Psalm 34

Introduction.—Ps. 34 is another of the alphabetical, or acrostic, psalms (see p. 625). It merges personal gratitude with general thanksgiving. The theme of God’s care for the afflicted is presented in various aspects rather than with clearly conceived logical development. The psalm 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 peХ appears as the beginning letter of the last verse.

On the superscription see p. 616; see also on 1 Sam. 21:10, 13.

1. At all times. See Eph. 5:20. The psalmist begins the psalm in a personal tone.

Soul. That is, “I” (see on Ps. 16:10).

3. With me. The psalmist invites the “humble” to join in praising Jehovah. We “magnify” God when we “ascribe … greatness” to Him (see Deut. 32:3). “All hail the power of Jesus’ name.” “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” (Ps. 107:2). In the modern synagogue service Ps. 34:3 is spoken by the reader as he takes the Torah from the ark.

Name. See on Ps. 7:17.

4. He heard me. Here begins the psalmist’s expression of the secret of his gratitude. He is grateful for what God did for him, for what He has done for others, and for the lessons that God has taught him by way of experience.

5. They looked. Probably the “humble” of v. 2; possibly, men in general who have experienced God’s tenderness as had the psalmist. A number of Hebrew manuscripts, also the versions of Aquila and Jerome, and the Syriac, have the verb in the imperative “look ye.”

Experimental Religion: God is Good

Historical background to 1 Samuel 21:10 if «Abimelech» is Achish of Gath.

Were lightened. Or, “brightened up” (see 2 Cor. 3:18). “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face.” Nothing is more beautiful than the radiant countenance of a real Christian. When God looks our way, all the world is sunlit. A slight change in pointing makes the verb an imperative (see on “they looked,” v. 5), to be translated “beam ye [with joy].” The LXX also has the verb in the imperative.

6. This poor man. Probably the psalmist is referring to himself in the third person, thus presenting a touching picture for our observation.

This verse, according to the acrostic arrangement, should begin with waw; instead, the following letter, zayin, is the initial letter.

7. The angel of the Lord. On the ministry of heavenly angels see AA 153, 154; GC 511–513, 631, 632.

Encampeth. See Gen. 32:1, 2; 2 Kings 6:16, 17. The continual presence of guardian angels is one of the Christian’s sweetest assurances.

8. O taste and see. The psalmist invites others not to take his word, but to put the matter to the test for themselves. “Taste” is from the Heb. taФam, “to try the flavor of,” here meaning, “to experience” (see Heb. 6:5; 1 Peter 2:3). The surest proof of religion is found in personal experience. Without Christian experience the religion of Christ is only theory, and as mere theory it has no saving power.

Good. Heb.tob, a word covering a wide range of qualities, such as “gracious,” “kindly,” “friendly.” A meditation upon this attribute of God should serve to correct our sense of cold justice. We should be sensitive to the gentler elements of God’s character. When tempted to forget gentleness in our relations with men, we need to think on this attribute of Deity.

Blessed. See on Ps. 1:1.

Man. Heb. geber, “the young, vigorous man.” None is beyond the need of divine help. In the divine plan, self-sufficiency is impossible. Man needs God.

9. Saints. Heb. qedoshim, “holy ones” (see on Ps. 16:3; Lev. 19:2).

No want. See on Ps. 23:1.

10. Lions. For all their strength, young lions become famished, but those who reverence God lack nothing essentially good.

11. Children. Teacherlike, the psalmist offers instruction. Verses 11–14 constitute a unified piece of instruction in the varied matter of the psalm.

Fear of the Lord. For comment see on Ps. 19:9.

12. Desireth life. The question involves man’s primal psychological “drives.” All men want to live long and happily.

13. Keep thy tongue. See Ps. 15:2, 3; 39:1–3; Prov. 18:21; 1 Peter 3:10–12; James 3:2–10. Verses 13 and 14 answer the question of v. 12. The modern Jewish liturgy for daily use includes this verse.

Guile. Heb. mirmah, “deceit.”

14. Depart from evil. See Ps. 37:27; Isa. 1:16, 17. 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.

15. Eyes of the Lord. See Ps. 32:8.

16. Face of the Lord. As the righteous are under “the eyes of the Lord,” so the wicked find God’s face turned against them. Both righteous and wicked are equally seen by God.

The remembrance. Compare Prov. 10:7.

17. Delivereth. Often in this life, and completely in the life to come. The promise does not guarantee complete deliverance here; but in the case of every righteous man, heaven will mean deliverance from all troubles.

18. Of a broken heart. A heart crushed by sorrow or suffering prepares a man to learn the most important lessons that God has to teach (see Ps. 119:71). The idea of the “broken heart” is frequent in the Bible (see Ps. 51:17; Isa. 61:1; 66:2).

19. Many are the afflictions. See on v. 17. 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.

20. Keepeth all his bones. God protects the righteous from their enemies and watches over them (see on Matt. 10:28–30).

Not one of them. The general principle is that the righteous are under divine protection. In the Bible general principles are often expressed in concrete language (see Matt. 10:30, 31). In fulfillment of Scripture Jesus’ bones were not broken (see John 19:36; cf. Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12; DA 771, 772).

21. Evil shall slay. Sin consumes itself. Death is the natural and inescapable consequence of sin.

Shall be desolate. Better, “shall be held guilty” (see Ps. 5:10).

22. Redeemeth. The thought of this verse is in contrast with that of v. 21.

Soul. See on Ps. 16:10.

Shall be desolate. See on v. 21. The repetition of the verb in vs. 21, 22 emphasizes the contrast between the fate of the wicked and the ultimate deliverance of those who trust in God.

Ellen G. White comments

3 PK 70

4–108T 271

5 MB 126

6, 7 TM 250

7 AA 153; CG 42; Ed 255; EW 189; GC 513, 632; ML 303; PK 176; PP 537; SR 406; 2T 272; 3T 373; 5T 475 (see under Ps. 91:11)

8 MH 461; SC 117; 5T 221; 8T 321

9 10 MYP 124

11 2T 398; 4T 140; 5T 324

12–14PP 600

12–17CH 628

13 CT 238

13–15MYP 97

13–18MYP 124

15 GC 621; LS 271; ML 176; 4T 598; 5T 177

15, 16 5T 212

17 ML 297

17, 18 CH 367; 8T 271

18 DA 300; FE 371, 451; ML 98; PK 436; SC 43; TM 250; 3T 240, 533; 4T 178, 259; 5T 173, 339, 474, 637 (see under Ps. 51:17; Isa. 57:15)

22 MH 250; 8T 272