Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6

Psalm 23:3

ESV He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name 's sake.
NIV he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
NASB He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For the sake of His name.
CSB He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
NLT He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
KJV He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
NKJV He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

What does Psalm 23:3 mean?

David credits the Lord, his shepherd, with restoring or refreshing his soul. In Bible times, if a sheep became injured, its shepherd would treat its wounds until its good health returned. How often the Lord restores us to good spiritual health after the evil world system has hurt us, or, even more often, when we have hurt ourselves by failing to follow Him closely! When Peter relied on self-confidence to keep him faithful to the Lord, he failed miserably, but the Good Shepherd graciously restored him to spiritual health (John 21:15–19).

Sheep were accustomed to following their shepherd in well-worn paths, but occasionally a sheep would stray from a safe path and become lost. Then the shepherd would leave the rest of the sheep in the custody of helpers and go searching for the lost sheep. Jesus, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), leads us in paths of righteousness, but we may wander from the chosen path. Then Jesus searches until He finds us and restores us. In Luke 15:3–7 Jesus told a parable about a shepherd who had one hundred sheep, but when one went astray, he searched for it until he found it. Then he laid it on his shoulders, brought it home, and summoned his friends and neighbors to celebrate its recovery with him.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: