Psalms — Chapter 34
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1Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
2My soul boasts in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice.
3Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together.
4I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.
5Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed.
6This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.
7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.
8Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.
10Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12Who is the man who delights in life, who desires to see good days?
13Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.
14Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
16But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.
17The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles.
18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.
20He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken.
21Evil will slay the wicked, and the haters of the righteous will be condemned.
22The LORD redeems His servants, and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
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
An acrostic thanksgiving psalm, according to its heading composed after David feigned madness before Abimelech. He resolves to praise the LORD continually and invites others to join him in exalting God's name together (vv. 1-3), recounting how he sought the LORD and was delivered from his fears, with angels encamping around those who fear him (vv. 4-7). He invites readers to taste and see that the LORD is good, promising that those who fear him lack nothing good, unlike young lions who may go hungry (vv. 8-10). The psalm turns instructional, teaching the fear of the LORD through keeping the tongue from evil, turning from evil to do good, and seeking peace, since God's eyes and ears are toward the righteous but he opposes evildoers (vv. 11-16). It closes affirming that the LORD is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit, redeeming his servants so that none who take refuge in him will be condemned (vv. 17-22).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Praise in Every Circumstance (v.1) — David wrote this after a humiliating episode of feigning madness, yet resolved to bless the Lord at all times. Can you praise God even in your most undignified or embarrassing seasons?
- A Guarding Presence (v.7) — The angel of the Lord is pictured encamping around those who fear Him, not merely checking in occasionally. How would your daily anxiety change if you truly believed in this constant protection?
- Taste and See for Yourself (v.8) — David invites others to personally experience God's goodness rather than take it secondhand. Are you living off others' testimonies of God, or have you tasted His goodness firsthand?
- Practical Wisdom for a Godly Life (vv.12-14) — Guarding the tongue, turning from evil, and actively pursuing peace are offered as the path to a good life. Which of these three needs the most attention in your life right now?
- Near to the Brokenhearted (v.18) — God is described as especially close to those who are crushed in spirit, not distant from their pain. Do you believe God draws near in your lowest moments, or that He waits until you have recovered?
- Many Afflictions, Full Deliverance (vv.19-20) — The righteous are promised many troubles, but also complete deliverance — a preservation later connected to Christ's unbroken bones on the cross. How does this reshape your expectation that faith should mean an absence of hardship?