388 Andrew E. Arterbury - William H. Bellinger, Jr. the proper angle of vision for the entire psalm (9). Others have argued against a worship context and instead believe Ps 23,5-6 reflects the perspective of an individual pious Jew (10). Still others contend that the psalm is drawing upon Exodus imagery in order to illuminate either the historical contexts of pilgrimages to Jerusalem (11) or Israel’s return from exile (12). Despite the validity of such questions about the original, historical, or liturgical contexts of Ps 23,5-6, we prefer to postpone conversations about the Sitz im Leben until after we have fully explored the imagery of the text itself. In part, we are suggesting that scholars should first seek to understand the metaphor of God as host in Ps 23,5-6 on its own terms before proceeding to questions about the original context. Recently scholars have begun to ascribe more significance to the metaphor of God as host in Ps 23,5-6 and, in some cases, have also begun to recognize the link between the metaphor of God as host and the ancient Israelite custom of hospitality (13). Yet, this link has not been fully explicated. 2. The Custom of Hospitality in Ancient Israel Unlike modern “hospitality” which may well be extended to one’s neighbors, the ancient Israelite custom of hospitality revolved around the kind treatment of strangers or travelers. In particular, both the worship of the Lord and societal norms created the expectation that faithful Israelites should supply passersby with both provisions and protection (14). Furthermore, following the expected protocol, the hosts and guests often forged long-term, reciprocal relationships in which both parties presumed the other’s assistance whenever they were in their counterpart’s region (e.g., Josh 2,1-21; 9,6.11.15.18-21; Judg 4,17; 2 Kgs 4,8-10.25-31). Quite appropriately, Abraham’s extension of gracious hospitality to the three messengers of the Lord in Gen 18,1-33 becomes the paradigm for ancient Israelite, Jewish, and early Christian hospitality (15). Abraham not only greeted his guests with honor as he bowed down before them, but he also provided them with an elaborate feast and an opportunity to rest from their travels. Moreover, the elaborate feast that Abraham and Sarah prepared included large portions of bread, a prepared calf, curds, and milk. Finally, in the later traditions about Abraham’s hospitality, writers not only emphasize (9) E.g., VOGT, “The ‘Place in Life’ of Ps 23”, 195-211; and CRAIGIE, Psalms 1–50, 207-208; and MAYS, Psalms, 118. (10) MORGENSTERN, “Psalm 23”, 19-24; and KRAUS, Psalms 1–59, 306. (11) FREEDMAN, “The Twenty-Third Psalm”, 139, 147; C.C. BROYLES, Psalms (NIBCOT 11; Peabody, MA 1999) 123-125; and H. SCHMIDT, Die Psalmen (Tübingen 1934) 40. (12) P.A. MILNE, “Psalm 23: Echoes of the Exodus”, SR 4/3 (1974-1975) 246; and M.S. SMITH, “Setting and Rhetoric in Psalm 23”, JSOT 41 (1988) 61-66. (13) K. SCHAEFER, Psalms (Berit Olam; Collegeville, MN 2001) 58, 149; and CRENSHAW, Psalms, 62. (14) J. KOENIG, “Hospitality”, Anchor Bible Dictionary (ed. D.N. FREEDMAN) (New York 1992) III, 299. (15) KOENIG, “Hospitality”, 300. See also, A.E. ARTERBURY, “Abraham’s Hospitality among Jewish and Early Christian Writers: A Tradition History of Genesis 18:1-16 and Its Relevance for the Study of the New Testament”, PRSt 30/3 (2003) 359-376.