as shepherd to the Lord as host. But several scholars have argued that the shepherd metaphor is retained throughout the psalm (so Koehler, ZAW 68 [1956] 227–34). Yet another possibility is that vv 5–6 do not contain metaphorical language at all, but should be interpreted more literally with respect to a sacrificial banquet, which provides the setting for the psalm (see Vogt, art. cit.). The problems pertaining to form and structure naturally culminate in a variety of views with respect to the setting