Psalm 23 Bible Quiz
Five questions on the six verses most people half-remember — and the words that are actually there.
5 questions · Psalms 23:1-6 · King James Version · about 3 minutes
Psalms 23 · Bible quiz
How does the psalm open?
Choose one answer.
Answer · Psalms 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want — “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The other three openings are real verses — Psalm 18:2, Psalm 27:1 and Exodus 15:2 — which is what makes them easy to confuse with this one.
Read the chapter“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Psalms 23:1 · King James VersionPsalms 23 · Bible quiz
Where does the shepherd make the psalmist lie down?
Choose one answer.
Answer · Psalms 23:2
In green pastures — Verse 2 does two things, and they are easy to swap: he makes him *lie down* in green pastures, and *leads* him beside the still waters.
Read the chapter“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”
Psalms 23:2 · King James VersionPsalms 23 · Bible quiz
In the valley of the shadow of death, what is said to comfort the psalmist?
Choose one answer.
Answer · Psalms 23:4
Thy rod and thy staff — “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Both are a shepherd's working tools — the comfort is that the shepherd is still equipped and still there, not that the valley has been removed.
Read the chapter“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.”
Psalms 23:4 · King James VersionPsalms 23 · Bible quiz
Where is the table prepared?
Choose one answer.
Answer · Psalms 23:5
In the presence of mine enemies — “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” The enemies are not gone; the meal happens in front of them.
Read the chapter“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Psalms 23:5 · King James VersionPsalms 23 · Bible quiz
What follows the psalmist all the days of his life?
Choose one answer.
Answer · Psalms 23:6
Goodness and mercy — “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” It is a statement rather than a hope, and the verb is one of pursuit.
Read the chapter“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.”
Psalms 23:6 · King James Version
Questions and answers
All 5 questions with their answers, the reason behind each one, and the verse it rests on.
How does the psalm open?
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want — “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The other three openings are real verses — Psalm 18:2, Psalm 27:1 and Exodus 15:2 — which is what makes them easy to confuse with this one.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Psalms 23:1 · KJVWhere does the shepherd make the psalmist lie down?
In green pastures — Verse 2 does two things, and they are easy to swap: he makes him *lie down* in green pastures, and *leads* him beside the still waters.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”
Psalms 23:2 · KJVIn the valley of the shadow of death, what is said to comfort the psalmist?
Thy rod and thy staff — “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Both are a shepherd's working tools — the comfort is that the shepherd is still equipped and still there, not that the valley has been removed.
“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.”
Psalms 23:4 · KJVWhere is the table prepared?
In the presence of mine enemies — “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” The enemies are not gone; the meal happens in front of them.
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Psalms 23:5 · KJVWhat follows the psalmist all the days of his life?
Goodness and mercy — “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” It is a statement rather than a hope, and the verb is one of pursuit.
“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.”
Psalms 23:6 · KJV
About the shepherd psalm
Psalm 23 is six verses long and most people can start it from memory, which is exactly why it repays a slow read. The images arrive in a deliberate order: first a shepherd and an animal that lacks nothing, then pasture and water, then a path, then a valley, and only at the end a table, a house, and a stay that does not run out. It moves from being led to being hosted.
The turn happens in verse 4, and it is a turn in grammar as much as in mood. The first three verses talk *about* God — he maketh, he leadeth, he restoreth. In the valley the psalm stops describing and starts addressing: “thou art with me.” The comfort offered there is not an argument that the valley is safe. It is a change of person, from him to you.
The last line is easy to soften in memory. It is not a wish. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” is a statement, and the verb is a pursuing one — the two of them come after him, the way trouble might have been expected to.
Written and checked against the King James text by Random Bible. Last reviewed September 17, 2026.
Psalm 23: common questions
What is Psalm 23 about?
It is a psalm about being cared for — first as a sheep is cared for by a shepherd (pasture, water, a path), then as a guest is cared for by a host (a table, oil, an overflowing cup, a house to stay in). The centre of it is verse 4: “thou art with me.”
Who wrote Psalm 23?
The psalm carries the traditional superscription “A Psalm of David.” David is described in 1 Samuel 16:11 as a shepherd before he was a king, which is the background readers have long heard in the opening line.
What does “I shall not want” mean?
In the English of 1611, to want something is to lack it. The line means “I will lack nothing,” not “I will not desire anything.”
What are the rod and the staff in Psalm 23?
A shepherd's two tools: the rod for driving off what threatens the flock, the staff for guiding and recovering a straying animal. Verse 4 offers them as comfort in the valley — the shepherd is still working, and still there.