Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 34

I will bless the Lord - I will praise him; I will be thankful for his mercies, and will always express my sense of his goodness.

At all times - In every situation of life; in every event that occurs. The idea is that he would do it publicly and privately; in prosperity and in adversity; in safety and in danger; in joy and in sorrow. It would be a great principle of his life, expressive of the deep feeling of his soul, that God was always to be regarded as an object of adoration and praise.

His praise shall continually be in my mouth - I will be constantly uttering his praises; or, my thanks shall be unceasing. This expresses the purpose of the psalmist; and this is an indication of the nature of true piety. With a truly pious man the praise of God is constant; and it is an indication of true religion when a man is disposed always to bless God, whatever may occur. Irreligion, unbelief, scepticism, worldliness, false philosophy, murmur and complain under the trials and amidst the dark things of life; true religion, faith, love, spirituality of mind, Christian philosophy, see in God always an object of praise.

People who have no real piety, but who make pretensions to it, are disposed to praise and bless God in times of sunshine and prosperity; true piety always regards him as worthy of praise—in the storm as well as in the sunshine; in the dark night of calamity, as well as in the bright days of prosperity. .

My soul shall make her boast in the Lord - I myself will rejoice and exult in Him. The word “boast” here refers to that on which a man would value himself; that which would be most prominent in his mind when he sought to remember what he could reflect on with most pleasure.

The psalmist here says that when he did this, it would not be wealth or strength to which he would refer; it would not be his rank or position in society; it would not be what he had done, nor what he had gained, concerning this life.

His joy would spring from the fact that there was a God; that He was such a God, and that he could regard Him as his God. This would be his chief distinction—that on which he would value himself most. Of all the things that we can possess in this world, the crowning distinction is that we have a God, and that He is such a being as He is.

The humble shall hear thereof - The poor, the afflicted, those who are in the lower walks of life. They should hear that he put his trust in God, and they should find joy in being so directed to God as their portion and their hope. The psalmist seems to have referred here to that class particularly, because:

1. they would be more likely to appreciate this than those of more elevated rank, or than those who had never known affliction; and
2. this would be specially suited to provide them support and consolation, derived from his own experience.

He had been in trouble. He had been encompassed with dangers. He had been mercifully protected and delivered. He was about to state how it had been done.

He was sure that those who were in the circumstances in which he had been would welcome the truths which he was about to state, and would rejoice that there might be deliverance for them also, and that they too might find God a protector and a friend.

Calamity, danger, poverty, and trial are often highly advantageous in preparing the mind to appreciate the nature and to value the lessons of religion.

And be glad - Rejoice in the story of my deliverance, since it will lead them to see that they also may find deliverance in the day of trial.

O magnify the Lord with me - This seems to be addressed primarily to the “humble,” those referred to in the previous verse. As they could appreciate what he would say, as they could understand the nature of his feelings in view of his deliverance, he calls upon them especially to exult with him in the goodness of God. As he and they had common calamities and trials, so might they have common joys; as they were united in danger and sorrow, so it was proper that they should be united in joy and in praise.

The word “magnify” means literally “to make great,” and then, to make great in the view of the mind, or to regard and treat as great. The idea is, that he wished all, in circumstances similar to those in which he had been placed, to have a just sense of the greatness of God, and of his claims to love and praise. (Psalms 40:17; Psalms 69:30; Psalms 70:4; Luke 1:46.)

And let us exalt his name together - Let us unite in “lifting up” his name; that is, in raising it above all other things in our own estimation, and in the view of our fellow men; in so making it known that it shall rise above every other object, that all may see and adore.

I sought the Lord, and he heard me - That is, on the occasion referred to in the psalm, when he was exposed to the persecutions of Saul, and when he sought refuge in the country of Abimelech or Achish (1 Samuel 21:1–15). The idea is, that at that time he did not confide in his own wisdom, or trust to any devices of his own, but that he sought the protection and guidance of God, alike when he fled to Gath, and when he fled from Gath.

And delivered me from all my fears - From all that he apprehended from Saul, and again from all that he dreaded when he found that Abimelech would not harbor him, but drove him away.

They looked to him—That is, those who were with the psalmist. He was not alone when he fled to Abimelech; and the meaning here is that each one of those who were with him looked to God and found light and comfort in Him. The psalmist seems to have had his thoughts here suddenly turned from himself to those who were with him, and to have recalled how they “all” looked to God in their troubles, and how they all found relief.

And were lightened—Or, “enlightened.” They found light. Their faces, as we would say, “brightened up,” or they became cheerful. Their minds were made calm, for they felt assured that God would protect them.

Nothing could better express what often occurs in times of trouble, when the heart is sad and the countenance is sorrowful—a dark cloud apparently having come over all things—if one thus looks to God. The burden is removed from the heart, and the countenance becomes radiant with hope and joy.

The margin here, however, is, “They flowed to him.” The Hebrew word, נהר nâhar—means sometimes “to flow, to flow together” (Isaiah 2:2; Jeremiah 31:12; Jeremiah 51:44); but it also means “to shine, to be bright,” and consequently, “to be cheered, to rejoice” (Isaiah 60:5). This is probably the idea here, for this interpretation is better suited to the connection in which the word occurs.

And their faces were not ashamed—That is, they were not ashamed of having put their trust in God, or they were not disappointed. They had no reason to confess that it was a vain reliance or that they had been foolish in trusting Him in this way.

Compare Job 6:20 (note); Psalms 22:5 (note); Romans 9:33 (note); 1 John 2:28 (note). The idea here is that they found God to be all that they expected or hoped He would be. They had no cause to repent of what they had done. What was true of them will be true of all who put their trust in God.