Psalm 34 Academics
Taste and see!
Psalm 34
Academic Resources
Explore our academic Psalms resources for Psalm 34, including our Layer-by-Layer analysis, select Exegetical Issues, and Overview Videos.
Overview 
- This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 34 as a whole. It covers the message, structure, background and participants of the psalm.
Layer-by-Layer Analysis 
- The heart of our process is our layer-by-layer exegetical analysis, where we unfold the semantics, story behind, discourse, and poetics of each psalm.
Grammar & Semantics
Semantics is the study of how language is used to represent meaning. The goal of semantic analysis is to understand the meaning of words and how they relate to each other in context. Our Semantics analysis consists of the following sub-layers:
- Grammar & Textual Criticism
- Lexical Semantics
- Phrase-Level Semantics
- Verbal Semantics
Story Behind
The Story Behind the Psalm shows how each part of the psalm fits together into a single coherent whole. Here, we analyze the meaning of sentences and larger units of discourse, up to and including the entire psalm. This also include historical background and figurative imagery.
Discourse
Our Discourse Layer moves beyond semantic-level meaning, and analyzes features of the text dependent on the speaker, addressee, and macrosyntax.
Poetics
Exploring the Psalms as poetry is crucial for understanding and experiencing the psalms and thus for faithfully translating them into another language.
Verse-by-Verse Notes 
- Explore the psalm verse-by-verse and section-by-section.
Psalm 34 Exegetical Issues 
- These issues examine the top three tough questions for each psalm, explaining different scholarly interpretations, and offering our perspective.
- Scholars agree that the events described in the superscription of Ps 34 (i.e., Ps 34:1) correspond to the events described in 1 Sam 21:11-22:1. There is one notable difference, however between Ps 34:1 and the story in 1 Sam 21. Whereas the king of Gath is called אָכִישׁ ('Akish) in 1 Sam 21, he is called אֲבִימֶלֶךְ ('Abimelek) in the superscription of Ps 34. What is the reason for this discrepancy? Furthermore, what is the relationship between the psalm and its historical superscription?
- Whereas the KJV (along with a majority of the modern translations consulted) reads the first half of the verse as a pair of statements ("they looked... and were enlightened"), the RSV reads the first half of the verse as a pair of imperatives ("Look.. and be radiant"). Accordingly, in the second half of the verse, the KJV has "their faces" while the RSV has "your faces." The differences in translation reflect different underlying texts. The KJV follows the traditional Masoretic text, and the RSV follows the majority of ancient versions.
- The subject of the 3mp verb צָעֲקוּ ("they cried out") is ambiguous: Is the subject the "evildoers" from the previous verse (v. 17), or is it "the righteous" from the verse before (v. 16)? The issue involves not only identifying the subject of the verb, but also determining the original textual arrangement of vv. 16-17. Does the MT preserve the correct arrangement of the verses, or should vv. 16 -17 be rearranged?
