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They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
Psalms 34:5 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame.
  • BSB Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed.
  • NKJV They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.
  • NASB They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed.
  • NLT Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

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

Those who look to God are radiant and never put to shame.

Overview

David broadens his testimony to all who look to the Lord, who are made radiant and kept from disgrace. Trust in God transforms and secures the believer. This radiance anticipates the unashamed hope of those who look to Christ and are never disappointed.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Heb 12:2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
  • Ps 123:1–2Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
  • Ps 18:28For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
  • Ps 25:3Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
  • Isa 60:5Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
  • Ps 36:9For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
  • Ps 97:11Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
  • Isa 45:22Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
  • Ps 13:3Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
  • Esth 8:16The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
  • Ps 83:16Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
  • 2 Sam 19:5And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 34:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 34:5 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.