Read
Psalm 34:8
Oh taste and see that the LORD is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
6This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7The LORD’s angel encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8Oh taste and see that the LORD is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9Oh fear the LORD, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him.
10The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
Notice
The call to “taste and see” makes God's goodness something to know through trust, while refuge speaks to a person's need for shelter.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What experiences, if any, would you connect with the words “taste and see”?
Write on thisWhat might taking refuge in God look like in one concern you face today?
Write on thisConnect
Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 119:103How sweet are your promises to my taste, more than honey to my mouth!Both psalms use taste to describe knowing God's goodness, with Psalm 119 comparing his promises to honey.
Hebrews 6:4–5For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,Both passages use tasting as a picture of experience: the LORD's goodness in the psalm and the heavenly gift in Hebrews.
1 Peter 2:2–3as newborn babies, long for the pure spiritual milk, that with it you may grow,Tasting and spiritual milk draw on eating and drinking to describe knowing God's goodness and growing through spiritual nourishment.
Jeremiah 17:7“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose confidence is in the LORD.Both pronounce a person blessed for depending on the LORD, expressed as taking refuge in him and trusting him.
Romans 12:2Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of …Both passages speak of goodness being recognized: the LORD's goodness in the psalm and God's good will in Romans.
Psalm 1:1Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers;Both begin a blessing with “Blessed is the man,” though one describes refuge and the other refusal of wicked counsel.
Jeremiah 31:14I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness,” says the LORD.The LORD's goodness links both passages, expressed through tasting in the psalm and satisfaction in Jeremiah.
Psalm 63:5My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,Both psalms draw on the experience of food, using taste and rich satisfaction to speak of life with God.
Psalm 84:12LORD of Armies, blessed is the man who trusts in you.Both psalms declare the person who depends on the LORD blessed, describing that dependence as refuge and trust.
Zechariah 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.Goodness is praised in both passages, with tasting in the psalm and grain and wine in Zechariah.
1 John 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 …Both use sensory language: tasting and seeing the LORD's goodness, and hearing, seeing, and touching concerning the Word of life.
Song of Songs 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 …Both urge participation through tasting or eating, though the psalm speaks of God's goodness and the Song describes a lovers' feast.
Where this verse fits
Gratitude. fear for the future. praise and worship.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
Needing refuge does not put you outside the blessing described here. The person seeking shelter in YHWH is the very person this verse names as blessed.
Now put it in your words.
Start an entry on Psalm 34:8. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).