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Psalm Thirty-four
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 34
YLT
By David, in his changing his behaviour before Abimelech, and he
driveth him away, and he goeth.
cf15I 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, 1 Chronicles 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, 1 Samuel 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 Genesis 20:2; 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 1 Samuel 21:10.
Psalm 34:1 I
will bless the Lord
at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
YLT
1I do bless Jehovah at all
times, Continually His praise [is] in my mouth.
I will bless the Lord at all times,.... That is, ascribe
blessing, give honour, praise, and glory to him, both as the God of nature and
providence, for every temporal mercy; and that every day, and at all times in
the day; since these are renewed every morning, and continue all the day long:
and as the God of grace, for all spiritual blessings; and that continually,
because these last always; they are irreversible, unchangeable, and without
repentance; yea, saints have reason to bless God in times of adversity as well
as prosperity, since it might have been worse with them than it is; they have a
mixture of mercy in all, and all things work together for their good;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth; not the
"praise" of which God is the author, but of which he is the object;
which is due unto him, and is given him on account of the perfections of his
nature, and the works of his hands, and the blessings of his providence and grace;
this, the psalmist says, should be in his mouth: his meaning is, that he should
not only retain in his heart a grateful sense of the divine favours, but should
express it with his lips; should both make melody in his heart to the Lord, and
vocally sing his praise; and that "continually", as long as he lived,
or had any being, Psalm 146:2.
Psalm 34:2 2 My soul shall make its
boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
YLT
2In Jehovah doth my soul
boast herself, Hear do the humble and rejoice.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord,.... Not in
men, nor in any outward enjoyment, nor in any works of righteousness, but in
the Lord; "in the Word of the Lord", as the Targum; in the Lord Jesus
Christ; in his wisdom, strength, riches, righteousness, redemption, and
salvation; in interest in him, and communion with him: and this is not tongue
but soul boasting; and not flashy and selfish, but solid, spiritual, and
hearty; and with all the powers and faculties of the soul; see 1 Corinthians 1:29;
the humble shall hear thereof; either of the
deliverance the psalmist had out of the hands of his enemies; or of his
blessing and praising the Lord for the same, and making his boast in him as the
God of his salvation; or of both: of these humble ones; see Gill on Psalm 10:12;
and be glad; for such rejoice with them that rejoice, and are glad at heart
that others share in the goodness and grace of God; and also because by such an
instance of the divine power and kindness they are encouraged to hope that he
will, in his own time, deliver them out of their afflictions and distresses
also.
Psalm 34:3 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And
let us exalt His name together.
YLT
3Ascribe ye greatness to
Jehovah with me, And we exalt His name together.
O magnify the Lord with me,.... The psalmist invites
the humble ones, who he knew would rejoice at the goodness of God to him, to
join with him in ascribing greatness to the Lord, which is meant by magnifying
him; for he cannot be made great by men, only declared how great he is, and
that can only be done in an imperfect manner;
and let us exalt his name together: by proclaiming him to be
the most High; by making mention of his glorious perfections and works, that he
be exalted; and by praising him in the highest strains; or by having the high
praises of him in their mouths; and there is more pleasure as well as more
glory brought to God by doing this in a social way, or by a number of saints
joining together in such service.
Psalm 34:4 4 I sought the Lord, and He heard
me, And delivered me from all my fears.
YLT
4I sought Jehovah, and He
answered me, And from all my fears did deliver me.
I sought the Lord, and he heard me,.... Not that he sought
the Lord publicly in his house and ordinances, for he was now at Gath; but
privately by prayer and supplication; and that not vocally, but mentally; for
he was in the midst of the servants of the king of Gath; yet earnestly,
diligently, and with his whole heart, being in great distress; when it was
right to seek the Lord, and which showed him to be a good man; and the Lord
heard and answered even his silent groans, which could not be uttered;
and delivered me from all my fear; of being seized on by
Achish, king of Gath, and of losing his life for killing Goliath: and many are
the fears of God's people, both from within and from without, by reason of sin,
Satan, and the world; but the Lord saves them out of the hands of all their
enemies, grants them his presence, and shows them their interest in himself,
which, scatters all their fears.
Psalm 34:5 5 They looked to Him and
were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.
YLT
5They looked expectingly
unto Him, And they became bright, And their faces are not ashamed.
