Hear Hymn – The Lord’s My Shepherd
<h2>A Scripture for Life and Death</h2>
As I write, my heart is with my own family. My sister-in-law and my brother are grieving the loss of her sister, who passed away just yesterday. Their sorrow is fresh, and I find myself turning again to words that have comforted countless mourners across the centuries.
If there is a single scripture that seems to appear in nearly every film or television scene of a funeral, it is Psalm 23. The moment is almost familiar: mourners gathered, heads bowed, and the words spoken in the timeless cadence of the King James Bible.
It has become almost a cultural shorthand for grief, but rightly so. Psalm 23 may be one of the most read and recited passages in all of scripture. It speaks to the living as well as the dying, offering assurance of God’s presence in every valley.
Here it is in full, from the King James Version:
Psalm 23 (KJV)
 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
 4 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.
 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
These verses hold together both sides of human experience: the still waters of peace and the shadow of death, the paths of righteousness and the presence of enemies. In every setting, the Good Shepherd remains close.
<h2>https://youtu.be/mGoxVDUlH7E?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss</h2>
<h2>A Psalm That Has Comforted Generations</h2>
Few passages of scripture are as beloved or as widely recognized as Psalm 23. Its opening words—“The Lord is my shepherd”—have carried peace to worshipers for centuries. Set to song in countless traditions, this psalm has been both a private prayer and a public hymn of faith.
In The Lord’s My Shepherd, the words of Psalm 23 are joined to a tune of quiet assurance, creating a hymn that links seventeenth-century Scotland with modern worshipers across the world.
<h2>Origins in the Scottish Psalter (1650)</h2>
The text of this hymn comes from the Scottish Psalter of 1650, a landmark collection that sought to translate the psalms faithfully from Hebrew while making them singable in English. Accuracy mattered more than poetic flourish, yet the translators still needed to shape the language into rhyming, metrical lines.
Sometimes that required unusual word order. For instance, verse 3 of this hymn reads “me comfort still” instead of the more familiar “still comfort me,” chosen to rhyme with the previous phrase “fear no ill.” These adjustments kept the psalms close to their original meaning without layering on extra commentary.
The result was a text that is direct, spare, and faithful—a psalm in song form, ready for congregational voices.
What Is the Scottish Psalter?
The Scottish Psalter of 1650 is a collection of the 150 Biblical Psalms translated into metrical, rhyming English verse for congregational singing. It was the result of a prolonged process of revision initiated by the Westminster Assembly and refined by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, with the goal of aligning the text as closely as possible to the original Hebrew.<a href="https://1650psalter.com/introduction/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss"> Shaftesbury Sq RPC+14The 1650 Psalter+</a><a href="http://14gracechapeltn.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss">14gracechapeltn.com</a><a href="https://1650psalter.com/introduction/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss">+14</a>
In essence: the Scottish Psalter is a historically rooted, singable version of the Psalms designed for fidelity to the Bible and ease of corporate worship—and it continues to be valued across centuries for both its accuracy and accessibility.
&nbsp;
<h2>James Leith Macbeth Bain and World War I (1915)</h2>
Two and a half centuries later, as World War I spread across Europe, Scottish minister and composer James Leith Macbeth Bain turned again to Psalm 23. Having grown up singing from the Scottish Psalter, he found its message of calm and safety especially poignant in a time of conflict and suffering.
In 1915, Bain composed a new melody for the familiar words. The tune, soon known as Brother James’s Air, matched the psalm’s gentle assurance with flowing, peaceful lines. It offered comfort in an age shadowed by loss and uncertainty.
This tune has since carried the words of Psalm 23 into new generations, reminding listeners of divine guidance even in the darkest valleys.
<h2>A New Home in Hymns—For Home and Church</h2>
The Lord’s My Shepherd now appears for the first time in a Church-published hymnal, Hymns—For Home and Church. Its inclusion signals both the enduring strength of Psalm 23 and the lasting value of Bain’s musical setting.
<h2>Doctrinal Themes in the Text</h2>
The hymn teaches eternal truths with clarity:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Christ as the Good Shepherd. Like the sheep of Psalm 23, we are led, protected, and gathered by Him (John 10:14).
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">God’s divine plan. The Shepherd’s care is purposeful, guiding us back to the Father (1 Nephi 22:25).
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Healing and mercy. In Christ’s presence, fear is replaced with comfort, and wounds with restoration.
</li>
</ul>
“If we follow our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, He will lead us back to the Father.”
<h2>Musical and Worship Significance</h2>
Brother James’s Air is gentle and lyrical, its rising and falling lines suggesting both movement and rest. The melody never overwhelms; instead, it underscores the psalm’s assurance of safety. In congregational singing, it carries the text in a way that feels both intimate and communal—an invitation to trust.
<h2>Cultural Echoes of Psalm 23</h2>
