Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

34:8-14 Therefore Fear the Lord with Me. Now that the song has mentioned the humble (v. 2) and those who fear the Lord (v. 7), it moves on to encourage all who sing it to fear the Lord (v. 9), i.e., to revere him; and it seeks to teach them what it means to fear him (vv. 11-14). The verb taste (v. 8), which in the OT is commonly used in the literal sense, is a metaphor for personal experience; the NT uses the metaphor widely (e.g., John 8:52; Heb. 2:9; 6:4). The saints (Ps. 34:9), or holy ones, are those whom God has consecrated to himself, namely, his people. They should live holy lives in response to his kindness (Lev. 20:7-8). Observe how the holy life is distinguished by dealing well with others (Ps. 34:13-14). First Peter uses texts from this section: 1 Pet. 2:3, "you have tasted that the Lord is good," where "the Lord" is Jesus; 1 Pet. 3:10-12 uses Ps. 34:12-16 to summarize the ideal behavior and lifestyle for Christians.