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¶Taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalms 34:8 · New American Standard Bible · underlined terms are tappable
Parallel translations
  • WEB Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
  • KJV O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
  • BSB Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
  • NKJV Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
  • NLT Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

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 invites all to taste and see that the Lord is good, blessing those who take refuge in him.

Overview

This famous call urges personal experience of God's goodness, promising blessing to all who take refuge in him. Faith is invited to prove God's goodness firsthand. The New Testament applies this to coming to Christ, the good Lord in whom we find refuge (1 Peter 2:3).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Ps 119:103How sweet are your promises to my taste, more than honey to my mouth!
  • Heb 6:4–5For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
  • 1 Pet 2:2–3as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow,
  • Jer 31:14I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,” says Yahweh.
  • Ps 63:5My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,
  • Ps 84:12Yahweh of Armies, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
  • Ps 36:7How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
  • Zech 9:17For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.
  • Ps 36:10Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
  • 1 Jn 1:1–3That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life
  • Song 5:1I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends! Drink, yes, drink abundantly, beloved.
  • Ps 2:12Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
  • Song 2:3As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, his fruit was sweet to my taste.
  • 1 Jn 4:7–10Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God.
  • Ps 52:1For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, “David has come to Ahimelech’s house.” Why do you boast of mischief, mighty man? God’s loving kindness endures continually.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 34:8YouTube · 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 34:8 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.