Psalm 34 - Taste and See that the Lord is Good!
Psalm 34:8 - We cannot adequately explain in words the taste of honey or the experience of walking with the Lord.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
Psalms 34:8 NASB1995
This is one of the most popular verses from Psalm 34. David is telling us that we can see that the Lord is good through our senses. We taste the Lord through our faith in Him and we can see all the good that He does. So let’s do a couple of word studies!
Taste comes from the Hebrew verb טָעַם or ṭâʻam (Strong’s H2938), which has the Strong’s definition of to taste; figuratively, to perceive.
See comes from the Hebrew verb רָאָה or râʼâh (Strong’s H7200), with the following Biblical usages:
to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider
(Qal)
to see
to see, perceive
to see, have vision
to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out
to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish
to look at, gaze at
(Niphal)
to appear, present oneself
to be seen
to be visible
(Pual) to be seen
(Hiphil)
to cause to see, show
to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at
(Hophal)
to be caused to see, be shown
to be exhibited to
(Hithpael) to look at each other, face
We perceive and consider and learn about how the Lord is good!
Here’s Charles Spurgeon Exposition/Explanatory notes on Psalm 34:8 from Precept Austin:
EXPOSITION
Ver. 8. O taste and see. Make a trial, an inward, experimental trial of the goodness of God. You cannot see except by tasting for yourself; but if you taste you shall see, for this, like Jonathan's honey, enlightens the eyes. That the Lord is good. You can only know this really and personally by experience. There is the banquet with its oxen and fatlings; its fat things full of marrow, and wine on the lees well refined; but their sweetness will be all unknown to you except you make the blessings of grace your own, by a living, inward, vital participation in them. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Faith is the soul's taste; they who test the Lord by their confidence always find him good, and they become themselves blessed. The second clause of the verse, is the argument in support of the exhortation contained in the first sentence.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good. Our senses help our understandings; we cannot by the most rational discourse perceive what the sweetness of honey is; taste it and you shall perceive it. "His fruit was sweet to my taste." Dwell in the light of the Lord, and let thy soul be always ravished with his love. Get out the marrow and the fatness that thy portion yields thee. Let fools learn by beholding thy face how dim their blazes are to the brightness of thy day. Richard Alleine, in "Heaven Opened, "1665.
Ver. 8. O taste and see, etc. It is not enough for thee to see it afar off, and not have it, as Dives did; or to have it in thee, and not to taste it, as Samson's lion had great store of honey in him, but tasted no sweetness of it; but thou must as well have it as see it, and as well taste it as have it. O taste and see, says he, "how sweet the Lord is; "for so indeed Christ giveth his church not only a sight but also "a taste" of his sweetness. A sight is where he saith thus: "We will rise up early, and go into the vineyard, and see whether the vine have budded forth the small grapes, and whether the pomegranates flourish; "there is a sight of the vine. A taste is where he says thus, "I will bring thee into the wine cellar, and cause thee to drink spice wine, and new wine of the pomegranates; "there is a taste of the wine. The church not only goes into the vineyard and sees the wine, but also goes into the wine cellar, and tastes the wine. Thomas Playfere.
Ver. 8. Taste and see. There are some things, especially in the depths of the religious life, which can only be understood by being experienced, and which even then are incapable of being adequately embodied in words. O taste and see that the Lord is good. The enjoyment must come before the illumination; or rather the enjoyment is the illumination. There are things that must be loved before we can know them to be worthy of our love; things to be believed before we can understand them to be worthy of belief. And even after this --after we are conscious of a distinct apprehension of some spiritual truth, we can only, perhaps, answer, if required to explain it, in the words of the philosopher to who the question was put, "What is God?" "I know, if I am not asked." Thomas Binney's "Sermons, "1869.
Ver. 8. Taste and see. Be unwilling that all the good gifts of God should be swallowed without taste, or maliciously forgotten, but use your palate, know them, and consider them. D. H. Mollerus.
Ver. 8. Heaven and earth are replete with the goodness of God. We omit to open our mouths and eyes, on which account the psalmist desires us to taste and see. Agustus F. Tholuck.
Ver. 8. The taste and see invite, as it were, to a sumptuous feast, which has long been ready; to a rich sight openly exposed to view. The imperatives are in reality not oratory but persuasive. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Ver. 8. All that the believer can attain of spiritual consolation in this life is but a taste. David Dickson.
There’s a few good nuggets from Spurgeon and from his notes quoting from other scholars:
You can only know that the Lord is good through experience.
You cannot explain in any words how honey tastes to another person. You can say it is sweet or viscous or satisfying, but that could explain many things. Only by tasting honey will you come to know it.
The enjoyment of the Lord comes before illumination and also IS the illumination.
We comprehend God best without words [What is God?" "I know, if I am not asked].
The “taste and see” is an invitation to a sumptuous feast.
By immersing ourselves in our walk with the Lord, we are provided a refuge and ample blessings.
Also, here is the commentary from Enduring Word:
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good: After telling of his own experience, David challenged the reader (or singer) of this psalm to experience God’s goodness for himself or herself. It could only come through a personal encounter, in some ways similar to a taste or to see.
Taste and sight are physical senses, ways in which we interact with the material world. In some ways, faith is like a spiritual sense, and with it we interact with the spiritual world. To taste and to see are like trusting God, loving Him, seeking Him, looking unto Him.
“Taste, i.e. consider it seriously, and thoroughly, and affectionately; make trial of it by your own and others’ experiences. This is opposed by those slight and vanishing thoughts which men have of it.” (Matthew Poole)
“As he that feels the fire hot, or as he that tasteth honey sweet, ye need not use arguments to persuade him to believe it; so here, let a man but once taste that the Lord is good, and he will thenceforth, as a new-born babe, desire the sincere milk of the word.” (John Trapp)
“Both Hebrews 6:5 and 1 Peter 2:3 use this verse to describe the first venture into faith, and to urge that the tasting should be more than a casual sampling.” (Derek Kidner)
“There are some things, especially in the depths of the religious life, which can only be understood by being experienced, and which even then are incapable of being adequately embodied in words. ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good.’ The enjoyment must come before the illumination; or rather the enjoyment is the illumination.” (Thomas Binney, cited in Spurgeon) [also cited in the Spurgeon commentary above].
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him: David was sure that the one who did taste and see – or, who trusted in God – would not be forsaken. God would make him blessed.
Some of the popular videos these days are cute ones of babies or toddlers tasting something absolutely scrumptious for the first time. The reactions and the look on their faces should be the radiance and joy that we project when we “taste and see” that the Lord is good!
My next devotional examines Psalm 34:9 - Fear the Lord, you His saints.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please guide me into the true experience of being one of Your beloved children, that I can taste and see that You are good and You bless us and provide a refuge. I also ask for healing of my vision problems. 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 Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 08/28/2025 to review the lexicon for taste, see.
Precept Austin was accessed on 08/28/2025 to review commentary for Psalm 34:8.
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission. Minor formatting changes have been made to improve readability.