“He leadeth me beside the still waters.”
Recognize this blog title? Yes! It’s from the Old Testament. Psalm 23:2b. The King James Version (KJV) to be precise.
In both my writing/illustrating work and in my personal life, my word for 2026 is still. With this in mind, I’ve decided that my website blogs for the entire year will focus on words or phrases in which the letters s-t-i-l-l can be found. Examples: still, Still, stillness, instill, stillborn, Stillwater, stand still, standstill, still standing, stilliform etc.
Psalm 23:1-3a KJV
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
Psalm 23 is a familiar scripture passage, and chances are that you have most or all of it memorized. But in my January 2026 blog, I will focus solely on the second half of verse two…
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
You know, the more that I study the Bible, the more I’m fascinated with the entomology of words. Here’s hoping that you’re ready for a brief—mercifully brief—Hebrew lesson.
(Photo location: Lake Yale, Central Florida)
Hebrew 101
The literal Hebrew translation for Psalm 23b reads…
Beside the waters still, He leads me.
The Hebrew equivalent for our English word still is menuchah. (It is produced meh-noo-KHAH.) However, in other verses in the KJV, this same word is translated as comfortable, ease, quiet, rest, or resting place.
In my perfunctory study of menuchah, I was most surprised to learn that menuchah is a noun because, when translated to English in Psalm 23, it is an adjective. And at other times in scripture, it is used as an adverb or a noun. How confusing!
Thus ends our Hebrew lesson. (Whew! So grateful that I took French in high school and undergrad. I likely would have flunked Hebrew.)
(Photo location: James River, Richmond, Virginia)
Speaking of still waters . . .
John and I are doubly blessed. We live by the James River in Richmond, Va. for part of the week and by the Chesapeake Bay in Cape Charles, Va. for the remainder of the week.
It’s been my observation through the years that no two days are alike on the water. Even though both of these bodies of water are tidal, some days, they look like a lake on a calm, windless day. Not a ripple in sight. Smooth sailing.
But at other times, when the wind kicks up and a storm is brewing, these same waters are anything but still. It’s during these days of choppy, churning, rushing water that I’m reminded of how topsy-turvy things can become during the busyness (or business) of life.
(Photo location: Chesapeake Bay, Virginia)
Gonna lay down my burdens, down by the riverside…
When my burdens are the heaviest, that’s when I yearn to be in the presence of still waters. For there, in the much-needed, much-welcomed stillness, I can talk to God, share my troubles, and find comfort. And as I pray, I know that the peace that passes all understanding will wash over me—a peace that can only come from Him.
(Photo location: Savannah River, Savannah, Georgia)
This year, when I become overwhelmed with daily chores, bogged down with work deadlines, or frustrated by my own failures, my game plan is to consistently seek the refuge of still waters. The Lord, my Shepherd, has promised to lead me to them. And His word is truth.
Green Pastures + Still Waters = Restored Soul
Thanks be to God.
(Photo location: Beach, Cape Charles, Virginia)