Psalms 34 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~1010 BC, during David's years as a fugitive from King Saul, with the collected book of Psalms reaching its final form after the exile around 400 BC
Location
Written out of David's escape from Gath, a Philistine city on the coastal plain southwest of Jerusalem, and later sung in temple worship in Jerusalem
Audience
Worshipping Israelites who used the Psalms as the hymn book and prayer book of the temple, and later of the synagogue
Situation
The heading ties this song to the episode where David, a wanted man hiding among Israel's enemies, pretended to be insane to escape the Philistine king. The psalm is his public thank you, inviting the whole congregation to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Key Background
This is an alphabet poem, with each line starting with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a form used to suggest completeness, as if the subject is covered from A to Z. The heading names the king as Abimelech while the story in 1 Samuel calls him Achish, because Abimelech was likely a royal title rather than a personal name, much like Pharaoh in Egypt. Thanksgiving songs like this one were performed aloud at the sanctuary alongside a thank offering, so the crowd being addressed was a real crowd.
I will at all times; words of thanks to him will always be on my lips.
I am celebrates Yahweh; let the hear it and be glad.
Join me in how Yahweh is; let's lift up his together.
I for Yahweh, and he answered me — he me out of every fear I had.
Those who look to him are their faces are never covered in
This cried out, and Yahweh heard him — he him from all his troubles.
The of Yahweh stands guard around those who him, and he gets them out safely.
and for yourself that Yahweh is is for the one who in him.
Honor Yahweh, all of you who are own. Those who honor him go
may go hungry and starve, but those who look to Yahweh will not lack any good thing.
Come here, and listen to me — I'll teach you what it means to Yahweh.
Who among you wants to — to see long, good days?
from harm, and keep lips from speaking
Walk away from what's wrong and do what's good; go after and it down.
Yahweh's eyes are on those who do and his ears are open to their cries.
But Yahweh those who do wrong — he will their from the
When the ones who do right cry out, Yahweh hears them and pulls them out of all their troubles.
Yahweh is close to the he rescues those whose spirits are
The troubles of those who do right are many, but Yahweh pulls them out of every single one.
He every in their body — not one of them will be broken.
kills those who do wrong; those who hate the ones who do right will for it.
Yahweh the lives of those who no one who in will pay for what they don't owe.