11 Among all mine adversaries I have been a reproach, And to my neighbours exceedingly, And a fear to mine acquaintances, Those seeing me without -- fled from me.
My lovers and my friends over-against my plague stand. And my neighbours afar off have stood.
Thou hast put mine acquaintance far from me, Thou hast made me an abomination to them, Shut up -- I go not forth.
Thus said Jehovah, Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, To the despised in soul, To the abominated of a nation, To the servant of rulers: `Kings see, and have risen, princes, and worship, For the sake of Jehovah, who is faithful, The Holy of Israel, and He chooseth thee.'
Thou hast put far from me lover and friend, Mine acquaintance `is' the place of darkness!
And they cause him to stumble, Against them `is' their own tongue, Every looker on them fleeth away.
A thing of Belial is poured out on him, And because he lay down he riseth not again. Even mine ally, in whom I trusted, One eating my bread, made great the heel against me,
and others of mockings and scourgings did receive trial, and yet of bonds and imprisonment;
if ye be reproached in the name of Christ -- happy `are ye', because the Spirit of glory and of God upon you doth rest; in regard, indeed, to them, he is evil-spoken of, and in regard to you, he is glorified;
Surely now ye have become the same! Ye see a downfall, and are afraid. Is it because I said, Give to me? And, By your power bribe for me? And, Deliver me from the hand of an adversary? And, From the hand of terrible ones ransom me?
in my first defence no one stood with me, but all forsook me, (may it not be reckoned to them!)
and those passing by were speaking evil of him, wagging their heads, and saying, `Thou that art throwing down the sanctuary, and in three days building `it', save thyself; if Son thou art of God, come down from the cross.' And in like manner also the chief priests mocking, with the scribes and elders, said, `Others he saved; himself he is not able to save! If he be King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe him; he hath trusted on God, let Him now deliver him, if He wish him, because he said -- Son of God I am;' with the same also the robbers, who were crucified with him, were reproaching him.
`And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and father child, and children shall rise up against parents, and shall put them to death, and ye shall be hated by all because of my name, but he who hath endured to the end, he shall be saved.
For a son is dishonouring a father, A daughter hath stood against her mother, A daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, The enemies of each `are' the men of his house.
He is despised, and left of men, A man of pains, and acquainted with sickness, And as one hiding the face from us, He is despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains -- he hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted. And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace `is' on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us.
Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Thy servants, I have borne in my bosom all the strivings of the peoples, Wherewith Thine enemies reproached, O Jehovah, Wherewith they have reproached The steps of Thine anointed.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 31
Commentary on Psalms 31 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 31
It is probable that David penned this psalm when he was persecuted by Saul; some passages in it agree particularly to the narrow escapes he had, at Keilah (1 Sa. 23:13), then in the wilderness of Maon, when Saul marched on one side of the hill and he on the other, and, soon after, in the cave in the wilderness of En-gedi; but that it was penned upon any of those occasions we are not told. It is a mixture of prayers, and praises, and professions of confidence in God, all which do well together and are helpful to one another.
To the chief musician. A psalm of David.
Psa 31:1-8
Faith and prayer must go together. He that believes, let his pray-I believe, therefore I have spoken: and he that prays, let him believe, for the prayer of faith is the prevailing prayer. We have both here.
Psa 31:9-18
In the foregoing verses David had appealed to God's righteousness, and pleaded his relation to him and dependence on him; here he appeals to his mercy, and pleads the greatness of his own misery, which made his case the proper object of that mercy. Observe,
Psa 31:19-24
We have three things in these verses:-
In singing this we should animate ourselves and one another to proceed and persevere in our Christian course, whatever threatens us, and whoever frowns upon us.