Psalm 34:11
New International Version
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

New Living Translation
Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the LORD.

English Standard Version
Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

King James Bible
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

New King James Version
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

NASB 1995
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

NASB 1977
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Legacy Standard Bible
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

Amplified Bible
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you to fear the LORD [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience].

Christian Standard Bible
Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

American Standard Version
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of Jehovah.

Contemporary English Version
Come, my children, listen as I teach you to respect the LORD.

English Revised Version
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Come, children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Good News Translation
Come, my young friends, and listen to me, and I will teach you to honor the LORD.

International Standard Version
Come, children, listen to me, and I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Majority Standard Bible
Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

NET Bible
Come children! Listen to me! I will teach you what it means to fear the LORD.

New Heart English Bible
Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
Come, ye children, hearken to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

World English Bible
Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Come, children, listen to me, "" I teach you the fear of YHWH.

Young's Literal Translation
Come ye, children, hearken to me, The fear of Jehovah I do teach you.

Smith's Literal Translation
Come, ye sons, hear to me: I will teach you the fear of Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Come, children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Come forward, sons. Listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

New American Bible
Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you fear of the LORD.

New Revised Standard Version
Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Come, you children, listen to me, and I will teach you reverence for the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Come, children, hear me, and I shall teach you the worship of God.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Come, ye children, hear me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Taste and See that the LORD is Good
10Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12Who is the man who delights in life, who desires to see good days?…

Cross References
Proverbs 1:8
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

Proverbs 4:1
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7
These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. / And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Isaiah 54:13
Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity.

Proverbs 3:1-2
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; / for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life.

Proverbs 8:32-33
Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways. / Listen to instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.

Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 19:20
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.

Matthew 11:29
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:14-15
But as for you, continue in the things you have learned and firmly believed, since you know from whom you have learned them. / From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:9-11
Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live? / Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. / No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.

James 3:13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.


Treasury of Scripture

Come, you children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Come

Proverbs 4:1
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

Proverbs 7:24
Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 8:17,32
I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me…

I will

Psalm 32:8
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

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Psalm 34
1. David praises God, and exhorts others thereto by his experience
8. They are blessed who trust in God
11. He exhorts to the fear of God
15. The privileges of the righteous














Come, children
The verse begins with an invitation, "Come, children," which is a call to gather and listen. The Hebrew word for "children" is "בָּנִים" (banim), often used to denote not just young ones but also disciples or followers. This term reflects a relationship of care and guidance, suggesting that the speaker, traditionally understood to be David, is assuming a role of a teacher or mentor. In a broader biblical context, this invitation is reminiscent of wisdom literature, where wisdom is personified and calls out to the simple and the young to learn and gain understanding (Proverbs 1:8, 4:1).

listen to me
The phrase "listen to me" emphasizes the importance of heeding the instruction that follows. The Hebrew word "שָׁמַע" (shama) means to hear intelligently, often with the implication of obedience. This is not merely passive listening but an active engagement with the words being spoken. In the biblical tradition, listening is closely tied to obedience and faithfulness, as seen in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), which calls Israel to hear and obey the Lord.

I will teach you
"I will teach you" indicates a promise of imparting wisdom or knowledge. The Hebrew root "לָמַד" (lamad) means to learn or to teach, and it is often used in the context of teaching the law or commandments of God. This reflects the biblical emphasis on the transmission of divine wisdom and instruction from one generation to the next, as seen in Deuteronomy 4:9-10, where the Israelites are commanded to teach their children the ways of the Lord.

the fear of the LORD
The phrase "the fear of the LORD" is central to biblical wisdom literature. The Hebrew word for "fear" is "יִרְאָה" (yirah), which encompasses reverence, awe, and respect. It is not a fear that paralyzes but one that inspires a life of obedience and worship. Proverbs 9:10 states, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," highlighting its foundational role in a believer's life. This fear is about recognizing God's holiness, sovereignty, and love, leading to a life that honors Him in all things.

(11) Come, ye children . . .--A common proverbial style. See Proverbs 1:8, and passim. (Comp. also 1John 2:1, &c)

Verses 11-22. - The second, didactic, part of the psalm here begins. The writer assumes the role of the teacher, and, addressing his readers as "sons," undertakes to "teach them the fear of the Lord" (ver, 11), or, in other words, to point out to them in what true religion consists. This he does in two remarkable verses (vers. 13, 14); after which he proceeds, in the remainder of the psalm, to give reasons which may incline them to the practice of it (vers. 15-22). The reasons resolve themselves into two main grounds - the tender love and care of God for the righteous (vers. 15, 17-20, 22), and his hostility to and punishment of the wicked (vers. 16, 21). Verse 11. - Come, ye children, hearken unto me (comp. Proverbs 4:1; Proverbs 8:32; 1 John 2:1, 18; 1 John 3:18; 1 John 4:4, etc.). I will teach you the fear of the Lord; i.e. I will teach you the nature of true religion. Note the absence from what follows of any merely legal requirements, and the simple insist-ance on right moral conduct (vers. 13, 14).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Come,
לְֽכוּ־ (lə·ḵū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

children,
בָ֭נִים (ḇā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

listen to me;
שִׁמְעוּ־ (šim·‘ū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

I will teach
אֲלַמֶּדְכֶֽם׃ (’ă·lam·meḏ·ḵem)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common singular | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3925: To exercise in, learn

you the fear
יִֽרְאַ֥ת (yir·’aṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3374: Fear, reverence

of the LORD.
יְ֝הוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT Poetry: Psalm 34:11 Come you children listen to me (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 34:10
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