shepherd, is a present active participle. The shepherding is not past or future. It is ongoing. Right now, today, you have a Shepherd who is feeding, guiding, and shielding you.

Application for Your Life

You Are Not Managing Your Life Alone

Many believers have accepted Jesus as Savior but still live as if the daily management of their lives is entirely their responsibility. Psalm 23:1 corrects that posture. You have a Shepherd. A shepherd does not give the sheep a map and wish them well. He goes with them, in front of them, and behind them. You are not navigating your life unaccompanied. The Shepherd is present and active in the ordinary days, not just the crises.

Let "I Shall Not Want" Shape How You Pray

If the Lord is your Shepherd and you shall not lack, then your prayers can shift from anxious pleading to confident declaration. You are not begging from someone who might not provide. You are asking from the one whose covenant name is bound to your provision. Pray from the position of one who has a Shepherd, not one who is hoping to acquire one. The Shepherd is already yours. The provision is already His assignment.

Prayer Based on Psalm 23:1

Lord, You are my Shepherd. Not were, not will be. Right now, today, You are actively feeding me, guiding me, and shielding me. I declare that I shall not lack. Not in my finances, not in my health, not in my relationships, not in my purpose. Every need I carry, You already see. You are Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God, and Your covenant with me includes my provision. I trust You as my Shepherd today. Lead me. I am listening. In Jesus' name. Amen.