Psalm 34:19-20 teaches that righteous people will face many troubles in life, but God promises to deliver them from all of it. The second verse about bones not being broken was directly fulfilled in Christ's crucifixion, showing these verses point both to God's general protection of believers and specifically to the Messiah's suffering and preservation.
The righteous face many troubles, but the Lord delivers them from every single one. Not one of their bones will be broken. These are the powerful words of Psalm 34:19-20, but what do they actually mean? And more importantly, should we expect God to protect us from physical harm because of these verses?
Many Christians quote these verses when they're going through hard times, believing God will shield them from all danger. But is that what David really meant when he wrote these words? And how did these verses point forward to Jesus Christ hundreds of years before the crucifixion?
Psalm 34:19-20 (KJV)
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
The Context: Why David Wrote Psalm 34
To understand what David means in verses 19 and 20, we need to know why he wrote this Psalm in the first place. The heading of Psalm 34 tells us exactly when David composed it: "A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed."
This refers to one of the most humiliating moments in David's life. He was running from King Saul, who was trying to kill him. David fled to the Philistine city of Gath—the hometown of Goliath, the giant he had killed years earlier. Think about that for a moment. David went to the one place where people had every reason to hate him and want revenge.
When the servants of King Achish (called Abimelech in the Psalm heading) recognized David, he became terrified. So what did this mighty warrior do? He pretended to be insane. First Samuel 21:13 says, "And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard."
David drooled on himself. He scratched at doors like an animal. He acted like a madman so they would throw him out instead of killing him. And it worked. King Achish said, "Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?" (1 Samuel 21:14-15). They drove him away.
Now here is what makes Psalm 34 so remarkable. After this degrading experience, after pretending to be insane and being thrown out like a worthless lunatic, David wrote a psalm of praise to God. The very first verse says, "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1).
David didn't write this Psalm during a mountaintop spiritual experience. He wrote it after one of his lowest moments. He praised God not because everything was going well, but because God had delivered him even through humiliation.
What "The Righteous" Actually Means
Before we can understand verse 19, we need to know who the righteous are. In the Bible, the righteous are not people who are perfect or sinless. The righteous are those who have been made right with God through faith.
David himself was far from perfect. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband Uriah to be killed in battle. Yet God called David a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Why? Because David trusted in God, repented when he sinned, and sought to follow the Lord despite his failures.
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul makes it clear that righteousness comes through faith, not through our own goodness. Romans 3:22 says, "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe." And Romans 4:5 declares, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
So when Psalm 34:19 speaks of "the righteous," it's talking about believers—those who trust in God and follow Him, even imperfectly. This verse is for every child of God.
Many Are the Afflictions of the Righteous
Now we come to the first part of verse 19: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." This is not a promise that life will be easy. This is not a guarantee that Christians will be spared from trouble. This is the exact opposite.
The word "many" here is significant. David doesn't say "a few afflictions" or "occasional troubles." He says many. The Hebrew word used here means numerous, great in quantity, abundant. The righteous person should expect multiple troubles throughout life.
This completely contradicts the false gospel that some preachers teach today—the idea that if you have enough faith, you'll be healthy, wealthy, and problem-free. David, a man who loved God deeply and was chosen to be king of Israel, faced constant danger. He was hunted like an animal. He had to pretend to be insane to save his life. He lost children. He was betrayed by close friends. He faced many afflictions.
The apostle Paul experienced the same reality. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, Paul lists his sufferings: imprisoned frequently, beaten with rods, stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked three times, constantly in danger from rivers, robbers, his own countrymen, and false believers. He faced hunger, thirst, cold, and sleepless nights. Many were his afflictions.
Jesus Himself told His disciples in John 16:33, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Notice Jesus didn't say "you might have trouble" or "you could face some difficulties." He said plainly, "ye shall have tribulation." It's a certainty, not a possibility.
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:12, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you." Trials are not unusual for Christians. They are normal.
So why does God allow His children to suffer? Because afflictions serve a purpose. They refine our faith. They teach us to depend on God rather than ourselves. They produce patience, character, and hope. Romans 5:3-4 says, "We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope."
James 1:2-4 adds, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
Afflictions also make us more like Christ. Hebrews 5:8 tells us that even Jesus "learned...obedience by the things which he suffered." If the sinless Son of God learned through suffering, how much more do we need affliction to shape us into His image?
But the Lord Delivereth Him Out of Them All
Here is the second half of verse 19, and this is where the promise comes: "but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." God doesn't promise to prevent all troubles. He promises to deliver us through them and out of them.
