Psalms 31:17-24

Context

31:17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,

for I call out to you!

May evil men be humiliated!

May they go wailing to the grave!¹

31:18 May lying lips be silenced –

lips² that speak defiantly against the innocent³

with arrogance and contempt!

31:19 How great is your favor,⁴

which you store up for your loyal followers!⁵

In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter⁶ in you.⁷

31:20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks⁸ of men;⁹

you conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks.¹⁰

31:21 The Lord deserves praise¹¹

for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies.¹²

31:22 I jumped to conclusions and said,¹³

“I am cut off from your presence!”¹⁴

But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.

31:23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers¹⁵ of his!

The Lord protects those who have integrity,

but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly.¹⁶

31:24 Be strong and confident,¹⁷

all you who wait on the Lord!

[31:17] ¹tn The verb יִדְּמוּ (yiddÿmu) is understood as a form of דָּמַם (damam, “wail, lament”). Another option is to take the verb from דָּמַם (“be quiet”; see BDB 198-99 s.v. I דָּמַם), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”

[31:18] ²tn Heb “the [ones which].”

[31:18] ³tn Or “godly.”

[31:19] ⁴tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”

[31:19] ⁵tn Heb “for those who fear you.”

[31:19] ⁶tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 34:21-22).

[31:19] ⁷tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”

[31:20] ⁸tn The noun רֹכֶס (rokhes) occurs only here. Its meaning is debated; some suggest “snare,” while others propose “slander” or “conspiracy.”

[31:20] ⁹tn Heb “you hide them in the hiding place of your face from the attacks of man.” The imperfect verbal forms in this verse draw attention to God’s typical treatment of the faithful.

[31:20] ¹⁰tn Heb “you conceal them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”

[31:21] ¹¹tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”

[31:21] ¹²tn Heb “for he caused his faithfulness to be amazing to me in a besieged city.” The psalmist probably speaks figuratively here. He compares his crisis to being trapped in a besieged city, but the Lord answered his prayer for help. Verses 19-24 were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18.

[31:22] ¹³tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”

[31:22] ¹⁴tn Heb “from before your eyes.”

[31:23] ¹⁵tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[31:23] ¹⁶tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.

[31:24] ¹⁷tn Heb “be strong and let your heart[s] be confident.”