Psalms 31

David cries to God from deep trouble: enemies, slander, sickness and loneliness. Again and again he turns from fear to trust, placing his whole life in God’s hands. The psalm ends with praise for God’s hidden goodness and a call to all believers to take courage.

Psalms 31:1

David begins with refuge, not with his problem. He runs to the LORD like a hunted man to shelter. He asks not to be put to shame, meaning that his trust will not prove empty. He bases his plea on God’s own righteousness, not his own.

BSA: refuge (“put my trust, found shelter”): Taking refuge means more than believing; it means running into God’s protection and staying there. righteousness (“justice, moral integrity, faithfulness”): David counts on God to act in line with his own faithful character.

See also: Psalm 25:2.

Psalms 31:2

David asks God to bend down and listen closely, and to act soon. He piles up pictures of safety: a rock, a stronghold. A rock on a hillside was a place where a fugitive could hide and be out of reach.

BSA: quickly (“speedily, without delay”): David’s need is urgent, and he honestly says so to God. rock (“strong rock, huge rock”): God is a mountain-sized, immovable place of safety.

Psalms 31:3

David states as fact what he has just asked for: God is his rock and fortress. Then he asks for guidance. He appeals to God’s name, meaning God’s reputation. God’s honor is tied to leading and protecting those who trust him.

BSA: name (“Your reputation, Your honor”): David rests his plea on who God is, not on his own merit.

See also: Psalm 23:3.

Psalms 31:4

Enemies have hidden a trap, like a hunter’s net, in David’s path. He cannot see it, but God can, and God can pull him out. His confidence rests again on one fact: God is his refuge.

BSA: net (“a hidden trap, a secret snare”): The danger was concealed, but nothing is hidden from God.

Psalms 31:5

David puts his spirit, his very life, into God’s hands. He does so because God has already redeemed him in the past and is the God of truth who does not fail. Jesus prayed the first line of this verse from the cross, and Stephen prayed similarly as he died.

BSA: commit (“entrust, give over”): David deposits his life with God like something precious left in safe keeping. truth (“faithfulness, reliability”): God’s truth means he is utterly dependable and keeps his word.

See also: Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59.

Psalms 31:6

David contrasts himself with those who lean on worthless idols. They put their hope in empty things that cannot save. David hates that kind of misplaced trust, and he stakes everything on the LORD alone.

BSA: worthless (“lying, false”): Idols promise help but deceive, because they cannot deliver.

Hebrew: הַבְלֵי (havlê, H1892) — “vapors, breaths, vanities.” The Hebrew word means a puff of breath or mist. Idols are not just wrong; they are as insubstantial as vapor.

See also: Jonah 2:8.

Psalms 31:7

David is already glad, even before the rescue is complete. His joy rests on God’s faithful love and on the fact that God has not looked away. God has seen his affliction and knows the anguish of his soul.

BSA: loving devotion (“faithful love, mercy”): This is God’s covenant love, loyal and lasting, not a passing feeling. seen (“considered, looked upon”): God does not just notice the suffering; he looks at it with care.

Hebrew: חֶסֶד (ḥesed, H2617) — “loyal, covenant love.” This one word carries kindness, loyalty and mercy together. It describes God sticking with his people no matter what.

Psalms 31:8

David looks back at what God has done. God did not hand him over to his enemy. Instead God set his feet in the open, a wide space where he can move freely, the opposite of being trapped and cornered.

BSA: open (“a large place, a broad space, freedom”): Rescue is pictured as room to breathe and walk freely.

See also: Psalm 18:19.

Psalms 31:9

The mood turns. David again asks for mercy and describes his misery. His eyes are worn out from weeping, and his whole person, soul and body, is exhausted. He brings his weakness honestly to God.

BSA: distress (“trouble, deep sorrow”): The word suggests being squeezed in a tight place.

Psalms 31:10

Grief and groaning have eaten away his years. He even says his iniquity has drained his strength, which may mean sin or its consequences have worn him down. His very bones feel weak. It is a picture of complete exhaustion.

BSA: groaning (“sighing, mourning”): His days are filled with deep sighs of sorrow. bones (“inner being, deepest self”): The weakness reaches to the core of his body and person.

Psalms 31:11

His suffering is made worse by people. Enemies scorn him, neighbors even more, and friends are afraid of him and avoid him in the street. Being shunned by those closest to him adds deep loneliness to his pain.

