Psalms 34:20

"He keepeth all his bones:

Not one of them is broken.

Evil shall slay the wicked;

And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned.

Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants;

And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned."

"All his bones ... not one ... is broken" (Psalms 34:20). In this verse, David doubtless had in mind the passage in Exodus 12:46, in which Moses' instructions for the eating of the Passover carried the injunction, "Neither shall ye break a bone thereof." Evidently, David's knowledge of the typical nature of the Passover led him to the inspired statement here that for the truly righteous, it would also be true that "not a bone should be broken." At any rate, the deduction was true enough; and Christ, the only truly righteous One, saw the complete fulfilment of this in his own person on the Cross.

The apostle John's Gospel relates how Pilate's order to break the legs of Jesus was frustrated, "That the Scriptures might be fulfilled" (John 19:36), "A bone of him shall not be broken" (Exodus 12:46; Psalms 34:20). In all probability, John had both these Scriptures in mind.

These last two verses were accurately summarized by Leupold, as follows:

"The outcome for the ungodly will always be this, `Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the righteous shall pay the penalty.' On the other hand, those that seek to live in the fear of the Lord, are here designated as `His servants.' They have this assurance, that, `The Lord redeems the life of his servants, and that all who take refuge in him shall not pay the penalty.'"[18]

"Jehovah redeemeth" (Psalms 34:22). This word `redeem,' according to Dahood, "Is a metaphor depicting Jehovah as paying ransom money (to Death) to assure his saints of life."[19]; Job 5:20 also has a statement that seems to say the same thing. "In famine, he will redeem thee from death."

There are many things, perhaps, which our finite minds shall never comprehend about how Jesus ransoms us from death; but it is a fact, gloriously stated by our Lord himself:

"For the Son of Man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).