Psalm 34:18

Context

The superscription of Psalm 34 presents it as a psalm composed by David "when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed." The superscription connects the psalm with the episode in 1 Samuel 21, in which David escaped danger by feigning madness before Achish, the Philistine king of Gath. One explanation for why the superscription names "Abimelech" while 1 Samuel names "Achish" is that Abimelech was a title used by Philistine kings.

In the original Hebrew, the psalm is an acrostic, in which the first letters of successive verses follow the order of the alphabet. It combines the thanksgiving of one who has been delivered from danger with the wisdom instruction "O fear the LORD." Verse 18 stands between verse 17, which says that God hears the cry of the righteous, and verse 19, which says that "many are the afflictions of the righteous" but that the LORD delivers them; it thus carries forward the theme that God is near to those who suffer. Because the Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as verse 1, this verse is numbered 19 there.

The King James Version reads: "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

Interpretation

• A reading of comfort: This reading takes "them that are of a broken heart" and "such as be of a contrite spirit" (literally, "those crushed in spirit") to refer to people overwhelmed by suffering and despair. On this reading, the verse becomes a promise that God is in fact near at the very times when he seems far away. Because the surrounding verses speak of affliction and deliverance, many commentaries treat this reading as central.
• A reading of repentance: This reading connects the English rendering "contrite" (deeply remorseful) with the "broken spirit" of Psalm 51:16–17. It understands the verse as saying that God receives those who have recognized their sin and been humbled, and it is frequently used in sermons on repentance.
• A reading in light of the New Testament: Verse 8 of this psalm is cited in 1 Peter 2:3, and verses 12–16 are quoted in 1 Peter 3:10–12. Verse 20, "not one of them is broken," is discussed together with Exodus 12:46 as a background text for John 19:36. Because of these connections, there is a tradition of reading this psalm in the light of the suffering Christ.

These readings are not mutually exclusive and are often applied together.

Questions Concerning Application

No significant denominational dispute over the meaning of this verse is known. Nevertheless, the following questions have been raised.

• The question of translation: The word "contrite" makes it easy to read the verse as concerned with repentance alone. Some point out, however, that the original expression also encompasses discouragement and despair.
• The meaning of deliverance: When the verse is read together with verse 19, the question arises whether "deliverance" means that suffering will necessarily disappear in this world. The verse is also used as grounds for rebutting the view that attributes suffering to a lack of faith.
• Use in pastoral counseling: Some in the field of pastoral counseling have noted that simply offering this verse to people experiencing deep loss or depression is not sufficient.

Related Passages

• Psalm 51:17
• Psalm 147:3
• Isaiah 57:15
• Isaiah 61:1
• Matthew 5:3–4