
Wadi Qelt, Judean Desert, with St George's monastry by Ester Inbar, available from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:ST
Perhaps the best known and popular psalm among both Jews and Christians but not easy to categorise, except that it expresses trust in God. The imagery makes even better sense when some geography and culture is understood:
- sheep follow shepherds, they are not left on the hills and then driven
- green pastures, means land where there is some green vegetation, not just rocks and dust
- wadis: steep sided gorges, semi-desert little vegetation, quick run off from hills = flash floods
For more on this see also my “Psalm 23 in context”
