394 Andrew E. Arterbury - William H. Bellinger, Jr. claim that the psalmist vows to “return” to “dwell” in the temple (40). Yet, clearly “return” (bwv) provides a more literal English translation (41). Alternatively, translating (bwv) as “return” not only serves as the more literal translation of the Masoretic Text, but this translation also fits the context of hospitality far better than “dwell” does. Seldom does a traveling guest take up residence with his or her host even though Elijah’s stay in 1 Kgs 17,8-16 was lengthy. Rather, once a long-term relationship has been established, the guests return to their host’s house and hospitality whenever they are in the region again. This pattern of returning to the host’s home is the pattern we see between Elisha and the woman of Shunem (2 Kgs 4,10-36) and between Sisera and Heber the Kenite (Judg 4). A similar pattern can be seen in the New Testament when Paul tells Philemon, his former host, to get the guest room ready (Phlm 1,22). In addition, the return of the guests to their former host’s home at a later time is quite pronounced in the Greco-Roman world (e.g., Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale, 158-59 and 166). As a result, the translation of (bwv) as “to return” is to be preferred both because it is the more literal translation and because it fits better with the metaphor of hospitality that is being employed in Ps 23,5-6. 4. Ps 23 as a Whole When one takes the language and imagery of Ps 23 as a whole, one is struck by the transitory nature of these images. On the one hand, vv. 1-4 describe the lengths to which the Lord as a good shepherd goes to guide the sheep while they are moving about from one location to another. On the other hand, vv. 5-6 describe the extent to which the Lord is committed to hosting the travelers who are outside of their home region. Hence, both sections revolve around the idea of the Lord’s comfort for a people who are on the move, who are on a journey. Furthermore, if we move beyond the attempt simply to read this psalm as an independent psalm and seek to read it in a canonical context, then one must acknowledge that the language and images in Ps 23,5-6 could easily have had additional significance for those who participated in the worship of ancient Israel. In particular, the phrase, “the house of the Lord”, apparently alludes to the temple on other occasions in the Psalter (e.g., Ps 27,4-6). As a result, when we return to the question of the Sitz im Leben or the context in which this psalm was most often read/heard among the ancient Israelites, we do not believe that the language of Ps 23 is specific enough to afford us a definitive answer. In fact, since the metaphors of the Lord as shepherd and the Lord as host are so broad and readily adaptable to numerous individual and collective settings among the ancient Israelites, it may be best to envision the psalm as being read in multiple contexts (42). Yet, given that the ancient custom of hospitality involved travelers and given that the (40) BRIGGS – BRIGGS, The Book of Psalms, 207-12. (41) BROYLES, Psalms, 126. Broyles provides an exception. He not only acknowledges that “to return” is the more literal reading, but he also justifies this translation by locating it in a context of pilgrimages to Jerusalem. (42) W. H. BELLINGER, Jr., The Psalms (Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentaries; Macon - forthcoming).