John Calvin Commentary Psalms 23:2

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters." — Psalms 23:2 (ASV)

He makes me to lie down in pastures of grass. Regarding the words, in Hebrew it is pastures, or fields of grass, signifying grassy and rich grounds. Some, instead of translating the word נאות, neoth, which we have translated as pastures, translate it as shepherds’ cots or lodges. If this translation is considered preferable, the Psalmist’s meaning will be that sheep-cots were prepared in rich pasture grounds, under which he could be protected from the heat of the sun.

If even in cold countries the immoderate heat that sometimes occurs is troublesome to a flock of sheep, how could they bear the heat of the summer in Judea, a warm region, without sheepfolds? The verb רבף, rabats, to lie down, or repose, seems to refer to the same thing.

David has used the phrase, the quiet waters, to express gently flowing waters, because rapid streams are inconvenient for sheep to drink from and are also usually harmful. In this verse, and in the verses following, he explains the last clause of the first verse, I shall not want. He relates how abundantly God had provided for all his necessities, and he does this without departing from the comparison he used at the beginning.

The substance of what is stated is that the heavenly Shepherd had omitted nothing that could contribute to David living happily under His care. Therefore, he compares the great abundance of all things necessary for this present life that he enjoyed to meadows richly covered with grass and to gently flowing streams of water; or he compares the benefit or advantage of such things to sheep-cots. For it would not have been enough to be fed and satisfied in rich pasture if water to drink and the shade of the sheep-cot to cool and refresh him had not also been provided.