Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 34:6

"This poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles." — Psalms 34:6 (ASV)

This poor man cried - The psalmist here returns to his own particular experience. The emphasis here is on the word “this:” “This poor, afflicted, persecuted man cried.” There is something much more touching in this than if he had merely said “I,” or “I myself” cried. The language brings before us at once his afflicted and miserable condition. The word “poor” here - עני ‛ ânı̂y - does not mean “poor” in the sense of a want of wealth, but “poor” in the sense of being afflicted, crushed, forsaken, desolate. The word “miserable” would better express the idea than the word “poor.”

And the Lord heard him - That is, heard in the sense of “answered.” He regarded his cry, and saved him.