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
The Lord is my Shepherd (Rutter) the beginning, sopranos and now also tenors sing in unison "But thy loving kindness". All four voices begin in unison "And I will dwell" but divide for the climax "in the house of the Lord", reaching "forte" this only time in the piece. The words are repeated a few times, diminishing and slowing down to a soft "for ever". "Psalmfest", including the version with soprano and tenor soloists, was recorded in 2014 by the St Albans Cathedral Choir, the Abbey Girls’ Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Lucas. The Lord is my Shepherd (Rutter) The Lord is