Psalms 34:21-22

34:21 Evil people self-destruct; ¹ 

those who hate the godly are punished. ² 

34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; ³ 

all who take shelter in him escape punishment. ⁴ 

¹ tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.

² tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.

³ tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.

⁴ tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 31:19).