Psalm 34: Boast in the Lord
Psalm 34:2, 2 Corinthians 11:30-33 - We learn a little bit about Hebrew verbs and also how an awkward situation for David can make one boast in the Lord.
“My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice.”
Psalms 34:2 NASB1995
Verse 2 of Psalm 34 continues David’s praise of the Lord. He says that his soul will make its boast in the Lord and the humble will hear it and rejoice! Let’s start with a word study!
Will make its boast comes from the root Hebrew verb הָלַל or hâlal (Strong’s H1984), with the following Biblical usages:
to shine
(Qal) to shine (fig. of God's favour)
(Hiphil) to flash forth light
to praise, boast, be boastful
(Qal)
to be boastful
boastful ones, boasters (participle)
(Piel)
to praise
to boast, make a boast
(Pual)
to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise
(Hithpael) to boast, glory, make one's boast
(Poel) to make a fool of, make into a fool
(Hithpoel) to act madly, act like a madman
So what are all of these various descriptions of how this verb is used in the Biblical usage list from the Blue Letter Bible? Hebrew is a complete mystery to me. Greek is something that makes more sense when you examine the words and usages, since so many modern English words come from Greek roots.
So let’s get some definitions, from a site called Biblical Hebrew:
In Biblical and Modern Hebrew, there are seven primary binyanim, each serving a unique grammatical function:
Qal (also called Pa’al) – The most basic and common binyan, typically representing simple or active verbs, such as “he wrote” (כָּתַב).
Niphal – Often the passive or reflexive form of Qal verbs, such as “he was written” (נִכְתַּב).
Piel – A binyan that intensifies the meaning of the root or makes it transitive, such as “he praised” (שִׁבֵּחַ).
Pual – The passive counterpart of Piel, such as “he was praised” (שׁוּבַּח).
Hiphil – A causative form, meaning “to cause to do,” such as “he made (someone) write” (הִכְתִּיב).
Hophal – The passive counterpart of Hiphil, such as “he was made to write” (הוּכְתַּב).
Hithpael – A reflexive or reciprocal form, such as “he sanctified himself” (הִתְקַדֵּשׁ).
The Twelve Minor Binyanim
In addition to these seven major binyanim, Hebrew also contains several less common, minor verbal patterns. These variations often reflect more specific nuances in action or meaning.
Polel – A variation of Piel, often used for intensive or repetitive actions.
Polal – The passive form of Polel.
Hithpolel – The reflexive form of Polel.
Pilpel – A reduplicative pattern that sometimes conveys intensity or frequency.
Polpal – The passive form of Pilpel.
Hithpalpel – The reflexive counterpart of Pilpel.
Poel – A rare form sometimes used in poetic or archaic contexts.
Poal – The passive form of Poel.
Hithpoel – The reflexive counterpart of Poel.
Palal – A variation often used for specific verbs with repeated or intensive action.
Pulal – The passive form of Palal.
Pealal – A highly specialized pattern used for select verbs.
Understanding the Function of Binyanim
The binyan system provides structure to Hebrew verbs in a way that allows speakers to derive meaning from familiar roots. This system is crucial in Biblical Hebrew, where context often determines whether a verb is active, passive, or reflexive. For example, the root כ-ת-ב (k-t-v) can appear in multiple binyanim:
Qal: כָּתַב (katav) – “He wrote.”
Niphal: נִכְתַּב (nikhtav) – “It was written.”
Piel: כִּתֵּב (kitev) – “He inscribed.”
Pual: כֻּתַּב (kutav) – “It was inscribed.”
Hiphil: הִכְתִּיב (hiktiv) – “He dictated (caused to write).”
Hophal: הוּכְתַּב (hukhtav) – “He was dictated to.”
Hithpael: הִתְכַּתֵּב (hitkatev) – “He corresponded (wrote to each other).”
By understanding these structures, students of Hebrew can recognize patterns in the language, making it easier to identify and interpret new verbs.
I don’t know if this will help anyone, because I’m still woefully confused, but it appears that nuances in how the verb is written with extra dots and curlicues and repetitions, etc., make it an active, passive or reflexive verb. I’m going to bookmark this site for future reference.
Back to our word study: Don’t you find it interesting that one of the ways this verb phrase “will make its boast” is used is to describe the actions of a madman or to make someone a fool? Quite fascinating, given the circumstances of the Psalm that we learned about in the introduction.
So what do the commentators say about verse 2? As I noted in the devotional for the first verse, I was thrilled to see that there is a verse-by-verse expository study of Psalm 34 by Charles Spurgeon quoted on Precept Austin:
Ver. 2. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. Boasting is a very natural propensity, and if it were used as in this case, the more it were indulged the better. The exultation of this verse is no mere tongue bragging, "the soul" is in it, the boasting is meant and felt before it is expressed. What scope there is for holy boasting in Jehovah! His person, attributes, covenant, promises, works, and a thousand things besides, are all incomparable, unparalleled, matchless; we may cry them up as we please, but we shall never be convicted of vain and empty speech in so doing. Truly he who writes these words of comment has nothing of his own to boast of, but much to lament over, and yet none shall stop him of his boast in God so long as he lives.
