Psalms 34:20

He protects ¹  all his bones; ²  not one of them is broken. ³ 

biblegateway Psa 34:20

he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

biblegateway Psa 34:20

He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.

biblegateway Psa 34:20

For the LORD protects them from harm––not one of their bones will be broken!

biblegateway Psa 34:20

He's your bodyguard, shielding every bone; not even a finger gets broken.

SABDAweb Psa 34:20

He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken.

bibleoremus Psa 34:20

He keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken.

biblegateway Psa 34:20

He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.

biblegateway Psa 34:20

He protects ¹  all his bones; ²  not one of them is broken. ³ 

¹ tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.

² tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.

³ sn Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).