2 Incline unto me Thine ear hastily, deliver me, Be to me for a strong rock, For a house of bulwarks to save me.
Hide not Thou Thy face from me, In a day of mine adversity, Incline unto me Thine ear, In the day I call, haste, answer me.
A Prayer of David. Incline, O Jehovah, Thine ear, Answer me, for I `am' poor and needy.
For not as our Rock `is' their rock, (And our enemies `are' judges!)
Haste, answer me, O Jehovah, My spirit hath been consumed, Hide not Thou Thy face from me, Or I have been compared with those going down `to' the pit.
God no one hath ever seen; if we may love one another, God in us doth remain, and His love is having been perfected in us;
he who is eating my flesh, and is drinking my blood, doth remain in me, and I in him.
He high places doth inhabit, Strongholds of rock `are' his high tower, His bread hath been given, his waters stedfast.
Incline thine ear, and hear words of the wise, And thy heart set to my knowledge,
Lord, hearken to my voice, Thine ears are attentive to the voice of my supplications.
And Jehovah is for a high place to me, And my God `is' for a rock -- my refuge,
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, a habitation Thou -- Thou hast been, To us -- in generation and generation,
A Psalm of Asaph. O God, nations have come into Thy inheritance, They have defiled Thy holy temple, They made Jerusalem become heaps,
On God `is' my salvation, and my honour, The rock of my strength, my refuge `is' in God.
And I `am' poor and needy, The Lord doth devise for me. My help and my deliverer `art' Thou, O my God, tarry Thou not.
To the Overseer. -- By a servant of Jehovah, by David, who hath spoken to Jehovah the words of this song in the day Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he saith: -- I love Thee, O Jehovah, my strength. Jehovah `is' my rock, and my bulwark, And my deliverer, My God `is' my rock, I trust in Him: My shield, and a horn of my salvation, My high tower.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 31
Commentary on Psalms 31 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 31
Ps 31:1-24. The prayer of a believer in time of deep distress. In the first part, cries for help are mingled with expressions of confidence. Then the detail of griefs engrosses his attention, till, in the assurance of strong but submissive faith, he rises to the language of unmingled joyful trust and exhorts others to like love and confidence towards God.
1. Expresses the general tone of feeling of the Psalm.
2-4. He seeks help in God's righteous government (Ps 5:8), and begs for an attentive hearing, and speedy and effectual aid. With no other help and no claim of merit, he relies solely on God's regard to His own perfections for a safe guidance and release from the snares of his enemies. On the terms "rock," &c., (compare Ps 17:2; 18:2, 50; 20:6; 23:3; 25:21).
5, 6. commit my spirit—my life, or myself. Our Saviour used the words on the Cross [Lu 23:46], not as prophetical, but, as many pious men have done, as expressive of His unshaken confidence in God. The Psalmist rests on God's faithfulness to His promises to His people, and hence avows himself one of them, detesting all who revere objects of idolatry (compare De 32:21; 1Co 8:4).
7. hast known my soul, &c.—had regard to me in trouble.
8. shut me up … enemy—abandon to (1Sa 23:11).
large room—place of safety (compare Ps 18:19).
9, 10. mine eye, &c.—denotes extreme weakness (compare Ps 6:7).
grief—mingled sorrow and indignation (Ps 6:7).
soul and … belly—the whole person.
10. Though the effects ascribed to grief are not mere figures of speech—
spent … consumed—must be taken in the modified sense of wasted and decayed.
iniquity—or, suffering by it (see on Ps 40:12).
11. among—or, literally, "from," or, "by" my enemies. The latter clauses describe the progress of his disgrace to the lowest degree, till,
12. he is forgotten as one dead, and contemned as a useless broken vessel.
13. For—introduces further reasons for his prayer, the unjust, deliberate, and murderous purposes of his foes.
14-18. In his profession of trust he includes the terms of the prayer expressing it.
15. times—course of life.
deliver … hand—opposed to "shut me up," &c., of Ps 31:8.
16. Make … shine—(Compare Nu 6:25; Ps 4:6). Deprecating from himself, he imprecates on the wicked God's displeasure, and prays that their virulent persecution of him may be stopped.
19-21. God displays openly His purposed goodness to His people.
20. the secret of thy presence—or, covering of Thy countenance; the protection He thus affords; compare Ps 27:5 for a similar figure; "dwelling" used there for "presence" here. The idea of security further presented by the figure of a tent and a fortified city [Ps 31:21].
22. For I said—literally, "And I said," in an adversative sense. I, thus favored, was despondent.
in my haste—in my terror.
cut off … eyes—from all the protection of Thy presence.
23, 24. the Lord … proud doer—literally, "the Lord is keeping faith," that is, with His people, and is repaying, &c. Then let none despair, but take courage; their hopes shall not be in vain.