They looked to him, and were lightened,.... That is,
"the humble" ones, Psalm 34:2; and so
this is a reason why they should join in praising and magnifying the Lord;
these "looked" up to God in prayer and by faith, when in distressed
and uncomfortable circumstances, for help and deliverance, and a supply of
every needful good thing; and they were "enlightened"; so the Targum
renders it, "their faces were enlightened"; as Jarchi and Aben Ezra
interpret it, in opposition to what follows: they must have been enlightened
before they could look, but by looking to the Lord more light was gained: this
chiefly designs the light of joy, peace, and comfort, which is had in a way of
believing: some render the word "and flowed"F12ונהדו "et confluunt", Junius & Tremellius,
Michaelis; "et instar fluvii irruerint", Piscator, Amama; "et
confluxerunt", Gejerus. , as a river does, that is, to the Lord, as in Jeremiah 31:12. So
Kimchi and Ben Melech explain the word; and it denotes both the numbers of them
that looked up to the Lord in their distress, and the swiftness of their motion
to him, and their earnestness and fervour of mind; so faith is not only a
looking to Christ, but a going forth unto him;
and their faces were not ashamed; having what they prayed
and looked for, and what they hoped and believed they should have; namely,
deliverance and salvation, and so peace and pleasure.
Psalm 34:6 6 This poor man cried out,
and the Lord
heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.
YLT
6This poor [one] called, and
Jehovah heard, And from all his distresses saved him.
This poor man cried,.... Singling out some
one person from among the humble, who was remarkably delivered; it is the
common case of the people of God to be poor and afflicted, and in their
afflictions they cry unto the Lord to be supported under them, and delivered
out of them: or this may be understood of David himself, who was poor, not with
respect to outward things, but in spirit; was much afflicted, and especially
greatly distressed when in the court of Achish; at which time he cried unto the
Lord, as was his usual way, and that internally, as Moses did, Exodus 14:15. Some
think Jesus Christ is intended by this poor man, who was poor in temporals,
though rich, and Lord of all; and was greatly afflicted, both in body and soul;
and who, in the days of his flesh, offered up prayers and supplications, with
strong crying and tears, Hebrews 5:7;
and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his
troubles; so the Lord always heard his son Jesus Christ, and especially in
the day of salvation, and delivered him out of all his troubles, both of body
and soul, when he raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; and he heard
David his servant, as he often did; particularly when at Gath, and made way for
his escape from thence; and from whence he came safe to the cave of Adullam;
and the Lord hears all his poor and afflicted ones, when they cry unto him, and
in the issue saves them from all their troubles, by reason of a body of sin and
death, the temptations of Satan, and the persecutions of men.
Psalm 34:7 7 The angel[a] of the Lord encamps all
around those who fear Him, And delivers them.
YLT
7A messenger of Jehovah is
encamping, Round about those who fear Him, And He armeth them.
The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him,.... By whom
may be meant, either the uncreated Angel, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Angel of
God's presence, and of the covenant, the Captain of salvation, the Leader and
Commander of the people; and whose salvation is as walls and bulwarks about
them; or as an army surrounding them: or a created angel may be intended, even
a single one, which is sufficient to guard a multitude of saints, since one
could destroy at once such a vast number of enemies, as in 2 Kings 19:35; or
one may be put for more, since they are an innumerable company that are on the
side of the Lord's people, and to whom they are joined; and these may be said
to encamp about them, because they are an host or army; see Genesis 32:1; and
are the guardians of the saints, that stand up for them and protect them, as
well as minister to them;
and delivereth them; out of the hands of all
their enemies. David had a guard, an army of these about him, in the court of
Achish, who preserved him from being seized, and receiving any harm there; and
who brought him from thence in safety: there is no doubt but he here speaks his
own experience.
Psalm 34:8 8 Oh, taste and see that the
Lord is
good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
YLT
8Taste ye and see that
Jehovah [is] good, O the happiness of the man who trusteth in Him.
