Bible Commentary

Psalms 31

Psalms 31 — Overview

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain

To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. This psalm, according to Arama, was composed by David when in Keilah; but, according to Kimchi and others, when the Ziphites proposed to deliver him up into the hands of Saul; and who, upon their solicitations, came down and surrounded him with his army, from whom in haste he made his escape, and to which he is thought to refer in .

Theodoret supposes it was written by David when he fled from Absalom, and that it has some respect in it to his sin against Uriah, in that verse.Ver. 1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust,.... Not in any creature, but in the Lord Jehovah; the Targum, "in thy Word"; the essential Logos, or Word, which was in the beginning with God, and was God, and so an equal object of faith, trust, and confidence, as Jehovah the Father: this act includes a trusting all with God, body and soul, and the welfare of them, in time, and to eternity; and a trusting him for all things, both of providence and grace, and for both grace and glory, and is a continued act; for the psalmist does not say, "I have trusted", or "I will trust", but "I do"; and this was a very consider able thing to do in this time of his distress: the Lord is to be trusted in at all times;let me never be ashamed; neither in this world, nor in that to come.

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Psalms 31 — OverviewPsalms 31 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleIt 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 Sam. xxiii. 13), then in the wilderness of Maon, when…Psalms 31 — OverviewPsalms 31 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgePsalms 31:1, David, shewing his confidence in God, craves his help; Psalms 31:7, He rejoices in his mercy; Psalms 31:9, He prays in his calamity; Psalms 31:19, He praises God for his goodness.Psalms 31:1-8Psalms 31:1-8 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleFaith and prayer must go together. He that believes, let him 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. I.…Psalms 31:1Psalms 31:1 · The Pulpit CommentaryIn thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. If prayer to God for aid in a special time of trouble is the main object of the psalm, the expression of full trust in God is a secondary object, and is maintained throughout (see…Psalms 31:1-8Psalms 31:1-8 · The Pulpit CommentaryA prayer for grace in trouble. Authorship uncertain. Some give it to David, in Ziklag; others to Jeremiah. Three divisions. I. THE PSALMIST'S PRAYER. The trouble that oppressed him had been of long duration, as…Psalms 31:1-24Psalms 31:1-24 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITION THIS psalm is, in the main, a cry for deliverance out of pressing danger and trouble; but it is interspersed with passages of a more cheerful tone, expressive of faith and confidence (Psalms 31:5-8, Psalms…