Psalm 23:2

King James Version (KJV)

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Translations

Psalm 23:2 - Amplified Bible

Psalm 23:2 - American Standard Version

Psalm 23:2 - Bible in Basic English

Psalm 23:2 - Darby Bible

Psalm 23:2 - English Standard Version

Psalm 23:2 - King James Version

Psalm 23:2 - La Biblia de las Americas

Psalm 23:2 - The Message

Psalm 23:2 - New American Standard Bible

Psalm 23:2 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Psalm 23:2 - World English Bible

Psalm 23:2 - Young's Living Translation

Psalm 23:2 - Additional Comments

In this verse, the implication is that we lie down to rest, and the rest is a peaceful rest. The green pastures and still waters indicates you can rest in a healthy environment, full of life, as compared to the desert, which was much of Israel.
Itot easy to get a sheep to lie down. A strange thing about sheep is that they will refuse to lie down unless three requirements are met.
(1) They must be free from fear. Sheep are very easily frightened. A stray jackrabbit jumping out from behind a bush can stampede a whole flock. When one startled sheep runs in fright, all of the others will follow behind it in blind fear, not waiting to see what frightened them. But nothing quiets a flock of sheep like seeing their shepherd in the field with them.
(2) There must be no tension between members of the flock. In every animal society there is an established order of dominance or status. In chickens, it is known as the pecking order. Among sheep it is called the butting order. Sheep maintain their status by butting and driving away other sheep from their favorite grazing spot. When there is this tension in a flock, the sheep can't lie down and rest. They must always stand up and be ready to fight. The result is that it wears the sheep out, they lose weight and become irritable. But whenever the shepherd is around, they forget their rivalries and stop their fighting.
(3) They must be free from hunger. Sheep will not rest until they are free from hunger. A hungry sheep is always on its feet, searching for another mouth of food, trying to satisfy its gnawing hunger. Keep in mind that in Palestine where David wrote this psalm, it dry, brown, sun-burned land. Green pastures didn't just happen by chance. Shepherds had to search hard for green areas or cultivate it themselves.
(The other night our dog was restless - she would wander from room to room, in and out of the house, whining. After awhile we fed her a third time, which we rarely do, and sure enough, she ate it all, and went and laid down on the floor, happy and content.
So when a sheep had eaten enough, when it was free from fear, tension and aggravation, it would lie down in peace.
That is what our shepherd does. He provides us with the food we need. If we hunger and thirst after Him, he has promised to fill us. All of our needs are met in Jesus. He takes care of us, placing us in an oasis, despite the desert around us. He is saying it is possible to be at peace despite the world around you.
He also "He leads me beside still waters." Sheep need water to survive. And they will not drink from noisy, turbulent water. They require a well or a very, very slow-flowing stream, "quiet waters". Sheep are frightened of swiftly moving water. Theypoor swimmers, and if they get in the water they would get bogged down with their heavy wool.
What are we seeing? God will take care of us, protect us, and meet our real needs. We need to trust Him. There is no guarantee that life will be easy or even fair. But there is a guarantee that God will provide what YOU individually need.

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