O taste, and see that the Lord is good,.... He is
essentially, infinitely, perfectly, immutably, and solely good in himself; and
he is communicatively and diffusively good to others: he is the author of all
good, but not of any evil, in a moral sense; this chiefly regards his special
grace and goodness through Christ: all the divine Persons in the Godhead are
good; the Father is good, he has good designs towards his people, has provided
good things for them, made good promises to them, and bestows good gifts on
them: the Son is good; the good Shepherd that has laid down his life for the
sheep; he is the fountain of all grace and goodness to his churches, and to
particular believers; he has wrought a good work for them, the work of
redemption, and he speaks a good word on their behalf in the court of heaven:
the Spirit is good; he works good things in the hearts of the sons of men, and
shows good things unto them; and gracious souls, such as the psalmist here
calls upon, are capable of tasting and discerning how good the Lord is in some
measure; see Psalm 119:103.
While unregenerate, their taste is vitiated, and remains unchanged, and sin is
what they feed upon with pleasure, and so detest everything that is good; but
in conversion a new taste is given, so as to have a saving experimental
knowledge of the grace and goodness of God in Christ, an application of it to
them; and in such manner as to live upon it, and be nourished by it; and though
this is not a superficial taste of things, like that of hypocrites, nor a
single one only, being frequently repeated; yet it is but a taste in comparison
of the enjoyment of it in the heavenly state; and every taste now influences
and engages trust in the Lord, as follows;
blessed is the man that trusteth in him; See Gill on Psalm 2:12; the
Targum renders it, "that trust in his word".
Psalm 34:9 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His
saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.
YLT
9Fear Jehovah, ye His holy
ones, For there is no lack to those fearing Him.
O fear the Lord, ye his saints,.... Who are sanctified
by his Spirit, and so are openly and manifestly his; these are exhorted to fear
the Lord with reverence and godly fear; and great reason there is why they
should fear him, since he is King of saints, and fear is due to him from them;
and seeing they have received many instances of grace and goodness from him,
and therefore should fear him for his goodness's sake; and besides they, and
they only, know him, and have the grace of fear in them, and so only can
exercise it on him;
for there is no want to them that fear him; not in
spirituals, since so much goodness is laid up for them; the heart of God is towards
them, his secret is with them, his eye is upon them, and the sun of
righteousness arises on them; and both grace and glory are given to them; nor
in temporals, since godliness, or the fear of God, has the promise of this
life, as well as of that which is to come.
Psalm 34:10 10 The young lions lack and
suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
YLT
10Young lions have lacked and
been hungry, And those seeking Jehovah lack not any good,
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger,.... According
to Apollinarius,
"the
needy rich, whom famine presses;'
see
Job 4:10;
but they that seek the Lord; by prayer, diligently,
with their whole heart, and in the sincerity of their souls; the Targum is,
"that seek the doctrine of the Lord"; that seek instruction from him,
and to be taught by him: these
shall not want any good thing: which God has
purposed to bestow upon them, which he has promised unto them, and provided for
them; nor any thing that shall be for their good.
Psalm 34:11 11 Come, you children, listen
to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
YLT
11Come ye, children, hearken
to me, The fear of Jehovah I do teach you.
Come, ye children,.... Meaning either his own children, those
of his own family, judging it his duty to instruct them, and bring them up in
the fear of the Lord; or his subjects, to whom he stood in the relation of a
father, as every king does; or all his hearers, as those who attended the
prophets are called the children or sons of the prophets; or young people in
common may be designed, who should be taught early their duty to God and men:
unless the children of God in general are here meant; or particularly the least
among them, called babes and little children, who are little in their own eyes,
are modest and humble; and who, as they need instruction, are most forward to
receive it; and the word "come" does not so much design local motion,
a drawing near to hear, as readiness to hear, and a close attention of mind; as
follows;
hearken unto me; as unto a father, giving good doctrine and
wholesome advice; Proverbs 2:1;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord; which he had
so often spoken of, and so many good things are promised to them that have it,
and even in the context: this the psalmist could not give, nor can any man,
only teach it, show the nature of it, in what it lies, how it shows itself, and
what are the effects it produces: this is the first lesson to be taught and
learnt; for it is the beginning of wisdom; it includes all grace, and every
duty, and regards the whole worship of God, and the manner of it.
Psalm 34:12 12 Who is the man who
desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?
YLT
12Who [is] the man that is
desiring life? Loving days to see good?
