Psalm 34:17-18
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While it sounds like a general promise, the verse emphasizes that it's specifically their cry that the Lord hears and answers. This isn't just about God's general benevolence, but His active response to the desperate pleas of those who are trying to live righteously.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse is part of a longer section where the psalmist reflects on his personal experience of God's deliverance, generalizing it into timeless wisdom. He contrasts the fate of the wicked with the blessedness of those who fear the Lord, emphasizing that God hears and rescues those who cry out to Him. This promise of divine intervention follows directly from the verses describing the Lord's protection over the righteous and His face being turned against evildoers.
The Bible talks a lot about 'the righteous.' But who qualifies? Is it someone who never messes up?
When we read about 'the righteous' in the Bible, it's easy to think it means people who are perfect, never sinning, and always doing the right thing. But the Scriptures often use this term differently.
Not About Perfection, But Position
In places like this Psalm, 'righteous' often refers to those who belong to God, who have put their trust in Him and are living in covenant with Him. It's less about their flawless behavior and more about their restored relationship with God through faith.
A Heart Turned Towards God
As other parts of this Psalm suggest, the 'righteous' are those who 'seek the LORD' and 'take refuge in Him.' They are the ones whose hearts are broken over sin and who rely on God's grace, not their own ability, to live a life pleasing to Him. Their cry for help isn't from a place of arrogance, but of humble dependence.
We all face troubles, and sometimes the urge to cry out is overwhelming. What does it mean when Scripture says God 'hears' that cry?
This verse makes a powerful connection: 'When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears.' It’s not just a passive hearing, like someone overhearing a distant sound. God's hearing is active, engaged, and purposeful.
More Than Just Listening
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When God 'hears,' it implies He acknowledges, takes notice, and is moved to action. Think of a parent hearing their child’s cry for help – there’s an immediate response driven by love and responsibility. God's response is infinitely greater.
Assurance in the Storm
The Psalm assures us that this hearing leads to deliverance. It’s a promise that even in our deepest distress, our cries are not in vain. God’s attention is fixed on those who turn to Him in their struggles, and His intervention is certain.
The verse promises deliverance 'out of all their troubles.' Does this mean an end to all hardship in this life?
The promise of deliverance is incredibly comforting, but we need to understand its scope. 'Out of all their troubles' doesn't always mean immediate freedom from every earthly difficulty.
Earthly Trials, Divine Rescue
God often does deliver His people from immediate dangers and painful circumstances in this life. We see countless examples in Scripture and in our own lives where God intervenes powerfully. This can be protection, provision, or restoration.
The Ultimate Deliverance
However, the full realization of being 'out of all troubles' finds its ultimate fulfillment in the life to come. While God sustains His righteous ones through their present troubles, guarding their souls, their final, complete deliverance from sin, suffering, and death awaits them in God’s presence. This psalm, like many others, points forward to the perfect redemption we have in Christ.
Understand the original words
tsaddiq · Hebrew Adjective
Those who are in a right relationship with God by faith, characterized by obedience to His commands and adherence to His moral standard. It denotes a person whose life aligns with God's justice and covenant requirements.
natsal · Hebrew Verb
To rescue, liberate, or save from distress, danger, or oppression. It signifies God's active intervention to bring His people out of perilous circumstances.
tsarah · Hebrew Noun
A state of internal distress, physical hardship, or adversity that tests one’s faith. Biblically, these trials are often allowed by God to produce endurance and reliance upon Him.
shabar (lev) · Hebrew Adjective/Participle
A metaphorical state of deep grief, humility, or spiritual distress resulting from sin or heavy trial. It is the condition of one who recognizes their total dependence on God.
daka' ruach · Hebrew Adjective/Participle
A state of being humbled, abased, or spiritually devastated. It signifies a person who has reached the end of their own strength and is fully receptive to God's intervention.
This psalm, likely written by David during a time of intense personal struggle and flight from Saul, paints a powerful picture of God's faithfulness. It assures readers that no matter how dire their circumstances, when the faithful cry out to God, He hears and delivers them.
c. 1025 BC
David's Early Ministry
David, a young shepherd, is anointed king by Samuel but serves Saul for many years, often in hiding.
c. 1015 BC
David Flees Saul
David is forced to flee from King Saul's pursuit, taking refuge in various wilderness locations and sometimes even among Philistine cities.
c. 1015 BC— this verse
David's Deception at Gath
While seeking refuge, David feigns madness before King Achish of Gath to escape danger, an event some traditions link to this psalm.
c. 1010 BC
David becomes King of Judah
After Saul's death, David is anointed king over the tribe of Judah, establishing his own kingdom in Hebron.
c. 1003 BC
David becomes King of All Israel
David unites all the tribes of Israel and Judah, establishing Jerusalem as his capital and a period of relative peace and expansion.
This passage echoes the promise of God hearing and answering the cries of His people, emphasizing that His intervention will be swift for those who diligently seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:12This verse directly links seeking and calling out to God with the assurance that He will hear and respond, mirroring the heart of Psalms 34:17.
Romans 8:28While not about crying for help specifically, this verse reassures believers that God is working all things, including their troubles, for their ultimate good, aligning with the idea of deliverance that Psalms 34:17 celebrates.
1 Peter 3:12This passage directly states that the Lord's eyes are on the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers, providing a New Testament confirmation of the truth found in Psalms 34:17.
Job 5:19This verse offers a parallel promise of deliverance from various troubles, including the fiercest ones, reinforcing the powerful theme of God's protective care over the righteous who cry out to Him.
cambridgePsalms 34:17: "The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles."
17 . They cried, and Jehovah heard; And rescued them out of all their distresses. We may understand a subject from the verb, they who cried cried , as in Psalm 34:5 , i.e., when any cried: or with LXX and Vulg. supply the righteous . (Had the LXX this reading, or did they merely insert the word from Psalm 34:15 ?) It is however possible that Psalm 34:15-16 should be transposed, and then the r…
clarkePsalms 34:17: "The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles."
The righteous cry - There is no word in the present Hebrew text for righteous; but all the versions preserve it. I suppose it was lost through its similitude to the word צעקו tsaaku, they cry צעקו צדיקים tsaaku tsaddikim, the righteous cry.
While it sounds like a general promise, the verse emphasizes that it's specifically their cry that the Lord hears and answers. This isn't just about God's general benevolence, but His active response to the desperate pleas of those who are trying to live righteously.
This verse is part of a longer section where the psalmist reflects on his personal experience of God's deliverance, generalizing it into timeless wisdom. He contrasts the fate of the wicked with the blessedness of those who fear the Lord, emphasizing that God hears and rescues those who cry out to Him. This promise of divine intervention follows directly from the verses describing the Lord's protection over the righteous and His face being turned against evildoers.
This verse is part of a longer section where the psalmist reflects on his personal experience of God's deliverance, generalizing it into timeless wisdom. He contrasts the fate of the wicked with the blessedness of those who fear the Lord, emphasizing that God hears and rescues those who cry out to Him. This promise of divine intervention follows directly from the verses describing the Lord's protection over the righteous and His face being turned against evildoers.
"When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." — While it sounds like a general promise, the verse emphasizes that it's specifically their cry that the Lord hears and answers. This isn't just about God's general benevolence, but His active respon…
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Last reviewed October 2026
