"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."
— Psalm 34:8 (NIV)
Psalm 34:8 is the "taste and see that the Lord is good" verse. This page gives the verse, where it sits in Psalm 34, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about goodness, Bible verses about refuge, and Bible verses about trust.
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The verse
The King James reads: "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."
"Taste" is ta'am (H2938), to taste or try by experience, and "see" is ra'ah (H7200). "Good" is tob (H2896). "Blessed" is 'esher (H835), happy or how fortunate, and "man" is geber (H1397). "Takes refuge" (KJV "trusteth") is chasah (H2620), to flee to for shelter.
Where it sits in Psalm 34
Psalm 34 is headed "Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left." It is an acrostic, with its lines following the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Before this verse David says, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4).
Right after it, he says, "Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing" (Psalm 34:9), and "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing" (Psalm 34:10). Later in the psalm comes "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
What the verse is saying
David does not ask anyone to take God's goodness on his word alone. He says, try it. Tasting is personal and direct: you cannot taste food for someone else. He has just come through danger and found God answered him, and now he invites others to find out for themselves.
The second half shows how you taste it: by taking refuge in him. The person who runs to God for shelter is the one who finds out he is good. Peter later picks up the same words for new believers: "now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2:3).
Questions people ask
What does Psalm 34:8 say?
In the NIV it says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." The KJV says, "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."
What does "taste and see" mean?
The Hebrew ta'am means to taste or try something by experience. David is inviting people to find out God's goodness for themselves, not just hear about it.
Who wrote Psalm 34?
The heading says "Of David," written when he pretended to be insane before Abimelek and was driven away.
What is the context of Psalm 34:8?
David has just told how he sought the Lord and was delivered from his fears (Psalm 34:4). The next verses say those who fear and seek the Lord lack no good thing (Psalm 34:9-10).
What other verses are like Psalm 34:8?
1 Peter 2:3 (you have tasted that the Lord is good), Nahum 1:7 (the Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble), and Psalm 34:18 (the Lord is close to the brokenhearted) are close companions.
