Psalms 23:1

Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.

WEB

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

KJV

What Psalms 23:1 means

It means that because the Lord himself is the shepherd caring for the psalmist, he lacks nothing he truly needs.

David pictures God as a shepherd and himself as a sheep under that care. To lack nothing is not a promise of wealth or ease; it is the confidence that the One leading him already knows the way to food, water, and rest. The verse opens a psalm about being guided through both green pastures and the valley of shadow.