John Calvin Commentary Psalms 34:2

"My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah: The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad." — Psalms 34:2 (ASV)

My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah. The term soul in this place signifies not the vital spirit, but the seat of the affections; as if David had said, I will always have ground for boasting with my whole heart in God alone, so that I will never allow myself to fall into forgetfulness of so great a deliverance.

In the second clause he specifies this as the fruit of his thanksgiving: that the afflicted and miserable will derive from it ground for hope. The Hebrew word ענוים, anavim, which we have rendered humble, signifies not all the afflicted in general, but those who, being humbled and subdued by afflictions, instead of breathing the spirit of pride, are cast down, and ready to abase themselves to the very dust.

These, he says, will be partakers of his joy. This joy is not, as some have coldly explained it, simply from a feeling of sympathy. Instead, it is because, being persuaded that in David’s example God had given them a general testimony of his grace, their hearts would recover from sorrow and be lifted up on high. Accordingly, he says that this joy will spring from hope, because, having received a pledge of their deliverance, they will cheerfully turn to God.