NASB

The LORD a Provider and Deliverer.


A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.

Note: When David feared that Saul would kill him, he fled to Gath and sought the protection of the enemy — King Abimelech (or Achish) (1 Sam. 21:10—22:2). He should have run to the Lord instead. Once in Gath, David had to lie in order to escape. This Psalm is David’s testimony of what God did for him.

This psalm is an acrostic in which each verse begins with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet.


34:1 I will bless [the first thing David did when God delivered him from his troubles] the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually [an indication of deep gratitude] be in my mouth [we should speak and not be silent].

34:2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD [cf. 1 Cor. 1:31];

The humble shall hear it and rejoice.

34:3 [an exhortation] O magnify the LORD with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

34:4 [David’s testimony begins with this verse] I sought the LORD, and He answered me, 
And delivered [or snatched from danger just in the nick of time] me from all my fears.

34:5 They [perhaps refers to the humble of verse 2 or those who fear God in verse 7] looked to Him and were radiant [our countenance will reveal who we are trusting],
And their faces shall never be ashamed.



34:6 This poor man cried and the LORD heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

34:7 The angel of the LORD [read Ps. 103:20-21 regarding the role of angels] encamps around those who fear [to have reverence for] Him, 

And rescues them.

34:8 O taste [to know by personal experience; an invitation to others to experience God for themselves] and see that the LORD is good;

How blessed is the man who takes refuge [cf. Ps. 5:11] in Him!

34:9 O fear [have reverence for] the LORD, you His saints [believers];

For to those who fear Him, there is no want.

34:10 [see 1 Peter 3:10-12 cf. Ps. 34:12-16] The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; 

But [unlike the young lions] they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.

34:11 Come, you children, listen to me; 

I will teach [David used his experience to teach the next generation to trust in God] you the fear of the LORD.

34:12 [these questions are answered in verses 13-14] Who is the man who desires life, 

And loves length of days that he may see good?

34:13 [cf. Ps. 141:3] Keep your tongue from evil,

And your lips from speaking deceit.

34:14 Depart [to create distance] from evil, and do good;

Seek peace, and pursue it.

34:15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, 

And His ears are open to their cry [cf. Ps. 34:6].

34:16 The face [represents God’s favor] of the LORD is against [because God is holy] evildoers, 
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

34:17 The righteous [those in right standing with God] cry and the LORD hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

34:18 The LORD is near [when we are brokenhearted it is easy to think that God is not near when indeed He is closer to us than ever] to the brokenhearted [the Hebrew word for “broken” in this verse is “nishberei” and comes from a root that means “birth” or “breakthrough” — when we are brokenhearted God draws near to us to birth something new in our lives; God can turn our breakdowns into breakthroughs; cf. Ps. 51:17], 

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

34:19 Many [and varied] are the afflictions of the righteous [the righteous are not exempted from troubles]; 

But the LORD delivers him [cf. Heb. 4:16 — God is able to rescue in the nick of time] out of them all [out of every sort of affliction].

34:20 He keeps all his bones [a general principle rather than a guarantee; God guards the righteous or the righteous are under the protection of God]; 

Not one of them is broken [not a guarantee that our physical bones will never be broken but a general principle to assure us that the righteous are under God’s care].

34:21 Evil [has within it the seeds of decay and destruction] shall slay [the misconduct of the wicked will put them in peril] the wicked [those who are out of touch with God]; 

And those who hate [who are so opposed to the character of the righteous] the righteous will be condemned [will suffer the consequences of their hatred].

34:22 The LORD redeems [to set free by paying a price] the soul of His servants; 

And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned [to be held guilty].