Psalm 23 Psalm 23 was not used for funerals until the 1928 revision of the prayer book. The theme of God as a shepherd was common in ancient Israel and Mesopotamia. For example, King Hammurabi, in the conclusion to his famous legal code, wrote: "I am the shepherd who brings well-being and abundant prosperity; my rule is just... so that the strong might not oppress the weak, and that even the orphan and the widow might be treated with justice." This imagery and language was well known to the community that created the Psalm, and was easily imported into its worship. Psalm
Psalm 144 Psalm 144 Psalm 144 is the 144th psalm from the Book of Psalms in the Masoretic and modern numbering, corresponding to psalm 143 in the Vulgata Clementina. The text is attributed to David in the Masoretic text. The Septuagint has the additional specification of "David against Goliath", putting the text in the context of the narrative of David's fight against Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. The first verse is rendered in the KJV as "Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight". This translates the Hebrew , where "my strength" renders