Psalm 34 is about David sitting in the palace of Achish, Goliath’s brother, and in great danger. David pretends to be a foolish man. He writes on the doors that Achisch, king of Gath, owes him 100,000 gold coins. Achisch removes him from the palace. Out of joy, David writes this psalm in alphabetical order.
- Text Psalm 34
- Hebrew text Psalm 34 – תהילים לד
- Listen to Psalm 34
- Explanation of Psalm 34 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
- Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 34
- Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
- Psalm 1 to 92
Text Psalm 34
Of David, when he presented himself as a madman before Awimelech, who chased him away and he had to leave. I will always praise the Eternal, and there is always a song of praise in his mouth. All my soul sings the praises of the Eternal; let those who are afflicted hear it and be glad.
….He fits all his limbs, not one of them is broken. Evil kills the wicked, and those who hate the good must pay their guilt. The Eternal saves the lives of His servants, all who take refuge in Him have no guilt to pay.
Hebrew text Psalm 34 – תהילים לד
- David, in his sleep, showed his taste before Abimelech, and he sent him away, and he went away. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be in my mouth. 3 In Jehovah let my soul be praised, the humble will hear and rejoice. 4 Magnify the Lord with me and let his name be exalted. I called upon Jehovah, and he clouded me and saved me from all my dwelling places. And they looked at him and fell and their faces did not dig. 7 This poor man cried out and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. 8 An angel of Jehovah camped around him and rescued him. 9 Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man he will cherish. Let his saints fear Yahweh, for there is no lack of his fear. Ye infidels are wet and hungry and those who seek Jehovah will not lack all good things. 12 To you children, listen to me, the fear of Yahweh will teach you. 13 Who is the man who desires life and loves days to see well. Your tongue has been cut off by an evil hand, and your lips speak deceit. Turn away from evil and do good, ask for peace and pursue it. 16 Jehovah’s eyes are on the righteous and his ears are on their sin. 17 The face of Yahweh remembers those who do evil, to remove them from the land. 18 They cried out and the Lord heard and removed them from all their troubles. 19 Yahweh is close to the broken-hearted and Jesus to the depressed-spirited. Like many bad battles, the righteous and Jehovah will save us from them all. 11 He kept all his bones in unbroken joy. 22 The wicked will die and the righteous will be blamed. 23 Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants, and all those who guard him will not be blamed.
Listen to Psalm 34
Listen to Psalm 34 in Hebrew.
Explanation of Psalm 34 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
in mortal danger – keep focusing on G-d
While David is in mortal danger, he focuses entirely on G-d and tells us how he experienced it. He behaved like a lunatic and was then sent away. David endures because he constantly praises G-d. So we must continue to focus on G-d even in dire situations. As long as we focus on G-d, nothing can make us small. Even the Holocaust did not make Jews deviate from the Torah.
not blind to problems David is not blind to his problems. He has fear just like any human being. But he directs these feelings to G-d. The power of HaShem generates strength. David describes himself as a poor man, but even from the depths G-d helps.
seeking peace Every person has a purpose in his life and when he realizes that, he loves his days. Turn away from evil and do good. Peace can be found if you look for it.
Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 34
Per verse the commentary of Rashi, the Jewish Bible commentator who lived from 1040-1105. Rashi is considered the teacher of teachers. All traditional Jews regard Rashi as an authority on the Jewish Bible and Talmud. Hence it is important to record his commentary on the Psalms. Rashi uses new Hebrew supplemented with Old French words. His language is sometimes somewhat oracularly short. For further explanation it is wise to consult an orthodox Jewish rabbi.
Verse 1
Of David, when he disguised his spiritual health from Abimelech, and he drove him out, and he departed.
when he disguised his sanity : such as the matter stated (in I Samuel 21:14): ,And he changed his speech in their sight, etc. And he scribbled upon the doors of the gates., That he disguised his speech and his common sense and feigned madness and let his saliva run on his beard.
for Abimelech : All the Philistine kings were called so, and all the Egyptian kings [were called] Pharaoh. Although his name was Achish, his name was Abimelech. The Midrash Aggadah explains that he was as righteous as Abimelech (mentioned in the Torah regarding Sarah), for he would not kill him, even though his men said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? , As stated in Midrash Psalms (34:1).