What man is he that desireth life?.... Every man
desires life, even a natural life; it is more desirable than all things in it;
especially an healthful life, without which the blessings and mercies of life
cannot be comfortably enjoyed; and still more a life of prosperity; life, with
an affluence of good things, and even a long one: though it may be rather that
a spiritual life is here meant, and a comfortable one; a life free from the
remorses of a guilty conscience, from the fear of hell, damnation, and wrath;
from the bondage of the law, and the dread of death; a life of faith on Christ,
and communion with him; and a life of sobriety, righteousness, and holiness;
and perhaps it may be best of all to understand it of eternal life, which is
life eminently and emphatically; it follows,
and loveth many days; that is, good
ones; as they are interpreted in 1 Peter 3:10; not
of this life, for the days of it are evil, and especially when they are
lengthened out; the days of old age, Ecclesiastes 12:1;
unless the days of the son of man, the days of enjoying the presence of God in
his house and ordinances, should be intended; though rather the good and many
days of eternity, even length of days, for ever and ever, in which will be
fulness of joy, and never ceasing and never fading pleasures;
that he may see good; there is good to be seen
and enjoyed in this life, which if the saints did not believe they should see
and enjoy, they would often faint; and this good lies in the participation of
the blessings of grace, and in fellowship with Father, Son, and Spirit: but the
great and lasting good to be seen and enjoyed is in the world to come, when God
shall be all in all, be seen as he is, and the saints shall inherit all things.
Psalm 34:13 13 Keep your tongue from
evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
YLT
13Keep thy tongue from evil,
And thy lips from speaking deceit.
Keep thy tongue from evil,.... This, and what
follows in this verse and Psalm 34:14, point
at the things wherein the fear of God shows itself; and suggest, that those who
have it, and which is known by these fruits, shall enjoy the desirable and good
days before mentioned. The tongue is an instrument of much evil, an unruly
member, and needs restraint; and it is from evil, and not from good, it is to
be kept; from evil speaking of God, from cursing and swearing; from evil
speaking of men, reproaching and reviling them; from filthy speaking, from all
obscene and unchaste words, and from all lying ones; for where such evil
speaking is indulged, the fear of God cannot be in that man;
and thy lips from speaking guile; hypocritical and
deceitful words, speaking with flattering lips and a double heart: some speak
bad words in common conversation, through an evil habit and custom; and some
speak good words with an ill design; and in neither of them is the fear of God
before their eyes, nor in their hearts.
Psalm 34:14 14 Depart from evil and do
good; Seek peace and pursue it.
YLT
14Turn aside from evil and do
good, Seek peace and pursue it.
Depart from evil,.... This denotes that evil is near to men;
it keeps close to them, and should be declined and shunned: and it regards all
sorts of evil; evil men, and their evil company; evil things, evil words and
works, and all appearance of evil; and the fear of the Lord shows itself in an
hatred of it, and a departure from it, Proverbs 8:13;
and do good; not only acts of beneficence to all in necessitous
circumstances, but every good work; whatever the word of God directs, or
suggests should be done; and which should be done from right principles of
faith and love, and to right ends, the glory of God, and the good of his
interest; and Christ should be looked and applied unto for grace and strength
to perform; all which are evidences of the true fear of God;
seek peace, and pursue it; in the world, and with
all men, as much as possibly can be; in neighbourhoods, cities, and states, and
in the churches of Christ, and with the saints, as well as with God through
Christ; and which in every sense is to be pursued after with eagerness, and to
be endeavoured for with diligence; see Romans 12:18.
Psalm 34:15 15 The eyes of the Lord are on
the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.
YLT
15The eyes of Jehovah [are]
unto the righteous, And His ears unto their cry.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,.... These are
the same with them that fear the Lord, and do good; not that they become
righteous in the sight of God, or are justified before him, by their fear of
him, and by their good works; but these are the fruits and effects of grace,
showing them to be righteous persons; for it is only by the righteousness of
Christ that men are righteous before God: and upon these the eyes of the Lord
are; not only his eye of Providence, to watch over them, protect them, and
supply them with good things, but his eye of love; with complacency and delight
he looks upon them, as clothed with the righteousness of his son; and it is
with pleasure he looks upon them, that being well pleasing in his sight; seeing
by it the law is magnified and made honourable; nor does he ever withdraw his
eyes from them, Job 36:7;
and his ears are open unto their cry; for though
they are righteous, they are sometimes in distress; their afflictions are many;
the good days they are to see are hereafter; and at those times they cry unto
the Lord; which is to be understood of prayer, and of the vehemency and
fervency of it, when they have the ear of God, and he shows himself to be a God
hearing and answering prayer.
