2 Timothy 3:11 to Psalms 34:17-19

OT Source(s):

Psalms 34:17-19 (The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles)

Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Reference Type: Allusion

Connection Method(s): Analogy

Significance: Paul's testimony that "the Lord rescued me from them all" (ek pantōn me errysato ho kyrios) in 2 Timothy 3:11 echoes the language of Psalm 34:17-19, where the psalmist declares that "the LORD hears the righteous" and "delivers them from all their troubles" (mikkol-tsarōtam hitsilam). The verbal parallel between Paul's "rescued from all" and the psalm's "delivers from all" is striking. Psalm 34 was composed by David when he escaped from Abimelech (Achish), making it a psalm of personal deliverance that became paradigmatic for all righteous sufferers. Paul applies this pattern analogically to his own apostolic experience of persecution at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra (Acts 13-14), affirming that the same God who delivered David continues to deliver his servants through affliction.