The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. They are usually grieved to hear boastings; they turn aside from vauntings and lofty speeches, but boasting in the Lord is quite another matter; by this the most lowly are consoled and encouraged. The confident expressions of tried believers are a rich solace to their brethren of less experience. We ought to talk of the Lord's goodness on purpose that others may be confirmed in their trust in a faithful God.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 2. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. Not like the boasting of the Pharisee, so hateful in the eyes of God, so offensive in the ears of the humble; for the humble can hear this boasting and be glad, which they would never do if it were not conformable to the rules of humility. Can any boasting be greater than to say, "I can do all things"? Yet in this boasting there is humility when I add, "In him that strengtheneth me." For though God likes not of boasting, yet he likes of this boasting, which arrogates nothing to ourselves, but ascribes all to him. Sir Richard Baker.
Ver. 2-6. There is somewhat very striking and pleasing in the sudden transitions, and the change of persons, that is observable in these few verses. "My soul shall boast; ""The humble shall hear; " "I sought the Lord; ""They looked to him; ""This poor man cried." There is a force and elegance in the very unconnectedness of the expressions, which, had they been more closely tied by the proper particles, would have been in a great measure lost. Things thus separated from each other, and yet accelerated, discover, as Longinus observes, the earnestness and the vehemency of the inward working of the mind; and though it may seem to interrupt, or disturb the sentence, yet quickens and enforces it. Samuel Chandler, D.D.
By boasting in the Lord, even the most lowly and disconsolate are encouraged! I found it interesting that the quote from Sir Richard Baker that Spurgeon refers to brings up Philippians 4:13. By boasting that “you can do all things” you are setting yourself above others. But when you add the humility of “through Him that gives me strength”, you are giving God all that He deserves, which is all!
If we began today, how long could we continue boasting in the infinite marvels and wonders of our Lord and Creator? I would guess it could go on for an eternity!
Enduring Word also has good commentary on verse 2; he also refers to the Spurgeon Exposition:
My soul shall make its boast in the LORD: David might have boasted in himself. The 1 Samuel account describes how David cleverly won his freedom by pretending madness, but he knew that the working of the thing was due to God, not his own cleverness.
“What scope there is for holy boasting in Jehovah! His person, attributes, covenant, promises, works, and a thousand things besides, are all incomparable, unparalleled, matchless; we may cry them up as we please, but we shall never be convicted of vain and empty speech in so doing.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Yet in a sense, David had little to boast of, from a human perspective. He had to humiliate himself like a madman to escape the Philistines, whom he had foolishly sought refuge among – even bringing Goliath’s sword with him to Gath!
Therefore this is a humble boast of David, boasting in the LORD and even a bit in his own humiliation. “Paul, in his great passage on boasting, may have remembered this saying and this episode, and so recalled his own ignominious escape from another foreign king (2 Corinthians 11:30-33), and the lessons learned in such straits.” (Derek Kidner)
“The seeming idiot scribbling on the gate is now saint, poet, and preacher; and, looking back on the deliverance won by a trick, he thinks of it as an instance of Jehovah’s answer to prayer!” (Alexander Maclaren)
The humble shall hear of it and be glad: David won his freedom by a radical display of humility. Other humble people would be glad to hear how God blessed and rewarded David’s humility.
It’s significant that he calls the people of God in general the humble. It is as if being proud were a denial of God Himself – and in a sense, it is.
Let’s look at that passage in 2 Corinthians:
“If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.”
2 Corinthians 11:30-33 NASB1995
Paul is talking about a similar situation to the danger that David faced. Paul will only boast of what pertains to his weakness and recalls when he had to flee in a basket from the city of Damascus to escape Aretas the king.
That last point in the commentary is an essential one - those who are His believers are humble. Being proud is a denial of God Himself. I believe this is true, because nothing drives one away from God and His consoling presence than an overweening sense of pride in one’s self or one’s real (or imaginary) accomplishments.
My next devotional examines Psalm 34:3 - Magnify the Lord.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Thank you for the mysterious and powerful gift of the Hebrew language! It is yet another reason to boast in the Lord and be glad in our humility. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
The sole purpose of Biblical Hebrew.Org is to provide free resources for people seeking to learn the original language of the Holy Scriptures. Biblical Hebrew © 2006-2025. BiblicalHebrew.Org. All rights reserved.
The Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 08/16/2025 to review the lexicon for will make its boast.
Precept Austin was accessed on 08/16/2025 to review commentary for Psalm 34:2.
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission. Minor formatting changes have been made to improve readability.