The Lord is My Shepherd (Eastman Johnson) He is sitting against a blue jacket, which may indicate service in the Union army. President Abraham Lincoln had recently authorized organization of the United States Colored Troops. This is one of several works by Eastman Johnson with African-American subjects. The Lord is My Shepherd (Eastman Johnson) The Lord is My Shepherd is an 1863 oil on wood painting by American artist Eastman Johnson. The painting measures 16 5/8 x 13 1/8 in. (42.3 x 33.2 cm.) and is on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The title of the painting comes from Psalm 23, which begins with the
Psalm 110 specifically refers to Jesus as the Messiah. Spurgeon concurs that while David composed the psalm, the psalm is solely about Jesus. The difference in interpretation between Jewish and Christian sources pivots on the translation of the Hebrew word אדני ("Adonai") in verse 1. This is usually translated as "my master" or "my lord", thus rendering the verse as "The Lord spoke to my master". While "Adonai" is one of the names of God, thoughout the Tanakh it refers to a human "master" or "lord". Since David wrote this psalm in the third person, to be sung by the Levites in