Psalm 34:16 16 The face of the Lord is
against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
YLT
16(The face of Jehovah [is]
on doers of evil, To cut off from earth their memorial.)
The face of the Lord is against them that do evil,.... Not
against everyone that sins; for the righteous are not without sin; they have
sin in them, and they do no good without it; but against them that live in sin,
whose course of life is a series of wickedness, and they are workers of
iniquity; and have no sense of sin, nor sorrow for it, go on in it without
shame or fear; against these the face of the Lord is, he shows his resentment,
and stirs up his wrath. For the Lord to be against a man is dreadful; a fearful
thing it is to fill into his hands as a God of vengeance; there is no standing
before him when once he is angry: and to have the face of God against a man is
intolerable, when it is to destroy, and
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth; so that they
shall be no more thought of, nor spoken of, but with contempt and reproach; an
everlasting mark of infamy being upon their names; see Proverbs 10:7.
Psalm 34:17 17 The righteous
cry out, and the Lord
hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
YLT
17They cried, and Jehovah
heard, And from all their distresses delivered them.
The righteous cry,.... The word
"righteous" is not in the original text, but is rightly supplied in
our version, as it is in the Targum, and by Jarchi; and so Kimchi and Ben
Melech observe, that these words are not to be connected with Psalm 34:16, but
with Psalm 34:15; and
they are indeed an amplification of the last clause of it; and the cry of the
righteous is meant, to which the ears of the Lord are open; though Aben Ezra
thinks that these words are to be understood of them that do evil, and of their
cry to the Lord, when they turn from their evil ways; but the former sense is
best;
and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their
troubles; their inward troubles, through the workings of corruption in
their hearts; through the violent assaults of Satan, the blasphemous thoughts
he injects into them, and his solicitations of them to sin; and through divine
desertions, and their outward troubles; through afflictions of body, losses of
estate and friends, and the reproaches and persecutions of men; out of all
these the Lord sooner or later delivers his people who cry unto him.
Psalm 34:18 18 The Lord is near
to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
YLT
18Near [is] Jehovah to the
broken of heart, And the bruised of spirit He saveth.
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart,.... Who are
pressed and bore down with afflictions, by the sorrow of heart under which
their spirits are broken, Proverbs 15:13; or
with a sense of sin, and sorrow for it, for which their hearts smite them, and
they are wounded by it, and broken with it: to these the Lord is
"nigh"; not in a general way only, as he is to all men, being God
omnipresent, but in a special manner; he comes and manifests himself to them in
a gracious way, pours in the oil and wine of his love, and binds up their
broken hearts; yea, comes and dwells with them: he does not pass by them and
neglect them, much less make the breach worse; he does not break the bruised
reeds, but he heals their breaches;
and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit; not in a
legal, but in an evangelical way; who are humbled under a sense of sin, and
melted down in true repentance, under a view of the love and grace of God; and
are poor and mean in their own eyes: to these the Lord has respect; the
sacrifices of a broken and contrite spirit are not despised by him, but
accepted through faith in Christ; and such he saves with an everlasting
salvation in him.
Psalm 34:19 19 Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them
all.
YLT
19Many [are] the evils of the
righteous, Out of them all doth Jehovah deliver him.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,.... This may
be understood of some one particular righteous person, since the singular
number is here made use of; whereas the plural is always used before, when the
righteous are made mention of; and the Lord Jesus Christ may be designed, who
is eminently and emphatically "the righteous"; he is righteous both
as God and man, and as Mediator, in the discharge of every branch of his
office; and his afflictions were many, which he endured from men, from devils,
and from God himself: many were the afflictions of his body, which he bore when
buffeted, scourged, and crucified; and many were the afflictions of his soul,
when he bore the sins of his people, endured the wrath of God for them, and was
forsaken by him; though none of these were for any sins of his own, but for the
sins of others; and out of them all the Lord delivered him at last, and set him
at his own right hand; or this may be understood of everyone of the righteous;
who, though they are justified from sin, and are saved from wrath, yet have
many afflictions; which are "evils" in themselves, as the wordF13רעות "mala", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus,
Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Ainsworth. may be rendered, and are very
troublesome and distressing; and these are great and grievous for quality, and
many and abundant for quantity; though no more than it is the will of God
should be, and not one too many;
but the Lord delivereth him out of them all; as Christ
was, and all his people will be; if not in this life, by giving respites and
intervals, as he sometimes does; yet hereafter, when the righteous are completely
delivered out of all their trials and exercises, so as that they shall never
return more upon them. The word translated "afflictions", as it
signifies "evils", may be safely interpreted of moral evils, as well
as of evils of afflictions: it is the same word that is used for moral evil in Psalm 34:21; and
then the sense is, that many are the sins committed by righteous persons; for
there are none without sin, in many things they all offend; yet they shall not
perish by them, but they shall be delivered from them; as, from the dominion of
them by the power of grace, and from the guilt of them by the blood of Christ,
and from condemnation for them through his righteousness; so hereafter from the
very being of them, and all molestation and disturbance by them.
