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Song Page for
Psalm 34 |
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Lyrics |
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1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.1 |
Bible Commentary
1
The psalmist begins the psalm in a personal tone. He knows whom praise is due and is resolved to give Him praise at all times, in every situation, under every circumstance, before, in and after trials, in bright days of glee, and dark nights of
fear. At all times the psalmist gives
praise and thanks to God not merely from his heart but also from his
mouth.2
2 Truly he who writes these words of comment has nothing of his own to
boast of, but much to lament over, and yet none shall stop him of
his boast in God so long as he lives. The humble are usually grieved to hear
boastings; they turn aside from vauntings and lofty speeches, but boasting in the Lord is quite another matter; by this the most lowly are consoled and encouraged.2
3 The psalmist invites the "humble" to join in praising Jehovah. We
"magnify" God when we, through the act of praise or worship, ascribe
greatness to Him.3 |
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Yet his poor limping prayer had an acceptance and brought him succour: the more reason for then celebrating the abounding mercy of the Lord.2
5 The psalmist avows that his case was not at all peculiar, it was matched in the lives of all the faithful. They too, each one of them on looking to their Lord are comforted and encouraged, their spirits uplifted. Those that trust in God will not be disappointed of their hope.2
6 Here the psalmist returns to his own case. He was poor indeed, and so utterly friendless that his life was in great jeopardy; but he cried in his heart to the protector of his people and found relief. His prayer was a poor man's cry, but it was none the less powerful with heaven, for the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.2
7 Guardian angels minister to those that fear God.2
8 The psalmist invites others not to take his word,
but to put the matter to the test for themselves.3 Try and experience that God is
merciful and gracious.4 Blessed or happy is the man who recognises his need of divine help.2
9 God will satisfy the needs of all those who reverence, love and trust Him.4,5
10 For all their strength, young lions become famished, but those who reverence God lack nothing essentially good.3
11 The psalmist offers to teach the fear of the Lord or provide instruction in wisdom. Wisdom comes from respecting God and observing His precepts.3
12 What man wants to enjoy a long, prosperous and happy life?4
13 This verse answers the question posed by verse 12. Refrain from all manner of evil speaking, from all injurious, false and deceitful speeches.4
14 Christian living is both negative and positive; we must go away from evil, and we must do good. Merely refraining from evil is not enough. We must be active in doing good.3
15 The Lord watches over them that seek His guidance through instruction in the divine ways; He listens to their prayer.2
16 Both the righteous and wicked are equally seen by God. However whilst the righteous are under the eyes of the Lord, the wicked find that God's face or His anger has turned against them.3 The remembrance of the wicked will be utterly destroyed.2 |
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17 Although the promise to the righteous of deliverance from their troubles is not completely guaranteed in this life, it will be completely fulfilled in the life to come.3
18 The Lord is ready to hear those who are truly humbled with a repentant heart, who are obedient to His will and submissive to His providence.4
A heart crushed by sorrow or suffering prepares a man to learn the most important lessons that God has to teach.3
19 Being a Christian does not necessarily exempt one from affliction, but it gives one strength to endure. However, it has been observed that the sufferings of the Christian are less than those of the unbeliever, who suffers also the effects of intemperance, of crime, of evil habits. Some of the rewards of right living are enjoyed in this life.3
20 God protects the righteous from their enemies and watches over them. The general principle is that the righteous are under divine protection. In fulfillment of scripture Jesus' bones were not broken.3
21 Sin consumes itself. Death is the natural and inescapable consequence of sin. They that hate the righteous shall be held guilty.3
22 The fate of the righteous and wicked is contrasted. Whilst the former shall be delivered and never come into condemnation (Romans 8:1), the latter are left under condemnation and shall be made desolate.3
References and notes
1. King James Authorized Version
2. Charles
H. Spurgeon, "The Treasury of David" - http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries
3. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary Vol. 3 pgs 711-714
4. John Wesley's Explanatory Notes
on the Whole Bible - http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries
5. Living Word Bible Church -
The Messianic Psalms - http://www.lwbc.co.uk/messianic_psalms.htm
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About Psalm 34 |
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Easyfind |
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Bible
Author |
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Composed by
David, Psalm 34 is an historical notice in the life of
David. In this psalm David gives praise for deliverance
from trouble when he feigned madness before Abimelech,
so that Abimelech drove him out and David went away.4 |
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Music
Composed |
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Verses 7 to 22 were composed in 1981,
whilst verses 1 to 6 were composed in 2003.
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Music for Psalm 34 |
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Quotes on
Psalm 34 |
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The Bible Quotes
pages provide
counsel, direction, encouragement and help from God's word
to life's questions.
These pages include Bible Quotes & Promises, Inspirational Quotations
and audio clips. Psalm 34 is featured on the following
pages: |
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Alphabetical
Psalm |
Psalm 34 is an alphabetical
psalm. It has 22 verses (23 in the Hebrew, which has the
superscription as v.1), each beginning with a letter of the
Hebrew alphabet in the regular order, with the following
exceptions: the letter waw is omitted, and the letter
pe' appears as the beginning letter of the last
verse.3
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Two Divisions of Psalm 34 |
The Psalm is
split into two great divisions at the close of Ps 34:10,
when the Psalmist having expressed his praise to God turns
in direct address to men. The first ten verses are a hymn,
and the last twelve a sermon.2
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Messianic Psalm |
Psalm 34 is
another psalm which is not readily identified as a Messianic
psalm:
Verse 20 "He keepeth all his bones:
not one of them is broken."
This verse predicts precisely what happened to Jesus. In
John 19:31-37 John tells us that the soldiers went out the
break the legs of those who hung on the crosses, but when
they came to Jesus they found that He was already dead. "For
these things were done, that the scripture should be
fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken" (:36).5
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David's
authorship questioned |
| Although some
moderns deny that David was the chief author of the book of
Psalms and the principal contributor to the collection, many
reasons may be given to substantiate the traditional belief.
David was a poet and musician in his own right (1 Sam.
16:15-23; 2 Sam. 23:1; Amos 6:5). He was a man of deep
affection, of outstanding magnanimity (2 Sam. 1:19-27;
3:33,34) and of great faith and deep feeling, which found
expression in enthusiastic worship of Jehovah. Under his
wise and benevolent leadership music flourished in Israel.
The capture of the heathen fortress, Jebus, and the
enshrining of the ark upon the heights of Zion increased the
importance of public worship and encouraged the composition
of hymns and music for the sacred ritual. |
David's acquaintance with the world
of nature, his knowledge of the law, his tutelage in the school
of adversity, of sorrow, and of temptation, his years of
intimate fellowship with God, his colourful life as king in
Israel, his assurance from God that He would raise up an
everlasting King upon the throne of David - these experiences
equipped the shepherd-king, the son of Jesse, to sing the
sweetest and saddest songs of the human soul in its thirst for
God. Moreover, references and allusions to the life of David and
evidences of David's personality and craftsmanship abound in the
psalms. The connection of David's name with the psalms, and with
parts of psalms quoted in 2 Sam. 22 and 1 Chron. 16:1-36,
constitutes strong support of authorship. The New Testament
evidence in the use of David's name in Matt. 22:43-45; Mark
12:36, 37; Luke 20:42-44, Acts 2:25: 4:25; Romans 4:6-8; 11:9,
10; Heb. 4:7 adds weight to the argument.3
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