Verse 3
My soul rejoices in the Lord; may the humble hear and rejoice.
My soul glories in the Lord : I boast and praise myself that I have such a patron to save and protect me. Se porvantera in French, I will brag.
may the humble hear : the wonders He did for me. By my praise they will understand and rejoice.
Verse 5
I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
my terrors : Hebrew מגורותי, an expression of fear, as (in Numbers 22:3): ,and Moab was terrified (ויגר).,
Verse 6
They looked at Him and became radiant, and their faces will not be ashamed.
They Looked to Him : All those who looked to Him out of their troubles.
and they became radiant : Their faces shone.
are not ashamed : Hebrew יחפרו, they shall be ashamed as (in Isaiah 24:23): ,And the moon shall be ashamed (וחפרה) and the sun shall be ashamed.,
Verse 9
Understand and see that the Lord is good; praiseworthy is the man who takes refuge in Him.
Understand and see that the Lord is good : Understand His word.
Verse 10
Fear the Lord, you his saints; for there is no need of those who fear Him.
Fear : Heb. יראו. Be afraid, the imperative form.
Verse 11
Young lions suffer need and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack nothing.
suffering want : Hebrew רשו, an expression of poverty.
lacks nothing : Hebrew כל טוב, nient bon, any good, as (in Exodus 12:16): ,every work (כל-מלאכה).,
Verse 15
Shun evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.
seek peace : in your place.
and pursue it : somewhere else.
Verse 17
The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off their memory from the earth.
The face of the Lord : His angry face, les ires in Old French, ire, as (in Leviticus. 20:5): ,And I will set my face, etc. , This is how Menachem (p. 143) associated it.
Verse 18
They cry out, and the Lord listens, and He saves them from all their troubles.
They cry out : i.e. the righteous and the Lord is listening.
Verse 20
Many evils befall the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
Many evils befall the righteous : Many evils and terrors befall him, and he is saved from them all.
Verse 21
He keeps all his bones; none of them were broken.
He guards : The Holy One, blessed be He, guards all his bones.
Verse 22
Evil will kill the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be declared guilty.
Evil Will Kill the Wicked : The evil that the wicked man does will kill him.
will kill : Hebrew תמותת, [equal to] תמית.
Verse 23
The Lord delivers the souls of his servants, and all who take refuge in him will not be considered guilty.
not be considered guilty : They will not regret saying, “We are guilty because we took refuge in You.” Repontiront in Old French, see repentiront: they repent.
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
Psalm 34 also teaches us that we cannot live without G-d. It is precisely in difficult, distressing situations that we must seek G-d. In this way we do not run away from our problems, but rather find a solution for them. Sometimes the solutions are very surprising. In the case of David we see how he pretends to be a fool. This way he can escape. To an unbeliever this will be a form of coincidence; for the faithful David this is not luck but the work of G-d.
This Psalm also returns to the Jewish principle of flooding evil with good. Jews believe that man is born pure and that he can make the choice between good and evil (just like G-d G-d created man in His image). Although evil in the world seems strong, it doesn’t stand a chance when ignored. It is true that we see and experience a lot of evil around us, but it is also true that many good things are happening. This includes charity, informal care, development aid, volunteer work, the medical world, discoveries, material prosperity, etc.
Much suffering is caused by humans themselves. Even after natural disasters, there can be far fewer casualties if we properly protect ourselves against them in advance. Furthermore, the story of Job also plays an important role in Jewish philosophizing about suffering (evil). G-d does not give Job an answer as to why He has brought evil (suffering) into the world. It belongs to G-d’s secret. Man does not know with what motives G-d created the universe and its mysteries. G-d says to Job:
,Where were you when I created the earth?
Tell Me if you are so clever…
Were you there when I stopped the sea…? Have you seen where snow is stored …?Do you give the horse his strength…?Do you show the hawk how to fly…?,
A famous Jewish saying goes: “People are the language of God.” G-d comforts people through other people. There are even people who risk their lives to save other people. The fact that there is suffering does not mean that the Devil (Satan) rules this world (as I read somewhere in an article by a Christian infoteur on InfoNu) and G-d is currently ‘absent’ until the coming of the Messiah. That thought is very un-Jewish. G-d remains the great director. Only He knows why there is evil. Satan knows and cannot do anything on his own, he is only an instrument of G-d.
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.