The Hebrew word for "delivereth" means to snatch away, to rescue, to save. It's an active word that shows God intervening on behalf of His people. And notice the completeness of the promise: out of them all. Not out of some troubles. Not out of most troubles. Out of all of them.
This doesn't mean God removes every difficulty the moment it appears. David wrote this Psalm after years of running from Saul. Joseph was in prison for years before God delivered him. The Israelites were in Egyptian slavery for four hundred years before Moses led them out. But in every case, God's deliverance eventually came.
Sometimes God delivers His people by removing the trouble. Sometimes He delivers them by giving them strength to endure through the trouble. Sometimes He delivers them by taking them home to heaven, where all suffering ends forever.
Second Corinthians 1:10 says of God, "Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us." Past deliverance, present deliverance, and future deliverance—God does all three.
When Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, God shut the mouths of the lions and delivered him (Daniel 6:22). When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace, God walked with them in the flames and brought them out without even the smell of smoke on their clothes (Daniel 3:27). When Peter was in prison awaiting execution, an angel released him in the night (Acts 12:7).
But when Stephen was stoned to death for preaching the gospel, God didn't stop the stones. Instead, He opened heaven and showed Stephen a vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56). Stephen's deliverance came through death into eternal glory.
God's ways of delivering are not always what we expect or prefer. But His promise stands: He will deliver the righteous out of all their troubles.
He Keepeth All His Bones: Not One of Them Is Broken
Verse 20 becomes even more specific: "He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken." At first reading, this sounds like a promise of physical protection. God will preserve our bodies so completely that we won't even suffer a broken bone.
But we know this can't be the literal meaning for all believers, because many faithful Christians throughout history have suffered broken bones, severe injuries, and violent deaths. The apostles themselves were martyred. Church history is filled with believers who were tortured, beaten, and killed for their faith.
So what does this verse mean? We find the answer when we see how this verse was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
When Jesus was crucified, the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals hanging on either side of Him. This was done to speed up death, because a crucified person needed to push up with their legs to breathe. Breaking the legs meant suffocation would come quickly.
But when the soldiers came to Jesus, John 19:33 says, "But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs." And then John adds this crucial statement in verses 36: "For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken."
John is directly referring to Psalm 34:20. This verse was a prophecy about the Messiah. Just as the Passover lamb in Exodus 12:46 was commanded to have no bones broken, so the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world would have no bones broken.
This is why Psalm 34:20 is so specific. It's not just a general promise about protection—it's a prophecy pointing to Christ. David wrote about his own deliverance, but the Holy Spirit was also speaking through him about the coming Savior.
Does this mean the verse has no meaning for ordinary believers? No. The principle still applies. God protects and preserves His people in ways that are both seen and unseen. We may not always be spared from physical harm, but God keeps our spiritual lives intact. He preserves our souls. He ensures that those who belong to Him will never be lost.
Jesus said in John 10:28-29, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."
That is the ultimate protection. That is the keeping of our bones in the deepest sense—our very being is secure in God's hands forever.
What This Means for Your Life Today
So what should you do with Psalm 34:19-20? How should these verses shape the way you live and trust God?
First, accept that trouble is coming. Don't be shocked or devastated when difficulties arise. Jesus promised tribulation in this world. Psalm 34:19 confirms it. Many are the afflictions of the righteous. Expect them. Prepare for them. Understand that they are normal, not unusual.
Second, trust God to deliver you. When trouble comes, don't panic and don't despair. The same verse that promises affliction also promises deliverance. God has not abandoned you. He sees your situation. He knows your pain. And He will bring you through it in His time and in His way.
Third, remember that God's deliverance may not look like what you expect. He may remove the trouble. He may give you strength to endure through it. He may teach you something crucial through it. He may even deliver you through death into glory. But whatever form it takes, His deliverance will come.
Fourth, rest in the security of your salvation. Even if your physical body suffers, even if you face persecution or hardship or loss, your soul is eternally secure in Christ. Not one bone of your spiritual life will be broken. You are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation (1 Peter 1:5).
Finally, remember that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this Psalm. He faced more affliction than any person in history—rejected, mocked, beaten, and crucified. Yet God delivered Him through resurrection. And because He lives, you will live also (John 14:19). His victory is your victory. His deliverance guarantees yours.
When David wrote Psalm 34 after pretending to be insane to escape his enemies, he could have been bitter. He could have complained about how unfair life was. Instead, he praised God for deliverance and declared that the Lord rescues the righteous from all their troubles.
That same God is your God. Those same promises are yours. Many may be your afflictions, but certain is your deliverance through Christ.
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