Who is the man who delights in life, who desires to see good days?
Parallel translations
- WEB Who is someone who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?
- KJV What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
- NKJV Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?
- NASB Who is the person who desires life And loves length of days, that he may see good?
- NLT Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David asks who desires a long and good life, introducing the path to true blessing.
Overview
By posing this question, David engages all who long for a full and good life, preparing to show the way. The desire for life and good is universal and rightly directed toward God's ways. The New Testament cites these verses (1 Peter 3:10-12), applying the call to a holy life in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Pet 3:10–12For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
- Deut 30:20and that you may love the LORD your God, obey Him, and hold fast to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
- Deut 6:2so that you and your children and grandchildren may fear the LORD your God all the days of your lives by keeping all His statutes and commandments that I give you, and so that your days may be prolonged.
- Ps 91:16With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
- Eccl 3:13and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God.
- Ps 4:6Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
- Eccl 12:13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
- Ps 21:4He asked You for life, and You granted it—length of days, forever and ever.
- Job 7:7Remember that my life is but a breath. My eyes will never again see happiness.
- Eccl 2:3I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 34:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.