Psalm 34:10
The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
Psalm 34:10 (NKJV)
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:10 (NIV)
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
Psalm 34:10 (KJV)
Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:10 (NLT)
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:10 (ESV)
The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
Psalm 34:10 (NASB)Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
The young lions lack [food] and grow hungry, but they who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing.
Psalm 34:10 (AMP)Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
The young lions lack food and suffer hunger, but they who seek (inquire of and require) the Lord [by right of their need and on the authority of His Word], none of them shall lack any beneficial thing.
Psalm 34:10 (AMPC)Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
Wealthy people who have everything sleep less well than poor people. But GOD's people have enough, with plenty left over.
Psalm 34:10 (MSG)Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
New Covenant Meaning
The Strongest Go Hungry; The Dependent Are Fed
David sets up a striking contrast. The young lion, kephir in Hebrew, is the picture of peak natural capability: the strongest predator in the ancient Near Eastern world, built for hunting, the dominant force in the food chain. And yet the young lion lacks and suffers hunger. Natural strength, natural capability, natural strategy cannot guarantee provision. Then comes the contrast: those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. The source of provision is not strength or strategy. It is relationship with the Lord. This is not a theology of passivity, where you sit still and wait. The seeking is active. But the source of what seeking accesses is not your own strength. It is the One you are oriented toward. This is the consistent logic of the New Covenant: provision flows from relationship, not from self-reliant capability.
Seeking Is Orientation, Not Performance
The Hebrew darash means to seek, to inquire, to pursue something with intentionality. It is used throughout the Psalms and the Prophets for actively turning toward God as your source. But darash is not the same as performing for God. It is the difference between turning your face toward someone and trying to impress them. The one who seeks the Lord is not the one who has perfectly kept all the rules and earned provision as a reward. It is the one who consistently orients toward God as the source. In the New Covenant, Philippians 4:19 makes this explicit: "my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Not according to your performance. Not according to your strength. According to His riches. The seeking is simply the posture of a life that knows where the supply comes from.
Psalm 34 is an acrostic psalm of David, composed after he escaped from Abimelech (the Philistine king Achish) by feigning madness (1 Samuel 21:10-15). David writes from the memory of a moment when his own strength and strategy were completely insufficient. He had to pretend to be insane to survive. And yet he escaped. The psalm celebrates the God who delivered him not because David was strong but because David called on the Lord (v. 6). Verse 10's contrast between the capable young lion and the seeking believer flows directly from that experience: David knows from personal history that capability is not the deciding factor. Orientation toward God is.
Application for Your Life
Your Source Is Not Your Strength
Psalm 34:10 is a direct challenge to the assumption that provision is primarily about capability. The young lion is as capable as any creature gets, and yet it goes hungry. Your ability to perform, strategize, work hard, and position yourself does not guarantee your supply. The one thing that distinguishes the one who lacks from the one who does not lack is not strength but orientation. Those who seek the Lord. That seeking is not religious performance. It is the habitual, settled decision to treat God as your actual source rather than your backup plan. Hebrews 11:6 says that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Not those who perform flawlessly for Him. Those who seek Him.
No Good Thing: The Promise Is Comprehensive
The phrase "shall not lack any good thing" is total in its scope. Not "shall not lack a few important things." Not "shall not lack spiritual things." Any good thing. The provision that flows from seeking the Lord is comprehensive, not piecemeal. Philippians 4:19 matches this: "all your need," not some of your need. Matthew 6:33 says to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added. The logic is identical to Psalm 34:10: the seeking believer is not left picking through the leftovers. Every good thing is covered. This is the confidence available to the one who knows that the source is not limited strength but unlimited riches.
Prayer Based on This Verse
Father, I am not trusting in my own strength or capability to provide for what I need. I have seen what happens when the strongest go hungry. I turn my face toward You as my source. You are the one who supplies all my need according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Not according to my performance. Not according to my strength. According to Your riches. I seek You today, not to impress You but because You are the source of every good thing in my life. I declare that I shall not lack any good thing because You are my God and You have promised it. Thank You that provision flows from relationship and not from self-reliance. I rest in what You have promised. In Jesus' name. Amen.