BSA: disgrace (“reproach, object of shame”): He has become someone people point at and look down on. flee (“run away, take flight”): Even friends avoid him, as if his trouble might spread.

Psalms 31:12

He feels forgotten like someone dead, no longer remembered. He is like a broken pot, a useless thing thrown aside. These are the lowest pictures of how a suffering person feels, and God invites such honesty in prayer.

BSA: broken (“shattered, useless”): A smashed jar was discarded because it could no longer be used.

Psalms 31:13

Whispered slander is spreading, and terror surrounds him. His enemies are putting their heads together to kill him. Jeremiah used the phrase terror on every side when he faced similar plots.

BSA: conspire (“take counsel, plot”): The enemies are meeting together to make a plan against him.

See also: Jeremiah 20:10.

Psalms 31:14

The big turn comes with the word But. In the middle of terror David chooses to trust. He says out loud, You are my God. Faith here is a decision spoken aloud, not a feeling that has already arrived.

BSA: trust (“have faith, rely”): David leans his whole weight on God.

Psalms 31:15

My times are in Your hands. All of life, its seasons, good and bad, its length, are held by God and not by his enemies or chance. This is why David can pray for rescue without panic.

BSA: times (“chances of my life, whole life”): Every season and event of his life is in God’s control.

Hebrew: עִתֹּתַי (ittotai, H6256) — “my times.” The plural covers every moment and circumstance of life: the good days, the hard days and the unexpected ones.

See also: Job 14:5.

Psalms 31:16

To make the face shine is a blessing picture. A smiling face shows favor and welcome. David asks to live under God’s approval as God’s servant. He asks to be saved by God’s love, not by his own deserving.

BSA: shine (“shine with favor, look kindly”): God’s smile on his servant means acceptance and care.

See also: Numbers 6:25.

Psalms 31:17-18

David again prays not to be shamed, since he has called on God. He asks that the wicked be shamed and silenced instead. Their lying, proud words against the righteous will end. He leaves the judgment of his enemies to God.

BSA: silenced (“put to silence, dumb”): Their slander will be stopped and they will have no more to say. arrogance (“proudly, insolently”): The enemies speak with scorn, as if they were above judgment.

Psalms 31:19

David bursts into wonder at God’s goodness. God has stored it up for those who fear him, meaning those who honor him with reverent trust. It is shown openly before everyone to those who take refuge in him.

BSA: laid up (“abundant, stored up”): God’s goodness is like a treasure kept in reserve, more than we see now. fear (“revere, have awe of”): This is respectful awe before God, not terror.

See also: 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Psalms 31:20

God hides his people in the secret place of his presence, safe from human plots and cruel tongues. Nearness to God is the safest shelter. The verse pictures a tent or pavilion where no accuser can reach.

BSA: secret place (“hidden from human eyes, in the covert”): Those in God’s presence are hidden where enemies cannot see or reach. shelter (“pavilion, tabernacle”): God covers his people as a tent covers those inside it.

See also: Psalm 91:1.

Psalms 31:21

David breaks out in praise. God showed him wonderful faithful love even in a city under siege, when he felt completely shut in. God’s kindness was real in the very time of danger.

BSA: siege (“surrounded by enemies”): David was hemmed in on every side, yet God’s love reached him there.

Psalms 31:22

David admits what he said in panic: that he was cut off from God’s sight. It was not true. God heard his cry. Our fears can say God has left us, but he listens to every plea for mercy.

BSA: alarm (“fear, terrified”): The word suggests a hasty, frightened rush, when thinking is clouded by panic. cut off (“separated, destroyed”): He felt entirely cast away from God’s presence.

See also: Jonah 2:4.

Psalms 31:23

David turns to everyone who belongs to God and urges them to love the LORD. God protects the faithful, but the proud who rely on themselves will receive full payment. The psalm moves from private prayer to public encouragement.

BSA: saints (“faithful ones”): These are God’s loyal people, those who are devoted to him. preserves (“keeps safe, protects”): God watches over his faithful and guards them.

Psalms 31:24

The psalm ends with a call to courage. Those who hope in the LORD can be strong, because their hope rests on the God who has just proved himself faithful. Waiting on him is never wasted.

BSA: hope (“who put your hope, who confidently expect”): This hope is a confident waiting, sure that God will act. courageous (“let your heart take courage”): The courage is meant to fill the heart, not only show on the outside.

See also: Psalm 27:14.