רֹ֝עִ֗י (rō·‘î) in Psalms 23:1: Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
רֹ֝עִ֗י (rō·‘î) in Psalms 23:1
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Psalms 23:1 links the English rendering "is my shepherd" with רֹ֝עִ֗י, Strong's H7462, and the morphology tag V-Qal-Prtcpl-msc | 1cs.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form is interpretively weighty because it carries the personal confession that the Lord is the speaker's shepherd. The grammar supports the relationship; the psalm fills out the meaning of that care.
How To Communicate It
Explain this as a construct participle with a first-person suffix: "my shepherd." That clarifies the personal confession without making the participle alone carry the whole theology of Psalm 23.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not make the participle label prove more than the sentence supports.
- Do not use the stem label by itself to settle a theological claim.
- Do not treat this occurrence as a complete word study for the whole Hebrew lemma.
- Do not treat the attached suffix as a full theology of the participant; let the verse identify the relationship.
- Do not use the grammar profile as a shortcut around the wording and logic of the verse.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
First person common singular
Qal
Participle
Not marked
Masculine
Singular
Construct
The participle describes the actor or action in the sentence, giving the line a concrete, ongoing, or characteristic force in context.
This form carries the BSB rendering "is my shepherd" within Psalms 23:1. Psalm 23 portrays the Lord's shepherding care, guidance, presence, and comfort for his people.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The predicate relationship rendered "is my shepherd" in Psalms 23:1
The form belongs to the opening confession, "The Lord is my shepherd."
It presents the Lord in a shepherding relationship to the speaker, with the first-person suffix supplying "my."
It does not make the participle alone prove every doctrine of shepherding, and it does not reduce the Lord's care to a private sentiment detached from the psalm.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The construct participle with first-person suffix carries the personal confession that the Lord is the speaker's shepherd.
Qal participle masculine singular construct with first-person suffix. identifies the Lord in shepherding relation to the speaker. Attached to the opening confession, "The Lord is my shepherd". Governed by the predicate relationship in Psalm 23:1. The grammar marks the personal relationship; the psalm fills out the shepherding care.
How is the Lord related to the speaker? The speaker confesses the Lord as "my shepherd."
Direct: The construct participle and suffix directly support the rendering "is my shepherd."
The construct relation should be read from the phrase rather than turned into one fixed English category. The first-person suffix identifies the personal relation, but the psalm supplies the full shepherding picture.
Participle alone proves shepherd theology: The form carries the confession; Psalm 23 supplies the meaning of the Lord's shepherding care. suffix alone defines covenant relationship: The suffix marks "my" in this phrase; the whole psalm and canon govern broader doctrine.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Psalms 23:1 links the English rendering "is my shepherd" with רֹ֝עִ֗י, Strong's H7462, and the morphology tag V-Qal-Prtcpl-msc | 1cs.
H7462 is represented here by the lemma רָעָה. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "is my shepherd" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The Qal participle in construct with a first-person suffix forms the confession that the Lord is "my shepherd." The suffix supplies the personal relation, while the psalm unfolds what the Lord's shepherding care means.
Psalm 23 portrays the Lord's shepherding care, guidance, presence, and comfort for his people.
The form fits Scripture's broader witness that God shepherds, sustains, restores, and leads his people.
When teaching Psalms 23:1, use the form to show how the grammar carries the personal confession "my shepherd," then let the rest of the psalm explain guidance, provision, presence, and comfort.
Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or complete theology of shepherding from V-Qal-Prtcpl-msc | 1cs alone. The form identifies the occurrence-level predicate relationship.