Psa 34:1-3 | KD | STEP | In we heard the words, “Behold, the eye of Jahve is directed toward them that fear Him,” and in we hear this same grand thought, “the eyes of Jahve are directed towards the righteous.” Ps 34 is one of the eight Psalms which are assigned, by their inscriptions, to the time of David’s persecution by Saul, and were composed upon that weary way of suffering extending from Gibea of Saul to Ziklag. (The following is an approximation to their chronological order: Ps 7, 59, Psa 56:1-13, 34, , , , ). The inscription runs: Of David, when he disguised his understanding (טעמּו with Dag ., lest it should be pronounced טעמו) before Abimelech, and he drove him away (ויגרשׁהוּ with Chateph Pathach , as is always the case with verbs whose second radical is ר, if the accent is on the third radical) and he departed . David, being pressed by Saul, fled into the territory of the Philistines; here he was recognised as the man who had proved such a dangerous enemy to them years since and he was brought before Achish, the king. is a prayer which implores help in the trouble of this period (and its relation to resembles that of Ps 51 to ). David’s life would have been lost had not his desperate attempt to escape by playing the part of a madman been successful. The king commanded him to depart, and David betook himself to a place of concealment in his own country, viz., the cave of Adullam in the wilderness of Judah. The correctness of the inscription has been disputed. Hupfeld maintains that the writer has blindly taken it from 1Sa 21:14. According to Redslob, Hitzig, Olshausen, and Stähelin, he had reasons for so doing, although they are invalid. The טעמוּ of the Psalm ( ) seemed to him to accord with טעמּו, ; and in addition to this, he combined תּתהלּל, gloraris , of the Psalm ( ) with ויּתהלל, insanivit , 1Sa 21:14. We come to a different conclusion. The Psalm does not contain any express reference to that incident in Philistia, hence we infer that the writer of the inscription knew of this reference from tradition. His source of information is not the Books of Samuel; for there the king is called אכישׁ, whereas he calls him אבימלך, and this, as even Basil has perceived (vid., Euthymius Zigadenus’ introduction to this Psalm), is the title of the Philistine kings, just as Pharaoh is title of the Egyptian, Agag of the Amalekite, and Lucumo of the Etruscan kings. His source of information, as a comparison of with shows, is a different work, viz., the Annals of David, in which he has traced the Psalm before us and other Psalms to their historical connection, and then indicated it by an inscription in words taken from that source. The fact of the Psalm being alphabetical says nothing against David as its author (vid., on ). It is not arranged for music; for although it begins after the manner of a song of praise, it soon passes into the didactic tone. It consists of verses of two lines, which follow one another according to the order of the letters of the alphabet. The ו is wanting, just as the נ is wanting in Ps 145; ; and after ת, as in Ps 25, which is the counterpart to Ps 34, follows a second supernumerary פ.

‏ Psalms 34:1-3

Thanksgiving and Teaching of One Who Has Experienced Deliverance

In Psa 33:18 we heard the words, “Behold, the eye of Jahve is directed toward them that fear Him,” and in Psa 34:16 we hear this same grand thought, “the eyes of Jahve are directed towards the righteous.” Ps 34 is one of the eight Psalms which are assigned, by their inscriptions, to the time of David’s persecution by Saul, and were composed upon that weary way of suffering extending from Gibea of Saul to Ziklag. (The following is an approximation to their chronological order: Ps 7, 59, Psa 56:1-13, 34, Psa 52:1-9, Psa 57:1-11, Psa 142:1-7, Psa 54:1-7). The inscription runs: Of David, when he disguised his understanding (טעמּו with Dag., lest it should be pronounced טעמו) before Abimelech, and he drove him away (ויגרשׁהוּ with Chateph Pathach, as is always the case with verbs whose second radical is ר, if the accent is on the third radical) and he departed. David, being pressed by Saul, fled into the territory of the Philistines; here he was recognised as the man who had proved such a dangerous enemy to them years since and he was brought before Achish, the king. Psa 56:1-13 is a prayer which implores help in the trouble of this period (and its relation to Psa 24:1-10 resembles that of Ps 51 to Psa 32:1-11). David’s life would have been lost had not his desperate attempt to escape by playing the part of a madman been successful. The king commanded him to depart, and David betook himself to a place of concealment in his own country, viz., the cave of Adullam in the wilderness of Judah.

The correctness of the inscription has been disputed. Hupfeld maintains that the writer has blindly taken it from 1Sa 21:14. According to Redslob, Hitzig, Olshausen, and Stähelin, he had reasons for so doing, although they are invalid. The טעמוּ of the Psalm (Psa 34:9) seemed to him to accord with טעמּו, 1Sa 21:14; and in addition to this, he combined תּתהלּל, gloraris, of the Psalm (Psa 34:3) with ויּתהלל, insanivit, 1Sa 21:14. We come to a different conclusion. The Psalm does not contain any express reference to that incident in Philistia, hence we infer that the writer of the inscription knew of this reference from tradition. His source of information is not the Books of Samuel; for there the king is called אכישׁ, whereas he calls him אבימלך, and this, as even Basil has perceived (vid., Euthymius Zigadenus’ introduction to this Psalm), is the title of the Philistine kings, just as Pharaoh is title of the Egyptian, Agag of the Amalekite, and Lucumo of the Etruscan kings. His source of information, as a comparison of 2Sa 22:1 with Psa 18:1 shows, is a different work, viz., the Annals of David, in which he has traced the Psalm before us and other Psalms to their historical connection, and then indicated it by an inscription in words taken from that source. The fact of the Psalm being alphabetical says nothing against David as its author (vid., on Ps 9-10). It is not arranged for music; for although it begins after the manner of a song of praise, it soon passes into the didactic tone. It consists of verses of two lines, which follow one another according to the order of the letters of the alphabet. The ו is wanting, just as the נ is wanting in Ps 145; ; and after ת, as in Ps 25, which is the counterpart to Ps 34, follows a second supernumerary פ. Psa 34:1-3 (Hebrew_Bible_34:2-4) The poet begins with the praise of Jahve, and calls upon all the pious to unite with him in praising Him. The substantival clause Psa 34:2, is intended to have just as much the force of a cohortative as the verbal clause Psa 34:2. אברכה, like ויגרשׁהו, is to be written with Chateph-Pathach in the middle syllable. In distinction from עניּים, afflicti, ענוים signifies submissi, those who have learnt endurance or patience in the school of affliction. The praise of the psalmist will greatly help to strengthen and encourage such; for it applies to the Deliverer of the oppressed. But in order that this praise may sound forth with strength and fulness of tone, he courts the assistance of companions in Psa 34:4. To acknowledge the divine greatness with the utterance of praise is expressed by גּדּל with an accusative in Psa 69:31; in this instance with ל: to offer גּדלּה unto Him, cf. Psa 29:2. Even רומם has this subjective meaning: with the heart and in word and deed, to place the exalted Name of God as high as it really is in itself. In accordance with the rule, that when in any word two of the same letters follow one another and the first has a Shebâ, this Shebâ must be an audible one, and in fact Chateph Pathach preceded by Gaja (Metheg), we must write וּנרוממה.