Psalm 34:10-20

10 Reiche müssen darben und hungern; aber die den HERRN suchen, haben keinen Mangel an irgend einem Gut.

11 Kommt her, Kinder, höret mir zu; ich will euch die Furcht des HERRN lehren:

12 Wer ist, der Leben begehrt und gerne gute Tage hätte?

13 Behüte deine Zunge vor Bösem und deine Lippen, daß sie nicht Trug reden.

14 Laß vom Bösen und tue Gutes; suche Frieden und jage ihm nach.

15 Die Augen des HERRN merken auf die Gerechten und seine Ohren auf ihr Schreien;

16 das Antlitz aber des HERRN steht gegen die, so Böses tun, daß er ihr Gedächtnis ausrotte von der Erde.

17 Wenn die Gerechten schreien, so hört der HERR und errettet sie aus all ihrer Not.

18 Der HERR ist nahe bei denen, die zerbrochnes Herzens sind, und hilft denen, die ein zerschlagen Gemüt haben.

19 Der Gerechte muß viel Leiden; aber der HERR hilft ihm aus dem allem.

20 Er bewahrt ihm alle seine Gebeine, daß deren nicht eins zerbrochen wird.

Psalm 34:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 34

\\<<[A Psalm] of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech\\; \\who drove him away, and he departed>>\\. The author of this psalm is expressed by name; and the time and occasion of it are plainly intimated: it was composed by David, "when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech"; not Ahimelech the priest, sometimes called Abimelech, 1Ch 18:16; to whom David went alone for bread, pretending he was upon a private business of the king's; to which sense the Syriac version inclines, rendering the words, "when he went to the house of the Lord, [and] gave the firstfruits to the priests". But this Abimelech was king of Gath, the same with Achish, 1Sa 21:10; who either had two names; or this of Abimelech, as it should seem, was a common name to all the kings of the Philistines; see Ge 20:2, 26:8; as Pharaoh was to the Egyptian kings, and Caesar to the Roman emperors: the name signifies a "father king", or "my father king", or a "royal father"; as kings should be the fathers of their country: before him "David changed his behaviour", his taste, sense, or reason: he imitated a madman; behaved as if he was out of his senses, scrabbling on the doors of the gates, and letting his spittle fall down upon his beard; for he being known and made known by the servants of the king, he was in great fear of losing his life, being in the hands of an enemy, and who he might justly fear would revenge the death of their champion Goliath; wherefore he took this method to get himself despised and neglected by them, and escape out of their hands: and which succeeded; for Abimelech, or Achish, seeing him behave in such a manner, treated him with contempt, was displeased with his servants for bringing him into his presence, and ordered them to take him away, or dismiss him; which is here expressed by this phrase, "who drove him away", with scorn and indignation; "and he departed" to the cave of Adullam, glad at heart he had escaped such danger: upon which, under a sense of divine goodness, and by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, he composed the following psalm; see 1Sa 21:10-15, 22:1.