Psalm 34: O Taste and See
An alphabet of thanksgiving from a man who pretended madness
"I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together."
"I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."
"Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is he that desireth life…? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous… The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart."
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken… The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate."
The alphabet
In the library's Hebrew, verses 1–21 (Hebrew 2–22) run alef to tav with no vav verse, and a final verse (v. 22) begins with pe, outside the order: the same pattern as Psalm 25. Both close with a line about redemption ("redeem," padah): 25:22 "Redeem Israel," 34:22 "The LORD redeemeth." Many see the pairing as deliberate.
Abimelech or Achish?
1 Samuel 21:10–15 tells how David, fleeing Saul, feigned madness before Achish king of Gath. The psalm's title names Abimelech, a name borne by Philistine kings in Genesis 20 and 26; some suggest it was a royal title, others a slip in the tradition. The library's Vulgate has "Achimelech," closer to Ahimelech the priest of 1 Samuel 21:1. The psalm itself never mentions madness or Gath.
"Not one of them is broken"
John 19:36 says Jesus' legs were not broken "that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken," quoting either Psalm 34:20 or the Passover rule (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12), or both. 1 Peter 2:3 echoes "taste… that the Lord is good" and 1 Peter 3:10–12 quotes 34:12–16.
"Taste and see" in worship
Cyril of Jerusalem (Mystagogical Catecheses 5.20, 4th century) records that Psalm 34:8 was sung at the giving of Communion. It remains a communion chant in many churches.
The versions
Greek and Latin Psalm 33. The Greek and Vulgate count the title as verse 1, so "taste and see" is Vulgate 33:9 ("Gustate et videte quoniam suavis est Dominus").
What the evidence shows
- Psalm 34 is an acrostic without vav and with a final pe verse.Source: The site's library: Westminster Leningrad Codex, KJV, Clementine Vulgate (Gallican Psalter), Giguet's French of the Greek, Douay-Rheims; Tyndale House, "The ABCs of Hebrew Acrostic Poems" (2023) ↗
- The title's Abimelech differs from 1 Samuel 21's Achish.
- Cyril of Jerusalem records Psalm 34:8 sung at Communion.
Continue the journey
Journey of a PassagePsalm 34:20: "Not one of them is broken""He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken." The verse is stable across the versions, with one difference: the Hebrew says "his bones" (the righteous man's); the Greek and Latin say "their bones" and "the Lord keeps." John 19:36 says Jesus' legs were not broken to fulfil "A bone of him shall not be broken."More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- David feigns madness at Gath.
- "A bone of him shall not be broken."
- Peter quotes 34:12–16.