- For the episode, see "The 23rd Psalm".
Psalm 23 is one of the most well known psalms in the Bible and was written by King David, an ancestor of Jesus Christ. It is also called the Shepherd Psalm:
Translation in the King James Version of the Bible:
- 23:1 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.
References in Lost[]
- 23 is one of the numbers.
- Jack Shephard is assigned number 23 on the lists of names on the cave wall and the lighthouse. As noted, the psalm starts with the words "The Lord is my shepherd..."
- The psalms are credited to King David, who was also a musician, as is David Shephard.
- The psalm is recited in the episode with the same name by Eko and partially by Charlie, but was misquoted. The mistake was, "Yea, though I walk through the SHADOW of the VALLEY of death." This misquote was an accident by the writers of this scene, but on reflection, they believed this error to be appropriate, as Eko was never a proper priest. (Said by producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof on the commentary for this episode on the Season 2 DVD)
- "23RD PSALM" is engraved on Eko's stick.
- The psalm was partially recited by Eko in "The Cost of Living". He is only heard saying the first line, however, by using a timing method, it is probable that he would have gotten to about the beginning of the third line when he was grabbed. Right before he is grabbed, a whispering voice that does not sound like Eko can be heard saying "...paths of righteousness-" and then he is grabbed. The whispering sounds much like the jungle whispers.
- Jack Shephard was led to water by the Man in Black disguised as Christian Shephard.
- In the episode Everybody Loves Hugo, John Locke makes a staff, but says he doesn't know what it's for yet.
- The series finale of Lost aired May 23, 2010.
Cultural references[]
- The psalm was recited in The Elephant Man by the main character, John Merrick, like an unexpected evidence of his mental and intellectual aptitude.
External links[]
- Psalm 23 on Wikipedia