This psalm purports, by its title, to have been written by David, and there is no reason to call in question the correctness of the inscription. It is not probable that the title was given to the psalm by the author himself; but, like the other inscriptions which have occurred in many of the previous psalms, it is in the Hebrew, and was doubtless prefixed by him who made a collection of the Psalms, and expresses the current belief of the time in regard to its author. There is nothing in the psalm that is inconsistent with the supposition that David was the author, or that is incompatible with the circumstances of the occasion on which it is said to have been composed.
That occasion is said to have been when David, “changed his behavior before Abimelech.” The circumstance here referred to is, undoubtedly, that which is described in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. David, for fear of Saul, fled to Gath, and put himself under the protection of Achish (or Abimelech), the king of Gath. It soon became known who the stranger was. The fame of David had reached Gath, and a public reference was made to him by the “servants of Achish,” and to the manner in which his deeds had been celebrated among the Hebrews: “Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?” 1 Samuel 21:11. David was apprehensive that he might be betrayed, and be delivered up by Achish to Saul, and he resorted to the device of feigning himself mad, supposing that this would be a protection; that either from pity Achish would shelter him; or, that as he would thus be considered harmless, Saul would regard it needless to secure him. He, therefore, acted like a madman, or like an idiot. He “scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.” The device, though it may have saved him from being delivered up to Saul, had no other effect. Achish was unwilling to harbor a madman; and David left him, and sought a refuge in the cave of Adullam. 1 Samuel 21:15; 1 Samuel 22:1. It is not necessary, in order to a proper understanding of the psalm, to attempt to vindicate the conduct of David in this. Perfect honesty would doubtless, in this case, as in all others, have been better in regard to the result as it is certainly better in respect to a good conscience. The question of adopting “disguises,” however, when in danger, is not one which it is always easy to determine.
It is by no means necessary to suppose that the psalm was written “at that time,” or “when” he thus “changed his behavior.” All that the language of the inscription properly expresses is, that it was with reference to that occasion, or to the danger in which he then was, or in remembrance of his feelings at the time, as he recalled them afterward; and that it was in view of his own experience in going through that trial, and of his deliverance from that danger. In the psalm itself there is no allusion to his “change of behavior;” and the design of David was not to celebrate that, or to vindicate that, but to celebrate the goodness of God in his deliverance as it was effected at that time. In the psalm David expresses no opinion about the measure which he adopted to secure his safety; but his heart and his lips are full of praise in view of the fact that he “was” delivered. It is, moreover, fairly implied in the inscription itself, that the psalm was composed, not at that time, but subsequently: “A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.” The obvious construction of this would be that the psalm was composed after Abimelech had driven him away.
The “name” of the king of Gath at the time is said, in the text of the inscription or title, to have been Abimelech; in the margin, it is Achish. In 1 Samuel 21:1-15 it is “Achish” in the text, and “Abimelech” in the margin. It is not at all improbable that he was known by both these names. His personal name was doubtless “Achish;” the hereditary name - the name by which the line of kings of Gath was known - was probably Abimelech. Thus the general, the hereditary, the family name of the kings of Egypt in early times was Pharaoh; in later times Ptolemy. In like manner the kings of Pontus had the general name of Mithridates; the Roman emperors, after the time of Julius Caesar, were “the Caesars;” and so, not improbably, the general name of the kings of Jerusalem may have been Adonizedek, or Melchizedek; and the name of the kings of the Amalekites, Agag. We have evidence that the general name Abimelech was given to the kings of the Philistines Genesis 20; Genesis 26 as early as the time of Abraham; and it is certainly not impossible or improbable that it became a hereditary name, like the names Pharaoh, Ptolemy, Mithridates, and Caesar. A slight confirmation of this supposition may be derived from the signification of the name itself. It properly means “father of the king,” or “father-king;” and it might thus become a common title of the kings in Philistia. Thus, also, the term “Padisha” (Pater, Rex) is given to the kings of Persia, and the title “Atalik” (father) to the khans of Bucharia. (Gesenius, Lexicon)
This psalm is the second of the alphabetical psalms, or the psalms in which the successive verses begin with one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. See the introduction to Psalms 25. The arrangement is regular in this psalm, except that the Hebrew letter ו (v) is omitted, and that, to make the number of the verses equal to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, an additional verse is appended to the end, commencing, as in the last verse of Psalms 25, with the Hebrew letter פ (p).
The psalm consists essentially of four parts, which, though sufficiently connected to be appropriate to the one occasion on which it was composed, are so distinct as to suggest different trains of thought.
I. An expression of thanksgiving for deliverance Psalms 34:1-6; concluding with the language, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” From this it has been supposed, as suggested above, that the psalm was composed after David had left the court of Abimelech, and not “at the time” when he was feigning madness.
II. A general statement about the privilege of confiding in God, as derived from his own experience; and an exhortation to others, founded on that experience, Psalms 34:7-10.
III. A special exhortation to the “young” to trust in the Lord, and to pursue a life of uprightness, Psalms 34:11-14. The psalmist professes himself able to instruct them, and he shows them that the way to attain to prosperity and to length of days is to lead a life of virtue and religion. What he had himself passed through - his deliverance in the time of trial - the recollections of his former life - all suggested this as an invaluable lesson to the young. From this it would seem not to be improbable that the psalm was written at a considerable period after what occurred to him at the court of the king of Gath, and perhaps when he was himself growing old - yet still in view of the events at that period of his life.
IV. A general statement that God will protect the righteous; that their interests are safe in His hands; that they may confidently rely upon Him; that though they may be afflicted, yet God will deliver them from their afflictions, and that He will ultimately redeem them from all their troubles, Psalms 34:15-22.
The general purport and bearing of the psalm, therefore, is to furnish an argument for trusting in God in the time of trouble, and for leading such a life that we may confidently trust him as our Protector and Friend.
Psalms 34:Title
In the title, the words “a psalm” are not in the original. The original is simply of “David,” לדוד ledâvid, or “by David,” without denoting the character of the production, whether it was to be regarded as a “psalm,” or some other species of composition. “When he changed his behavior.” The word “behavior” does not quite express the meaning of the original word, nor describe the fact as it is related 1 Samuel 21:1-15. The Hebrew word - טעם ṭa‛am - means properly, “taste, flavor of food;” then intellectual taste, judgment, discernment, understanding; and in this place it would literally mean, “he changed his understanding;” that is, he feigned himself mad. This corresponds precisely with the statement of his conduct in 1 Samuel 21:13.
Before Abimelech - Margin, “Achish.” As remarked above, this latter is the proper or personal name of the king.
Who drove him away - See 1 Samuel 21:15.