Psalm 34:20 20 He guards all his bones; Not
one of them is broken.
YLT
20He is keeping all his
bones, One of them hath not been broken.
He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken. This is
literally true of Christ, in whom the type of the passover lamb had its
accomplishment, and this passage also; see Exodus 12:46; and
seems better to agree with him than with any of his members, since the bones of
many of them have been broken by one accident or another; and especially many
of the martyrs of Jesus have had all their bones broken upon the rack or wheel;
wherefore, to understand these words of them might tend to create uneasiness
and despondency in the minds of such who by any means have their bones broken;
as if they were not righteous persons, this promise not being fulfilled in
them: and to interpret this of the Lord's keeping the bones of his people in
the grave, and in the resurrection putting them together again; this is no
other than what will be done to the wicked; it seems therefore best to
understand the whole of Christ; and it looks as if this passage was had in view
as fulfilled in John 19:36; since a
Scripture is referred to; but if it is interpreted of the righteous in general,
it must be with a limitation; as that their bones are all kept by the Lord, and
not one is broken without his knowledge and will; and that they are not broken
finally, but restored again perfect and whole in the resurrection, and so will
continue to all eternity: the phrase, without entering into particulars, may in
general design the care of Providence over the righteous; with this compare Matthew 10:29.
Psalm 34:21 21 Evil shall slay the
wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
YLT
21Evil doth put to death the
wicked, And those hating the righteous are desolate.
Evil shall slay the wicked,.... Meaning either the
evil they designed against the righteous shall return and fall upon their
heads, to their own ruin; or the evil of affliction, which to them is the evil
of punishment, both here and hereafter, from which they will have no
deliverance in the end; though the righteous have from their afflictions, being
not properly punishments, but chastisements for sin, and are but for a time; or
else the evil of sin, which is the cause of death corporeal and eternal;
and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate; or
"shall be guilty"F14יאשמו
"rei fiunt", Cocceius; "reatum habebunt", Schmidt;
"damnabuntur", Gejerus; "shall be condemned as guilty",
Ainsworth. ; be found so; or "shall be condemned", or
"damned", as the Targum renders it. All wicked men hate the
righteous, both Jesus Christ the righteous, and his people; and that because
they are righteous, and do not run into the same excess of wickedness with
them, these will be arraigned at the day of judgment, and will be convicted of
all their hard speeches which they have spoken against Christ and his members;
and will be pronounced guilty, and will be punished with everlasting
destruction.
Psalm 34:22 22 The Lord redeems the
soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
YLT
22Jehovah redeemeth the soul
of His servants, And none trusting in Him are desolate!
The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants,.... Who are
made so by his grace in the day of his power, and are willing to serve him, and
to serve him with their minds, readily and cheerfully; and the soul of these,
which is the more noble part of them, and is of more worth than a world, the
redemption of which is precious, and requires a great price, the Lord redeems;
not that their bodies are neglected, and not redeemed; but this is mentioned as
the principal part, and for the whole; and this redemption is by the Lord, who
only is able to effect it, and which he has obtained through his precious
blood; and here it seems to denote the application of it in its effects; that
is, the forgiveness of sin, justification, and sanctification, since it
respects something that is continually doing;
and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate; or "be
guilty"F15לא יאשמו
"non rei fiunt", Cocceius; "non punientur", Gejerus;
"shall not be condemned as guilty", Ainsworth. , or
"condemned", or "damned"; because they are justified from
all the sins they have been guilty of, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus; and having believed in him, they shall not be damned, according to Mark 16:16; and
they shall be far from being desolate, and alone, and miserable; they shall
stand at Christ's right hand, be received into his kingdom and glory, and be
for ever with him.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)