Psalms — Chapter 34

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1I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

3O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

4I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

6This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

8O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

9O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

10The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

11Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

12What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

13Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

14Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

15The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

16The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

18The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

19Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

20He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

21Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

22The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

1I will bless Jehovah at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah: The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad.

3Oh magnify Jehovah with me, And let us exalt his name together.

4I sought Jehovah, and he answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.

5They looked unto him, and were radiant; And their faces shall never be confounded.

6This poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

7The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them.

8Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good: Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him.

9Oh fear Jehovah, ye his saints; For there is no want to them that fear him.

10The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger; But they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing.

11Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of Jehovah.

12What man is he that desireth life, And loveth [many] days, that he may see good?

13Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking guile.

14Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it.

15The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous, And his ears are [open] unto their cry.

16The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17[The righteous] cried, and Jehovah heard, And delivered them out of all their troubles.

18Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.

19Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all.

20He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken.

21Evil shall slay the wicked; And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned.

22Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned. Psalm 35 [A Psalm] of David.

1By David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. I will praise the Lord at all times; my mouth will continually praise him.

2I will boast in the Lord; let the oppressed hear and rejoice.

3Magnify the Lord with me. Let us praise his name together.

4I sought the Lord’s help and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

5Look to him and be radiant; do not let your faces be ashamed.

6This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard; he saved him from all his troubles.

7The angel of the Lord camps around the Lord’s loyal followers and delivers them.

8Taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the one who takes shelter in him.

9Fear the Lord, you chosen people of his, for those who fear him lack nothing.

10Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11Come children. Listen to me. I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord.

12Do you want to really live? Would you love to live a long, happy life?

13Then make sure you don’t speak evil words or use deceptive speech.

14Turn away from evil and do what is right. Strive for peace and promote it.

15The Lord pays attention to the godly and hears their cry for help.

16But the Lord opposes evildoers and wipes out all memory of them from the earth.

17The godly cry out and the Lord hears; he saves them from all their troubles.

18The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he delivers those who are discouraged.

19The godly face many dangers, but the Lord saves them from each one of them.

20He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.

21Evil people self-destruct; those who hate the godly are punished.

22The Lord rescues his servants; all who take shelter in him escape punishment.

1I will bless Yahweh at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth.

2My soul shall boast in Yahweh. The humble shall hear of it, and be glad.

3Oh magnify Yahweh with me. Let us exalt his name together.

4I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame.

6This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7Yahweh’s angel encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

8Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him.

10The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing.

11Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

12Who is someone who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

13Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies.

14Depart from evil, and do good. seek peace, and pursue it.

15Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry.

16Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory from the earth.

17The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

18Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.

20He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.

21Evil shall kill the wicked. Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

22Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Videos
Reflection

Summary

An acrostic thanksgiving psalm — David blesses the LORD after deliverance (when he feigned madness before Abimelech); 'taste and see that the LORD is good'; the LORD is near the brokenhearted.

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses. Key themes: worship, lament, praise, trust, kingship, creation, wisdom, Messianic prophecy, and the full range of human emotion brought before God.
Classification: Thanksgiving Psalm / Acrostic (Alphabetic) Psalm Attributed Author: David ("A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed") Key Themes: Tasting God's goodness, the angel of the LORD encamping around the faithful, the many afflictions of the righteous, Messianic prophecy (no broken bones), the fear of the LORD as wisdom
Historical Context: The superscription refers to the event recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10-15, when David fled from Saul to Gath and feigned madness before the Philistine king. Notably, 1 Samuel calls the king "Achish," while the psalm superscription says "Abimelech." This is likely because "Abimelech" ("my father is king") was a dynastic title for Philistine rulers (similar to "Pharaoh" for Egyptian kings), as seen in Genesis 20 and 26.
This is an acrostic psalm — each verse begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet (22 letters), though the letter "Vav" (the 6th letter) is missing and an extra "Pe" line is added at the end. The acrostic structure served as a memory aid and symbolized completeness — praising God from A to Z. Despite the formal structure, the psalm overflows with warmth and personal testimony.
Psalm 34 holds special Messianic significance. Verse 20 ("He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken") is cited in John 19:36 as fulfilled when the soldiers did not break Jesus' legs on the cross. The psalm also connects to the Passover lamb whose bones were not to be broken (Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12), pointing to Christ as the ultimate Passover Lamb.
Structure:
  • Personal Praise and Testimony (vv. 1-7)
  • Invitation to Experience God's Goodness (vv. 8-10)
  • Wisdom Instruction: The Fear of the LORD (vv. 11-14)
  • God's Relationship to Righteous and Wicked (vv. 15-18)
  • The Afflictions and Deliverance of the Righteous (vv. 19-22)

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Videos

The Bible Project — Psalms Overview

Reflection

  • 1. "I will bless the LORD at all times" (v.1) — David wrote this after a humiliating episode of feigning insanity. He chose to praise God not when circumstances were dignified but precisely when they were shameful. Can you bless God in your most embarrassing, lowest moments?
  • 2. "O taste and see that the LORD is good" (v.8) is an invitation to move from secondhand religion to firsthand experience. Are you living on borrowed faith — the testimonies of others, the theology of books — or have you personally tasted God's goodness? What would it mean to "taste" today?
  • 3. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous" (v.19) honestly contradicts prosperity theology. Godliness attracts suffering in a fallen world. But the promise is not immunity — it's deliverance. God does not promise to prevent the furnace but to walk through it with you (Daniel 3:25). How does this reframe your expectations?
  • 4. The angel of the LORD "encamps" (v.7) — not visits briefly, not occasionally checks in, but establishes permanent military presence. You are more guarded than you know. How would you live differently if you truly believed in this unseen protection?
  • 5. Verses 11-14 offer practical wisdom: guard your tongue, depart from evil, pursue peace. Experiential knowledge of God's goodness (v.8) naturally leads to ethical living. True spirituality is never divorced from moral conduct. Which of these practical commands needs the most attention in your life right now?