Psalms 23:5

You prepare a feast before me ¹  in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh ²  my head with oil; my cup is completely full. ³ 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.

You make ready a table for me in front of my haters: you put oil on my head; my cup is overflowing.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

You prepare a feast before me ¹  in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh ²  my head with oil; my cup is completely full. ³ 

¹ sn In v. 5 the metaphor switches. (It would be very odd for a sheep to have its head anointed and be served wine.) The background for the imagery is probably the royal banquet. Ancient Near Eastern texts describe such banquets in similar terms to those employed by the psalmist. (See M. L. Barre and J. S. Kselman, “New Exodus, Covenant, and Restoration in Psalm 23,” The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth, 97-127.) The reality behind the imagery is the Lord’s favor. Through his blessings and protection he demonstrates to everyone, including dangerous enemies, that the psalmist has a special relationship with him.

² tn The imperfect verbal form in v. 5a carries on the generalizing mood of vv. 1-4. However, in v. 5b the psalmist switches to a perfect (דִּשַּׁנְתָּ, dishanta), which may have a generalizing force as well. But then again the perfect is conspicuous here and may be present perfect in sense, indicating that the divine host typically pours oil on his head prior to seating him at the banquet table. The verb דָשַׁן (dashan; the Piel is factitive) is often translated “anoint,” but this is misleading, for it might suggest a symbolic act of initiation into royal status. One would expect the verb מָשָׁח (mashan) in this case; דָשַׁן here describes an act of hospitality extended to guests and carries the nuance “refresh.” In Prov 15:30 it stands parallel to “make happy” and refers to the effect that good news has on the inner being of its recipient.

³ tn The rare noun רְַָויָה (rÿvayah) is derived from the well-attested verb רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated, drink one’s fill”). In this context, where it describes a cup, it must mean “filled up,” but not necessarily to overflowing.