Psalms 34

General context

The speaker will bless the Lord at all times, with his praise continually in his mouth; his soul will boast in the Lord so that the humble hear and are glad, and he invites others to magnify the Lord with him. He sought the Lord, who heard him and delivered him from all his fears; those who looked to him were lightened and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles; the angel of the Lord encamps round about those who fear him and delivers them. He calls hearers to taste and see that the Lord is good and to fear the Lord, since those who fear him have no want; young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. He calls children to hearken and be taught the fear of the Lord, asking who desires life and loves many days to see good: keep the tongue from evil and the lips from guile, depart from evil, do good, seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears open to their cry; his face is against evildoers, to cut off their remembrance from the earth. The righteous cry and the Lord delivers them out of all their troubles; he is near those of a broken heart and saves the contrite; many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all and keeps all his bones, not one of them broken. Evil will slay the wicked and those who hate the righteous will be desolate; the Lord redeems the soul of his servants, and none who trust in him will be desolate.

Cited passages: Psalms 34:1, Psalms 34:2, Psalms 34:3, Psalms 34:4, Psalms 34:5, Psalms 34:6, Psalms 34:7, Psalms 34:8, Psalms 34:9, Psalms 34:10, Psalms 34:11, Psalms 34:12, Psalms 34:13, Psalms 34:14, Psalms 34:15, Psalms 34:16, Psalms 34:17, Psalms 34:18, Psalms 34:19, Psalms 34:20, Psalms 34:21, Psalms 34:22

Psalms 34 (KJV)

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The text as printed carries no heading; verse 1 begins "I will bless the Lord at all times", so this source states no occasion and none is asserted here. "This poor man" in verse 6 is in the third person, and the text does not say whether the speaker means himself. Three groups are addressed or named as hearers: "the humble", "ye his saints" and "ye children". The fears, troubles and afflictions are not specified, and "the angel of the Lord" is mentioned once without further description. Verses 12-16 are taken up in 1 Peter 3:10-12, "let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile", "Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it", "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers", with wording that differs from the psalm's. John 19:36 reads "that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken" without naming its passage; this psalm's line is "He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken". There is no Selah.

Cited passages: Psalms 34:1, Psalms 34:6, Psalms 34:9, Psalms 34:11, Psalms 34:7, Psalms 34:4, 1 Peter 3:10, 1 Peter 3:11, 1 Peter 3:12, John 19:36, Psalms 34:20

Literary context

The psalm moves from personal praise and testimony (verses 1-7) to an invitation to taste and to fear (8-10), to teaching introduced as a lesson for children (11-14), to the Lord's eyes, ears and face (15-16), and to a closing contrast of righteous and wicked (17-22). "All" recurs: at all times, all my fears, all his troubles, all their troubles, out of them all, all his bones. The senses carry the poem, taste and see, the Lord's eyes, ears and face, the mouth full of praise and the tongue kept from evil. Crying and hearing are paired four times: "he heard me", "the Lord heard him", "his ears are open unto their cry", "The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth". The teaching of verses 12-14 is a question and its answer. Young lions that lack stand against seekers who want no good thing, and the ending sets "desolate" against "desolate": those who hate the righteous will be, and none who trust will be.

Cited passages: Psalms 34:1, Psalms 34:4, Psalms 34:6, Psalms 34:19, Psalms 34:8, Psalms 34:15, Psalms 34:16, Psalms 34:13, Psalms 34:17, Psalms 34:12, Psalms 34:10, Psalms 34:21, Psalms 34:22

Key moments

1. Praise at all times (Psalms 34:1). The speaker will bless the Lord at all times with praise continually in his mouth.
2. Delivered from all fears (Psalms 34:4). He sought the Lord, who heard him and delivered him from all his fears.
3. The angel encamps (Psalms 34:7). The angel of the Lord encamps round those who fear him and delivers them.
4. Taste and see (Psalms 34:8). Hearers are told to taste and see that the Lord is good.
5. Come, ye children (Psalms 34:11). The speaker calls children to be taught the fear of the Lord.
6. Nigh to the broken heart (Psalms 34:18). The Lord is near those of a broken heart and saves the contrite.
7. Not one bone broken (Psalms 34:20). The Lord keeps all the bones of the righteous; not one is broken.

For reflection

The psalm says the afflictions of the righteous are many and, in the same verse, that the Lord delivers out of them all; what does "taste and see" ask of a reader whose afflictions are still going on?

People in this chapter

• David

Also indexed here:

• Achish