Bible Strands
Psalms 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses YHWH as shepherd, speaking from inside the valley rather than from its edge. He has already been restored (23:3) and is about to be honored (23:5); this is the middle, darkest beat.
The words — Tzalmavet (צַלְמָ֡וֶת) compounds "shadow" and "death," glossed here as "deep darkness," more concrete than the English "shadow of death." The opening gam (גַּם, "also") marks the line as an escalation of what precedes, not a new thought.
The thread — Isaiah 41:10 pairs "do not fear" with "I am with you" in the same causal structure. Psalms 118:6 and 138:7 repeat the pattern: divine presence neutralizes the threat, not the threat itself.
Why it lands — The verse is a trust-statement made during the danger, not after it. It asks the reader to identify their own valley and test whether their confidence is retrospective or present.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
- Psalms 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- Psalms 138:7 If I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me from the anger of my foes; You extend Your hand, and Your right hand saves me.
- Isaiah 43:1 But now, this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!
- Psalms 3:6 I will not fear the myriads set against me on every side.
- Psalms 46:1 For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
- Luke 1:79 to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:55 “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”
- Psalms 27:1 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- Micah 7:14 Shepherd with Your staff Your people, the flock of Your inheritance. They live alone in a woodland, surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.