Psalm 34

What Psalm 34 means

David starts with a promise to praise God at all times and invites others in: O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. A private rescue becomes a public song.

Verses 4-10 tell what happened. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him. The angel of the LORD camps around those who fear him. David then turns testimony into invitation: O taste and see that the LORD is good. Even young lions go hungry, but those who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing.

In verses 11-14 David speaks like a teacher to children. If you want a long and good life, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from guile, depart from evil, do good, and seek peace and pursue it. Peter quotes these verses in 1 Peter 3:10-12.

The last section is honest about suffering. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, the psalm says, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saves the contrite in spirit. The promise is not a life without trouble but God's nearness in it.

Verse 20 says He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. John 19:36 sees this fulfilled when Jesus' legs were not broken at the cross. The psalm ends with the assurance that none who trust in the LORD shall be desolate.

Background and context

The superscription reads: A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. The event is told in 1 Samuel 21:10-15, where David, fleeing Saul, feigns madness before Achish king of Gath. Abimelech is usually explained as a royal title used by Philistine kings (Genesis 26:1 has an Abimelech king of the Philistines), with Achish as the king's personal name.

In Hebrew, Psalm 34 is an acrostic: its verses begin with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order, with a few irregularities.

Key verses

Cross references

• 1 Samuel 21:10-15 The story of David feigning madness before Achish, behind the superscriptionAnd David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
• 1 Peter 3:10-12 Peter quotes verses 12-16 on loving life and seeing good daysFor he that will love life, and see good days, 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: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
• 1 Peter 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious, an echo of verse 8If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
• 2 Kings 6:17 Elisha's servant sees horses and chariots of fire round about, like verse 7And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
• Hebrews 1:14 Angels as ministering spirits sent to serve the heirs of salvationAre they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
• Psalm 51:17 A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despiseThe sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
• John 19:36 A bone of him shall not be broken, which John sees fulfilled at the crossFor these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.