# Psalm 34: Taste and See After David's Narrow Escape > Psalm 34 celebrates God's care in the middle of danger. Its heading connects the poem to 1 Samuel 21, when David escaped from a Philistine king by pretending to be insane. David remembers that frightening episode as an answer to prayer and invites others to "taste and see that the LORD is good." Halfway through, his testimony becomes a lesson about fearing God through honest speech, good actions, and an active pursuit of peace. _Scripture text is not reproduced in this file: the translations BibleHearth serves are licensed from their publishers and require a copyright notice beside the text. Every reference below links to the verse on BibleHearth, where the passage and its notice appear together._ ## Psalm 34 outline, verse by verse ### [Psalm 34:1-3](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/1) — David invites others to praise God David begins with a commitment to praise the LORD at all times. He soon turns outward, hoping that struggling people will hear and be glad. His call to "magnify the LORD with me" makes this shared praise, not a private moment. ### [Psalm 34:4-7](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/4) — God hears and surrounds people in trouble David says, "This poor man called out and the LORD heard him", and "he delivered me from all my fears". He then pictures the angel of the LORD as a protective camp around those who fear God. ### [Psalm 34:8-10](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/8) — An invitation to experience God's goodness "Taste and see" asks readers to discover God's goodness through experience. David then compares those who seek God with young lions. Even strong hunters can go hungry, but God remains a dependable provider. ### [Psalm 34:11-14](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/11) — David teaches what it means to fear God "Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD." David then gives concrete instruction: avoid harmful and dishonest speech, turn from evil, do good, and pursue peace. First Peter later quotes these verses when addressing Christians under pressure. ### [Psalm 34:15-18](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/15) — God pays attention to the brokenhearted God's eyes and ears represent his close attention to the righteous, while his face is set against evil. Verse 18 brings that care especially close to people who are brokenhearted or crushed in spirit. ### [Psalm 34:19-22](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/19) — Trouble is real, and rescue belongs to God The righteous face many afflictions, yet David trusts God to deliver them. The image of unbroken bones speaks of preservation, and the closing verse returns to the safety found by those who take refuge in God. ## The main ideas in Psalm 34 ### David's humiliating escape becomes a story of God's care According to its heading, Psalm 34 comes from one of David's least dignified escapes. First Samuel 21 describes him fleeing Saul, entering the Philistine city of Gath, and being recognized as the man who killed their champion. David survives by acting insane, complete with spit in his beard and scratches on the city gate. He later describes that unlikely escape with the words "he delivered me from all my fears." His invitation to taste God's goodness grows out of a rescue marked by fear, quick thinking, and public humiliation. ### The alphabet form helps listeners learn the poem Psalm 34 follows the Hebrew alphabet, using a new letter for each verse while skipping one letter. Other biblical poems use the same acrostic pattern. It gives the poem a sense of completeness and makes it easier to remember. That form suits the teaching section beginning in verse 11, where David asks his listeners to learn the fear of the LORD. The memorable structure carries practical instruction for a community accustomed to hearing Scripture aloud. ### Faithful people still face many troubles Verse 19 holds both halves together: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous — and the LORD delivers him from them all." Earlier verses make the same pairing: David cries from distress, and God draws near to people who remain brokenhearted. Psalm 34 gives no picture of an easy life. It offers hope that trouble will not have the final word, even while a person is still living through it. ### Fearing God shapes speech, conduct, and peace Verses 13 and 14 explain the fear of the LORD in everyday terms. It appears in truthful speech, a rejection of evil, active goodness, and the pursuit of peace. The emphasis on words reflects a wider biblical concern with speech as evidence of character. Peter quotes this passage in his first letter while teaching Christians how to respond to hostility, showing how early believers carried David's instruction into their own circumstances. ## Words in Psalm 34, explained simply - **the angel of the LORD** — This figure appears throughout the Old Testament. Some passages identify him closely with God, while others present him as God's messenger. Verse 7 uses the military image of a camp surrounding and guarding God's people. - **taste and see** — The ordinary act of tasting becomes a picture of personal discovery. David invites his listeners to experience God's goodness for themselves instead of relying only on his report. - **the fear of the LORD** — A deep reverence for God that changes the way a person lives. Verses 13 and 14 express it through truthful speech, good conduct, and the pursuit of peace. - **brokenhearted and contrite** — "Contrite" describes people whose inner life has been crushed or shattered. Verse 18 describes God as especially near to them in their pain. - **magnify** — To declare God's greatness so that others can recognize it. David invites the whole community to join him in doing this in verse 3. - **redeem** — To buy someone back from debt, slavery, or another form of bondage. The final verse uses this family-rescue language for God's care of his servants. ## Key verses in Psalm 34 ### [Psalm 34:4](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/4) David's testimony anchors the poem. The heading gives his words extra weight: his fear had good reason, and his escape was messy and humiliating. ### [Psalm 34:8](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/8) This well-known verse turns David's experience into an open invitation. Readers are encouraged to discover God's goodness personally. ### [Psalm 34:18](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/18) The