Psalm 34:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

NIV: Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.

NASB: Fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no lack of anything.

CSB: You who are his holy ones, fear the Lord, for those who fear him lack nothing.

NLT: Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.

KJV: O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

NKJV: Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.

In this verse David calls upon the Lord's people: His "saints." As in the New Testament, the term "saint" refers to those who sincerely follow God. There is no special title of saint which makes one believer holier than others.

David calls on those who worship God to reverence and respect Him. This is the meaning of the term "fear," which implies submissive honor, rather than panic or horror. Believers need not dread God. He is their loving heavenly Father who cares for His children. However, believers should reverence God.

Jesus taught His disciples to address God as their Father and to say, "Father, hallowed be your name" (Luke 11:2). Jesus also taught believers to trust the heavenly Father to supply all their needs. He counseled us not to worry about material things, because "your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:31–33).

Psalm 84:11 reinforces this idea of God's goodness and protection: "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly."

Psalm 34:8–14 invites others to experience the Lord's goodness. David has just praised the Lord for delivering him from the Philistines at Gath (1 Samuel 21:10–15). Now, he celebrates what God does for those who fear Him: He gives His people happiness; He protects them; He provides bountifully for them; and He grants them long life.

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.