The best-known passage in the entire Bible is the 23rd Psalm ....." The
Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want...." It portrays our relationship
with God as similar to sheep dependent on their shepherd.
The shepherd
finds still water, green pastures, paths of righteousness. Then
suddenly the shepherd is setting a table in the midst of enemies, an
incongruous conclusion.
Does that table come from, and what enemies?
While a few depictions
show a table in the wilderness, most readers skip that detail, ignoring
the oddity.
The problem arises from the difficulties of translating, with
languages and cultures involved. The practical matter is that when a
shepherd opens up a new field for his sheep, he goes with his rod and
staff to rid the field of enemies: snakes and jackals, coyotes and
noxious weeds.
The shepherd is preparing pastureland (table-land?) by
ridding it of enemies.
A simple way of saying it would go like this: " You go ahead of me,
clearing the way by overcoming my enemies."
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