Psalm 34:18
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Psalm 34 teaches that God hears and rescues those who turn to him. Verse 18 highlights his special nearness to those whose hearts are broken and spirits crushed.
What Does Psalm 34:18 Mean?
This verse promises that God draws especially near to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit. Far from being distant in our pain, the Lord is described as close precisely to those whose hearts are shattered. It is one of Scripture's tenderest assurances for the grieving.
The two phrases are gentle and specific. "A broken heart" describes deep emotional pain, grief, and woundedness. "A contrite spirit" -- literally a crushed spirit -- pictures one humbled and brought low, whether by sorrow or by repentance. To both, God is "nigh," near at hand, and to the crushed he is a Savior. This overturns a common fear that suffering means God has withdrawn. The verse insists the opposite: brokenness is not a barrier to God but the very place he draws closest. There is comfort here for two kinds of people -- those broken by life's sorrows and those broken by their own failures who come humbled before God. To neither does the Lord stand far off. The verse assures the lowest moment that it may be the nearest moment, for God himself bends close to the broken.
In the Original Language
The Hebrew shavar ("broken") means shattered or crushed, and dakka' ("contrite") describes a spirit that is crushed, bruised, or made low.
Cross References
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
- Psalm 51:17
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
- Psalm 147:3
“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
- Psalm 30:5
Application
In seasons of grief or humbling, take heart that brokenness draws God nearer, not farther; bring your shattered heart to the One who is close to it.
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