Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
- Here the metaphor of sheep and shepherd is still goin' strong. The speaker is declaring himself a sheep here, so don't be surprised if he acts like one.
- The Lord takes the speaker to fertile green pastures where he can eat his fill and then lie down to rest. This is a good image because green pastures are alluring to both sheep and humans, though for different reasons.
- We may think that a green pasture is just a beautiful, peaceful spot, but for a sheep it's a vital necessity in order to find enough food. This line, then, gives a specific example to back up the point that the shepherd won't let his sheep lack any essentials.
- The Lord also takes the speaker-as-sheep to calm waters to drink and refresh himself. His thirst is quenched: another example of a necessity met.
- The availability of food and drink also serves as a nice implied metaphor for the way that God satisfies the speaker's spiritual (as opposed to literal) hunger and thirst.
- The stillness of the waters indicates that there are no storms or winds to disturb this peaceful scene. Also, a still pool of water is probably more pleasant to drink from than some rushing stream. We can vouch for that one.
- The word "maketh" does not mean "forced" here – don't picture some shepherd shoving a poor sheep down into the grass! It means "creates the opportunity for."
- Don't be put off by all the old-fashioned diction. That's just the King James Version for you.