“You anoint my head with oil”
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5 BSB)
What it sounds like today
Pleasant but vague poetry about oil and a full cup.
The cultural key
Read today, this is soothing imagery with no sharp edges. To the first hearers it was the language of hospitality, where each gesture had a fixed meaning. A generous host welcomed an honored guest by anointing his head with fragrant oil, a courtesy so expected that Jesus later rebukes a host who omitted it ('You did not anoint My head with oil,' Luke 7:46). The host filled the guest's cup until it 'overflowed,' a picture of abundance, not restraint. And a guest received at a man's table came under that host's protection and honor; to 'prepare a table' for someone 'in the presence of my enemies' meant seating him in safety and dignity while his foes could only watch, unable to touch him. So the verse is not a random string of comforts but a single scene: God as the lavish host who honors, provides for, and shields His guest in plain view of those who wish him harm.
Recovered meaning
Anointing the head with oil, an overflowing cup, and a table spread before enemies are all the acts of a gracious host: honor, abundance, and the protection a guest enjoyed at his host's table. God is pictured shielding and honoring His guest while his foes look on helplessly.