You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

Verses 1 to 4 belong outdoors. Verse 5 moves indoors, and the shepherd becomes a host. The same God who finds grass also sets a table, which quietly says that His care is not only rugged and practical. It is hospitable and dignifying.

In the ancient Near East, seating a guest at your table placed him under your protection. To eat at a man's table was to be defended by that man's household. The image is therefore not luxury. It is patronage of the strongest kind.

The psalm could have said that the enemies were driven off. It says they are present. The peace on offer is not an empty hall but a present host. David, who ate more than one meal while being hunted, is describing composure inside a threat rather than the removal of it.

An audience living with raiding parties and rival courts would have caught the audacity immediately. Anyone can feast in safety. This is a feast in front of the people who want you gone.

'You anoint my head with oil' names the courtesy shown to an honoured guest, oil offered at the door. It also echoes the anointing of a king, which David had received from Samuel. The guest is not merely fed. He is marked out.

'My cup runs over' completes the sequence: the host keeps pouring past the point of politeness. Provision in this verse is not measured. It spills.