Psalms 31

Into your hands I commit my spirit

n you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.a ²Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.b ³Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

⁴Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. ⁵Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.c ⁶I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord.d

⁷I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.e ⁸You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.f ⁹Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.

¹⁰My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. ¹¹Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends— those who see me on the street flee from me.g ¹²I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.

¹³For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.h ¹⁴But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”i ¹⁵My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.j

¹⁶Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. ¹⁷Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. ¹⁸Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

¹⁹How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.k ²⁰In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.l ²¹Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege.

²²In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. ²³Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.m ²⁴Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.n

Commentary

Psalm 31 is a lament that moves through desperate petition into confident trust, making it one of the most emotionally honest prayers in the Psalter. David cries out from a place of physical affliction, social shame, and spiritual distress, yet he repeatedly anchors himself in God's

Read full commentary

Bible Dictionary· Psalms 31(10)

Body Cry Ear Face Lips Place Saw Soul Spirit Strength

References· Psalms 31

a: v.1 — Romans 10:11, Psalms 25:2, Psalms 71:1-3, Psalms 22:4-5, Psalms 143:1, Isaiah 49:23, Daniel 9:16, Psalms 7:8-9, Psalms 43:1, Romans 5:5
b: v.2 — Psalms 71:2-3, Psalms 86:1, Psalms 102:2, Psalms 130:2, 1 John 4:15-16, Deuteronomy 32:31, Psalms 62:7, Isaiah 33:16, Psalms 91:9, Psalms 79:1
c: v.5 — Into your hands I commit my spirit: Luke 23:46; Luke 23:46, Acts 7:59, Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalms 71:23, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Titus 1:2, Isaiah 50:2, Titus 2:14, Genesis 48:16, 2 Timothy 1:12
d: v.6 — Into your hands I commit my spirit: Luke 23:46; Jonah 2:8, Psalms 26:5, Psalms 24:4, 1 Corinthians 10:20, 1 Corinthians 8:4, Jeremiah 10:15, Jeremiah 10:8, John 2:8, Psalms 96:7-9, 1 Chronicles 16:28-29
e: v.7 — Isaiah 49:13, Isaiah 63:9, Psalms 119:153, 2 Timothy 2:19, John 10:27-30, Isaiah 63:16, Galatians 4:9, Isaiah 43:2, Psalms 142:3, Lamentations 3:50
f: v.8 — Job 36:16, Psalms 4:1, Deuteronomy 32:30, Psalms 18:19, 1 Samuel 24:18, 1 Samuel 17:46, Psalms 88:8, Job 16:11, Isaiah 19:4, 1 Samuel 26:8
g: v.11 — His acquaintances fled from him: Mark 14:50; Psalms 38:11, Psalms 88:8, Matthew 26:56, Psalms 88:18, Isaiah 53:3-5, Isaiah 49:7, Psalms 41:8-9, Psalms 64:8, Job 19:13-14, Psalms 69:19-20
h: v.13 — They conspired to kill him: Matthew 27:1, John 11:53; Jeremiah 20:10, Matthew 27:1, Lamentations 2:22, 1 Samuel 20:33, Matthew 26:3-4, 2 Samuel 17:1-4, Matthew 26:59, Luke 23:1-2, Luke 23:5, Jeremiah 6:25
i: v.14 — He trusted in God; let Him deliver him: Matthew 27:43; Psalms 56:3-4, Psalms 18:2, Psalms 43:5, Psalms 16:1-2, Matthew 26:42, Psalms 140:6, Matthew 26:39, Psalms 63:1, Psalms 71:22, Psalms 71:12
j: v.15 — Acts 1:7, John 17:1, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, John 7:6, Psalms 142:6, Job 24:1, Psalms 17:8-9, 2 Timothy 4:6, Psalms 143:3, Psalms 143:9
k: v.19 — 1 Corinthians 2:9, Isaiah 64:4, Lamentations 3:23-25, 1 Peter 1:4-5, Colossians 3:2-4, James 2:5, Psalms 16:11, Psalms 126:2-3, 1 John 3:1-2, Psalms 23:5
l: v.20 — Psalms 27:5, Psalms 32:7, Psalms 91:1-4, Job 5:21, Psalms 64:2-4, Psalms 140:5, Psalms 140:3, Exodus 18:11, Psalms 40:4, James 4:6
m: v.23 — Psalms 97:10, Psalms 94:2, Psalms 145:20, John 10:27-30, Psalms 34:9, Psalms 30:4, Deuteronomy 33:3, 1 Samuel 2:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:1, Psalms 89:7
n: v.24 — Psalms 27:14, Psalms 146:5, Colossians 1:11, Isaiah 35:3-4, Hebrews 12:12-13, Psalms 29:11, Psalms 138:3, James 5:10-11, Luke 22:31-32, Romans 15:12-13

Midvash cross references + OpenBible.info data (CC BY 4.0).

Copied!

Guided study

Study this chapter

A guided session — observe, interpret, apply — that ends in your own note.