Psalm 34:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

NIV: The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

NASB: The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears And rescues them from all their troubles.

CSB: The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.

NLT: The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.

KJV: The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

NKJV: The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

David knew by firsthand experience that the Lord hears the prayers of those who love Him. God protected David from Goliath (1 Samuel 17:45–51) and from King Saul who chased David in the wilderness (1 Samuel 23:15). However, even David knew that faith in God does not make anyone immune from difficulty (Psalm 34:19).

Contrary to the belief that faith in Jesus exempts believers from trouble, the Bible affirms that believers will encounter hardship. Persecution, harsh trials, and pressing temptation befall believers who endeavor to serve the Lord (John 16:1–4). While God promises to provide for our "needs" (Mathew 6:31–34), He alone knows what those "needs" really are (Romans 8:28–30). What we "need" to accomplish His will may not be what we want, or what we expect.

Hebrews 11 honors the faith of believers whose faith enabled them not only to do exploits but also to triumph over severe persecution (Hebrews 11:35–38). God's deliverance may not always be physical. Sometimes it comes as emotional, mental, or spiritual deliverance; the only "saving" believers in God are absolutely guaranteed is from the penalty of sin in eternity (John 10:28–29). Paul was given spiritual relief; even though his "thorn…in the flesh" remained, God's grace enabled him to rise above the affliction (2 Corinthians 12:7–9). He asserted, "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Psalm 34:15–22 contrasts what the Lord does for those who fear Him against what happens to the wicked. God watches over the righteous and answers their cry for help. He delivers the righteous from their troubles and draws near to them. He protects the righteous and redeems them. On the other hand, He opposes the wicked and condemns them. While David certainly experienced victories in his life, he also understood that God's love and provision have an eternal perspective (Romans 8:28–30). Verse 20 includes a reference which the Gospel of John ties to Jesus' role as Messiah.

David praises the Lord for delivering him from the Philistines, and he invites others to join him in singing joyfully to the Lord. He extols the virtue of fearing the Lord and remembering His goodness. He encourages the Lord's people to respect God and offers wisdom leading to a long and blessed life. At the end of this psalm David emphasizes the distinction the Lord draws between the wicked and the righteous. He cares for the righteous and will not condemn them, but He condemns the wicked.

David composed this psalm after he escaped from the Philistines at Gath. He accomplished this by feigning insanity and later sheltered in the cave of Adullum. This experience is recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10—22:1. Like Psalm 25, this is an acrostic psalm. Every verse except the final one begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. First Peter 2:3 alludes to the psalm's eighth verse, and 1 Peter 3:10–12 quotes verses 12–16 of Psalm 34. John 19:36 refers to Psalm 34:20.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.