The words of Psalm 23 extend far beyond one hymn tune. They have become woven into the fabric of Western culture:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Royal occasions. Another setting of this psalm, the Crimond tune, was sung at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1947 and at Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in 2022.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Popular music. Phrases from the psalm echo through unexpected places—Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise (“as I walk through the valley”), Pink Floyd’s Sheep, and even heavy-metal tracks by Megadeth.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Classical and choral works. Composers such as John Rutter (The Lord Is My Shepherd, part of his Requiem) and Leonard Bernstein (Chichester Psalms) have reimagined its text for choir and orchestra.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Funerals and film. The psalm is one of the most frequently read passages at Christian funerals and often appears in film portrayals of grief or hope. It is also integral to Jewish prayer, sung during Shabbat meals and recited at times of mourning.
</li>
</ul>
This wide embrace shows how Psalm 23 transcends time, genre, and even faith tradition, offering language of comfort that resonates far beyond its original setting.
<h2>Modern Application and Reflection</h2>
Today, singing The Lord’s My Shepherd can bring the same peace it offered to worshipers in 1650 and to those enduring the trenches of 1915. In our own valleys—whether of grief, anxiety, or uncertainty—the Good Shepherd’s presence is steady.
As you listen or sing this hymn, consider:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">When have you felt Jesus Christ extending love and guidance as your Shepherd?
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Why can you trust Him to lead you, even when the way ahead is unclear?
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How might you help others hear His voice of comfort?
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Resources & Further Reading</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Lord’s My Shepherd – Hymn Page (lyrics, sheet music, recordings)
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Psalm 23; 1 Nephi 22:25; John 10:14
</li>
</ul>
<h1>Outline: Hear Hymn – The Lord’s My Shepherd</h1>
<ol>
<li> Opening Hook</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Introduce the timeless comfort of Psalm 23.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Note how this hymn connects centuries of worshipers—from 1650 Scotland to modern congregations.
</li>
</ul>
<ol start="2">
<li> Origins in the Scottish Psalter (1650)</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Background on the psalter’s purpose: faithful Hebrew translation + singable English.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Example of inverted word order (“me comfort still” vs. “still comfort me”) to preserve rhyme.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Emphasis on accuracy over embellishment.
</li>
</ul>
<ol start="3">
<li> James Leith Macbeth Bain and World War I (1915)</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Brief sketch of Bain as Scottish composer and minister.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">His choice to set Psalm 23 to a new melody amid wartime suffering.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The birth of Brother James’s Air and its legacy as a tune of hope.
</li>
</ul>
<ol start="4">
<li> Publication in Hymns—For Home and Church</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Note this is the first time the hymn appears in a Church-published hymnal.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What that signals about its enduring message and musical worth.
</li>
</ul>
<ol start="5">
<li> Doctrinal Themes in the Text</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Christ as the Good Shepherd leading us safely home.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">God’s divine plan for our lives.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Healing, comfort, and mercy through faith and repentance.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Tie directly to the cited scriptures: Psalm 23, 1 Nephi 22:25, John 10:14.
</li>
</ul>
<ol start="6">
<li> Musical and Worship Significance</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The gentle character of Brother James’s Air.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How the tune reinforces the psalm’s themes of peace and assurance.
</li>
</ul>
<ol start="7">
<li> Cultural Echoes of Psalm 23</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Contrast with the Crimond tune, used at royal occasions (e.g., Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral).
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Appearances in pop and secular music: Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise, Pink Floyd, Megadeth.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Choral and classical adaptations: John Rutter’s The Lord Is My Shepherd, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Frequent presence in film, funerals, and Jewish worship—showing its broad cultural reach.
</li>
</ul>
<ol start="8">
<li> Modern Application and Reflection</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How believers today can draw strength from this hymn in times of trial.
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Questions for reflection/podcast tie-in.
</li>
</ul>
<ol start="9">
<li> Resources & Further Reading</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Link to hymn page (lyrics, sheet music, recordings).
</li>
</ul>
Scripture references provided.

The post <a href="https://theculturalhall.com/2025/09/05/hear-hymn-the-lords-my-shepherd/">Hear Hymn The Lord&#8217;s My Shepherd</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theculturalhall.com">The Cultural Hall Podcast</a>.

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

Hear Hymn The Lord’s My Shepherd

The Cultural Hall Podcast

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews