4a. ...I will fear no evil:/ for thou art with me Two sheep stay close as the shepherd leads them through a rocky ravine, the "valley of the shadow of death". A soaring bird symbolizes God's spirit, an ever-present caring presence. Shepherds Jacob and Esau flank the scene. The shepherd is protector and savior of his sheep, a companion in times and places of evil and danger, guarding them from harm, just as God protects his people from physical and spiritual perils. In the Good Shepherd parable Jesus assures his listeners that the good shepherd protects his sheep from danger. The Syrian shepherd tells how a shepherd can give his sheep a special call and they will close in and crush a wolf in their midst. He also relates here how customary it is in the Middle East to give dangerous places warning names like "the valley of robbers". The words, "for thou art with me" may be a later addition reinforcing the psalm theme of the divinely protected David. They introduce the more intimate "thou" to this and the following verse, expressing closeness to God. Jesus tells his followers to have no fear, and assures them that he is always with them. - The flanking shepherds are Jacob (left) and Esau (right). Jacob stands as shepherd and father of twelve sons who founded the twelve tribes of Israel, symbolized by the twelve adjacent stars. Supplanting his brother Esau, he became the patriarch of his people. Esau, Jacob's twin brother, holds the bowl of soup he recklessly exchanged with Jacob in exchange for his birthright as first-born son. Yet Esau lived on, as father of the tribe of Edom.