verse places God close to people whose hearts and spirits feel crushed. His presence comes before their recovery and carries no demand that they hide their grief. ### [Psalm 34:19](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/19) One sentence acknowledges the many troubles righteous people face and still expresses confidence in God's rescue. ### [Psalm 34:20](https://biblehearth.online/verse/psalms/34/20) "Not one of them will be broken" is the image John's Gospel connects with Jesus' crucifixion, giving the verse a later significance for Christian readers. ## Common misreadings of Psalm 34 Verses 10 and 19 express confidence in God's provision and rescue, but they do not guarantee comfort, wealth, or immediate relief. Verse 19 begins by acknowledging that righteous people experience many afflictions. Likewise, the unbroken bones in verse 20 picture God's preservation of the whole person; faithful people can still suffer physical injuries. Verse 18 should never be used to rush someone through grief. It promises God's nearness to the brokenhearted without asking them to hide their pain or recover on someone else's schedule. ## Common questions about Psalm 34 ### What does "taste and see that the LORD is good" mean? David uses the physical act of tasting as a picture of learning through experience. He has just described seeking God and receiving help, so he invites others to discover God's goodness for themselves. The psalm's heading makes the invitation especially vivid. David's own experience involved a desperate and humiliating escape, yet he still recognized God's care within it. ### What does "the LORD is near to the brokenhearted" mean? The verse assures hurting people of God's presence. The phrase "the contrite in spirit" deepens the image by describing someone who feels shattered inside. God draws close in that condition, with no suggestion that the pain was deserved or good. The verse offers companionship and hope without demanding quick recovery. ### Does Psalm 34:20 predict that none of Jesus' bones would be broken? John applies this verse to Jesus' crucifixion. The soldiers break the legs of the two men beside Jesus, but they find Jesus already dead and leave his bones intact. John also draws on the Passover instruction about the lamb's bones. In Psalm 34 itself, bones represent the preservation of the whole person. Christians commonly understand John as recognizing that earlier pattern in Jesus, without requiring David to have known the later details. ### What does "the angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him" mean? "Encamps" is military language for setting up a protective position. The image surrounds a vulnerable person with the kind of defense an army would provide. The angel of the LORD appears elsewhere as God's messenger and is sometimes described in language closely associated with God. This psalm leaves that identity unexplained and focuses on the protection David trusts God to provide. ### What happened when David wrote Psalm 34? The heading points to 1 Samuel 21. David is fleeing Saul when he enters Gath, the Philistine hometown of the champion he killed. Once recognized, he becomes afraid and pretends to be insane, scratching the gate and letting saliva run into his beard. The king dismisses him, and David escapes. Psalm 34 calls the king Abimelech, probably a royal title, while 1 Samuel names him Achish. The poem celebrates the rescue without retelling those details. ### Does Psalm 34:10 promise Christians will never lack anything? The verse does not promise every desire or a particular standard of living. It contrasts young lions, capable hunters that still become hungry, with people who depend on God. The words "no good thing" leave the definition of good with God. Nine verses later, David acknowledges the many afflictions of the righteous, so the poem clearly allows for hardship and need. ### What does the fear of the LORD mean in Psalm 34? David answers the question with practical instruction. Verses 13 and 14 connect the fear of the LORD with honest speech, turning away from evil, doing good, and pursuing peace. It describes a serious reverence for God that becomes visible in daily choices. First Peter later quotes the same passage while instructing Christians who were living under pressure. ## If this is your first time reading Psalm 34 Start with the heading, usually printed in small type above verse 1. It connects the song to an episode in 1 Samuel 21 and helps explain David's confidence. David is running from Saul when he seeks shelter in Gath, a Philistine city and the hometown of the champion he had killed. People recognize him, and the account says he is very afraid. He gets away by pretending to be insane, scratching at the city gate and letting saliva run into his beard until the king sends him away. Psalm 34 remembers this narrow escape as an answer to prayer. David says that he sought the LORD and was delivered from his fears, then invites everyone listening to "taste and see that the LORD is good." The strange circumstances matter. God's care did not arrive as a dramatic display of strength. David survived through a desperate, humiliating performance in front of his enemies. The poem still calls that outcome deliverance and turns one frightened man's experience into an invitation for the whole community. Notice the change in tone at verse 11. David begins to teach: "Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD." His lesson is concrete. Guard your speech, turn away from evil, do good, and pursue peace. First Peter later uses the same words to guide Christians facing hostility. Verse 19 also deserves a slow reading. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous" stands beside David's confidence that the LORD delivers them. Psalm 34 makes room for real suffering and lasting hope in the same breath. Its comfort comes from God's presence with people in trouble, including those whose hearts are still broken. ## Related topics - [Bible verses about fear](https://biblehearth.online/topics/fear) - [Bible verses about grief](https://biblehearth.online/topics/grief) - [Bible verses about depression](https://biblehearth.online/topics/depression) - [Bible verses about protection](https://biblehearth.online/topics/protection) - [Bible verses about gratitude](https://biblehearth.online/topics/gratitude) --- Source: https://biblehearth.online/psalms/34 Reviewed: 2026-08-21 Original writing © BibleHearth. 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