bones. True (by application) of the members of Christ's body. See note on Psalms 35:10 . Ephesians 5:30 . Hence John 19:31-33 .Exodus 12:46 . Heartbroken (Psalms 69:20 ), but not "bones". read more
"He keepeth all his bones:Not one of them is broken.Evil shall slay the wicked;And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned.Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants;And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned.""All his bones ... not one ... is broken" (Psalms 34:20). In this verse, David doubtless had in mind the passage in Exodus 12:46, in which Moses' instructions for the eating of the Passover carried the injunction, "Neither shall ye break a bone thereof."... read more
Psalms 34:20. He keepeth all his bones, &c.— These words were peculiarly accomplished in Christ, whose bones were not broken on the cross, according to the usual custom of treating those who were crucified, to put them the sooner out of their pain. But the expression here may be figurative, and mean deliverance from all grievous, distressing, and deadly affliction. This is what good men may generally expect from God. The 21st verse seems fully to explain this. read more
20. bones—framework of the body. read more
Psalms 34In this combination individual thanksgiving and wisdom psalm, David glorified God for delivering His people, and he reflected on the Lord’s promise to bless the godly with long life.The title identifies the occasion on which David composed this psalm (cf. 1 Samuel 21:10-15). It is another acrostic with all but the last verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet and with the omission of a verse beginning with the letter waw. read more
2. God’s blessing of the righteous 34:11-22This section of verses records David’s instructions to the people concerning how they could experience a full, long life. This is didactic wisdom literature similar to what we find in the Book of Proverbs. read more
The Lord also delivers the righteous out of his troubles. Keeping his bones from breaking (Psalms 34:20) expresses complete protection in spite of cruel opposition. The Apostle John used this verse in John 19:36 to describe God’s care of His Son during His crucifixion. read more
The reliability of this title (A Psalm of David; when he feigned madness (RM) before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed) is doubtful, both because the Philistine king in question is called Achish and not Abimelech in 1 Samuel 21:13, and because the contents of the Ps. are akin to the proverbial wisdom of a later age than David’s. The Ps. is an alphabetic or acrostic one, with some of the same irregularities which are found in Psalms 25. Psalms 34:10-16 are quoted in 1 Peter... read more
(20) Broken.—See John 19:36, N. Test. Commentary. read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Psalms 34:1-22
Psalms 34:0 Thanks for deliveranceWhen he first fled from Saul to the Philistine city of Gath, David expected the Philistines would welcome him as a deserter from Israel’s army, and so provide him with refuge. But the Philistines had probably not yet heard of David’s break with Saul. They knew only that David had killed thousands of their own Philistine people; perhaps he was spying out their city in preparation for more slaughter. They decided to kill him, and David escaped only by pretending... read more