Psalm 34:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

NIV: The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

NASB: The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

CSB: The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.

NLT: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

KJV: The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

NKJV: The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

In this verse David writes how God understands our feelings and helps us bear the burden of sorrow. In contrast to pagan deities, or the unfeeling universe of atheism, the biblical God deeply cares for our pain. When Jesus knew His friend Lazarus had died, He went to the home of Lazarus's grieving sisters and comforted them. When He saw Mary's tears, "he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled" (John 11:33). When He approached Lazarus's tomb, He wept (John 11:35) and was "deeply moved again" (John 11:38). Jesus experienced all of this, though He knew all along He would raise His friend from death (John 11:11).

Hebrews 4:15 assures us that Jesus, our Great High Priest, sympathizes with our weaknesses. That includes both the meaning of human suffering and the struggle against sin. He was tempted like any other man but remained sinless. Knowing that He understands and cares, we can "draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

It has been quipped that "prayer is the place burdens change shoulders." Our Lord's shoulders can bear our burdens when we are brokenhearted and our spirits are crushed (Matthew 11:28–30; 1 Peter 5:7).

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.