What Does Psalms 34:20 Mean?

Verse-by-verse commentary and theological analysis

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Psalms 34:20 Commentary

Verse 20 gives the bodily-protection promise for the righteous: "He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken." The keeping of all bones (shomer kol atzmotav, he guards all his bones: the shamar-keeping of protective custody applied to the bones/atzamot as the body's structural frame, every one of them under divine protection) and the not-being-broken (achat mehenah lo nishbarah, one of them is not broken) give the physical-protection promise its specificity: not just general protection but the specific not-breaking of even a single bone.

In context, the verse gives the righteous person's physical-protection in the midst of verse 19's many-troubles: even when the righteous experience the rabbah-ra'ot (many troubles), YHWH keeps the bones unbroken. The bones-protection corresponds to verse 7's angel-of-YHWH-encampment: the protective circle of the divine-agent produces the bone-keeping of verse 20. The bone-keeping is also the physical counterpart to verse 18's broken-heart (lev nishbar, broken heart) : the heart is broken (verse 18, which is the condition that draws YHWH near) but the bones are not broken (verse 20, which is the physical protection YHWH provides to the righteous).

John 19:31-36's "the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs... these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken'" applies verse 20 directly to Christ's crucifixion as prophetic fulfillment: the soldiers who broke the legs of the two criminals did not break Jesus' legs, fulfilling verse 20's "not one of them is broken." The physical bone-keeping of verse 20, promised to the righteous, was embodied in Christ's death in a way that John explicitly identifies as prophetic fulfillment. The Passover Lamb's bones-not-broken (Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12) and verse 20 merge in John's typological reading of the crucifixion.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Psalms 34:20

Direct theological answers and biblical context for study, teaching, and AI search citations.

What is the primary theological meaning of Psalms 34:20?

Verse 20 gives the bodily-protection promise for the righteous: "He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. " The keeping of all bones (shomer kol atzmotav, he guards all his bones: the shamar-keeping of protective custody applied to the bones/atzamot as the body's structural frame, every one of them under divine protection) and the not-being-broken (achat mehenah lo nishbarah, one of them is not broken) give the physical-protection promise its specificity: not just general protection but the specific not-breaking of even a single bone.

What is the historical and literary context of Psalms 34:20?

How does Psalms 34:20 connect to Christ and the wider biblical narrative?

John 19:31-36's "the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs...

What doctrinal truth does Psalms 34:20 teach believers today?

" The physical bone-keeping of verse 20, promised to the righteous, was embodied in Christ's death in a way that John explicitly identifies as prophetic fulfillment. The Passover Lamb's bones-not-broken (Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12) and verse 20 merge in John's typological reading of the crucifixion.

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