Psalms 34:20
in Psalms 34He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken.
KJV
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
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This verse in Psalms 34
Commentary
11 notes on this verseThere should also be certain bones of the inner person in which the bond of union and harmony of spiritual powers is collected. Just as the bones by their own firmness protect the tenderness of the flesh, so also in the church there are some who through their own constancy are able to carry the infirmities of the weak.
This site's exposition
Many are the afflictions
on Psalms 34:19-22
Verse 19 grants many afflictions to the righteous and promises deliverance out of all of them. John 19:36 quotes verse 20 at the cross as Not one of His bones will be broken, and the Passover law at Exodus 12:46 forbids breaking the lamb's bones. The psalm ends with the LORD redeeming His servants.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"The Lord keeps all their bones: not one of them shall be broken" [Psalm 34:20]: this also, Brethren, let us not receive carnally. Bones are the firm supports of the faithful. For as in flesh our bones give firmness, so in the heart of a Christian it is faith that gives firmness. The patience then which is in faith, is as the bones of the inner man: this is that which cannot be broken. "The Lord keeps all their bones: not one of them shall be broken." If of our Lord God Jesus Christ he had said this, "The Lord keeps all the bones of His Son; not one of them shall be broken;" as is prefigured of Him also in another place, when the lamb was spoken of that should be slain, and it was said of it, "Neither shall you break a bone thereof:" [Exodus 12:46] then was it fulfilled in the Lord, because when He hung upon the Cross, He expired before they came to the Cross, and found His Body lifeless already, and would not break His legs, that it might be fulfilled which was written. [John 19:33] But He gave this promise to other Christians also, "The Lord keeps all their bones; not one of them shall be broken." Therefore, Brethren, if we see any Saint suffer tribulation, and haply either by a Physician so cut, or by some persecutor so mangled, that his bones be broken; let us not say, This man was not righteous, for this has the Lord promised to His righteous, of whom He said, "The Lord keeps all their bones; not one of them shall be broken." Would you see that He spoke of other bones, those which we called the firm supports of faith, that is, patience and endurance in all tribulations? For these are the bones which are not broken. Hear, and see ye in the very Passion of our Lord, what I say. […]
The Medieval Church1 voice
Then when he says, "The Lord guards," he shows how he delivers them so that they do not succumb. He says therefore, "The Lord guards all their bones." Just as sight resides in the eye, so in the bones and sinews resides strength; and therefore, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
36 ) when the soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves that were crucified with him, but did not break his, they being under the protection of this promise as well as of the type, even the paschal-lamb ( a bone of him shall not be broken ); the promises, being made good to Christ, through him are sure to all the seed.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. David had come off with kicks and cuffs, but no broken bones. No substantial injury occurs to the saints. Eternity will heal all their wounds. Their real self is safe; they may have flesh wounds, but no part of the essential fabric of their being shall be broken.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
bones--framework of the body. Contrast in the destiny of righteous and wicked; the former shall be delivered and never come into condemnation (Joh 5:24; Ro 8:1); the latter are left under condemnation and desolate.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. David had come off with kicks and cuffs, but no broken bones. No substantial injury occurs to the saints. Eternity will heal all their wounds. Their real self is safe; they may have flesh wounds, but no part of the essential fabric of their being shall be broken. This verse may refer to frequent providential protections vouchsafed to the saints; but as good men have had broken limbs as well as others, it cannot absolutely be applied to bodily preservations; but must, it seems to me, be spiritually applied to great injuries of soul, which are for ever prevented by divine love. Not a bone of the mystical body of Christ shall be broken, even as his corporeal frame was preserved intact. Divine love watches over every believer as it did over Jesus; no fatal injury shall happen to us, we shall neither be halt or maimed in the kingdom, but shall be presented after life's trials are over without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, being preserved in Christ Jesus, and kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
He keepeth all his bones - He takes care of his life; and if he have scars, they are honorable ones.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
He keepeth all his bones - That is, he preserves or guards the righteous. Not one of them is broken - Perhaps there is a direct and immediate allusion here to what the psalmist had himself experienced. In His dangers God had preserved him, so that he had escaped without a broken bone. But the statement is more general, and is designed to convey a truth in respect to the usual and proper effect of religion, or to denote the advantage, in reference to personal safety in the dangers of this life, derived from religion. The language is of a general character, such as often occurs in the Scriptures, and it should, in all fairness, be so construed. It cannot mean that the bones of a righteous man are never broken, or that the fact that a man has a broken bone proves that he is not righteous; but it means that, as a general principle, religion conduces to safety, or that the righteous are under the protection of God. Compare Mat 10:30-31. Nothing more can be demanded in the fair interpretation of the language than this.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שֹׁמֵ֥ר | shomer | [he is] keeping | H8104 → | 468 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| עַצְמוֹתָ֑יו | atzmotav | bones his | H6106 → | 126 times |
| אַחַ֥ת | ʾachat | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| מֵ֝הֵ֗נָּה | mehenah | from them | ||
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| נִשְׁבָּֽרָה׃ | nishbarah | it is broken | H7665 → | 147 times |
שֹׁמֵ֥ר[he is] keeping
shomerH8104 →468 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
עַצְמוֹתָ֑יוbones his
atzmotavH6106 →126 times
אַחַ֥תone
ʾachatH259 →971 times
מֵ֝הֵ֗נָּהfrom them
mehenah
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
נִשְׁבָּֽרָה׃it is broken
nishbarahH7665 →147 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 19:36Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”
it leads to
- Numbers 9:12
they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes.
- Exodus 12:46
It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones.
- Numbers 9:12
Through
Psalms 91:12They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
it leads to
- Psalms 37:24
Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.
- Proverbs 3:23
Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.
- Luke 4:11
and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
- Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days…
- Matthew 4:6
“If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that…
- Psalms 37:24
Through
Psalms 35:10All my bones will exclaim, “Who is like You, O LORD, who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor, the poor and needy from the robber?”
it leads to
- Psalms 109:31
For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.
- Psalms 109:31
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 34; Basil of Caesarea, HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 16:13 (PS 34); Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.