Psalms 34:20
He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken.
BSB
ASV
He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken.
KJV
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 16:13 (PS 34) (379)
There 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.
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.
Prophecy and fulfillment
John 19:36Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”
MannaFest topical index (legacy import; verified against ASV text 2026-07-21; founder-approved batch)
A picture of Christ
John 19:36Not one of His bones would be broken
MannaFest topical index (legacy import; verified against ASV text 2026-07-21; founder-approved batch)
Fulfilled in the pattern
John 19:36'not a bone broken' (w/ Exo 12:46 Passover typology); John
public-domain commentaries in agreement
The walk8
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
John 19:36Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”
leads to
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.
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.
Through
Psalms 91:12They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
leads to
Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.
Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.
and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
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…
“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…
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?”
leads to
For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.