Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 31:7

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 31:7. Thou hast known my soul in adversities — When all forsook me; when none could help me; when I could not save my own life; when my enemies were sure that I could not escape; then I found thee to be my Friend and Supporter. When friend, so called, finds it convenient not to know his friend in affliction and poverty, then thou didst acknowledge me as thine own, all worthless as I was. Human friendships may fail; but the Friend of sinners never fails. Cicero defines a real friend, Amicus certus in re incerta cernitor: "A friend in need is a friend indeed." Reader, such a Friend is the Lord.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 31:0 Trust amid apparent hopelessness

In his distress David is dependent entirely on the merciful goodness of God (1-2). He knows God’s character well enough to be assured that God will save him (3-5). God will bring victory to those who trust in him, and judgment on those who reject him for other gods (6-8).
Nevertheless, the psalmist’s faith is at times shaken by the intensity of his sufferings. Physically and spiritually he feels helpless almost to the point of despair (9-10). Enemies plot against him and friends have deserted him (11-13). Yet he trusts in the steadfast love of God, believing that God will deliver him and destroy his enemies (14-18). He knows that the God in whom he trusts is unfailingly faithful to his people (19-20), and he recalls how God has saved him in the past (21-22). He urges all God’s people to love and trust him with patience and courage. Then they will have the strength to bear whatever troubles they meet (23-24).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

“In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge; Let me never be put to shame: Deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: Be thou to me a strong rock, A house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; Therefore for thy name’s sake lead me and guide me. Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; For thou art my stronghold. Into thy hand I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Jehovah, thou God of truth. I hate them that regard lying vanities; But I trust in Jehovah. I will be glad and rejoice in thy lovingkindness; For thou hast seen my affliction: Thou hast known my soul in adversities; And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; Thou hast set my feet in a large place.”

That the psalm is most certainly David’s appears in the use of such terms as `rock,’ `stronghold,’ `lovingkindness,’ `thy righteousness,’ and `fortress.’ These expressions are found in dozens of David’s psalms.

Note also that the word `enemy’ in Psalms 31:8 is singular, suggesting that King Saul is the principle foe and the leader of those who have “laid a net” to capture David.

“For thy name’s sake” (Psalms 31:3). See our discussion of this phrase in the Shepherd Psalm, above. It indicates that God’s special care and protection are provided especially for those who are in covenant relation with the Lord. This is yet another mark of Davidic authorship.

“Pluck me out of the net” (Psalms 31:4). A device used by ancient murderers was that of casting a net over the intended victim, thus preventing his use of a sword or other weapon of defense, while they closed in upon him and destroyed him. David felt that the evil plot laid against him by Saul was the equivalent of just such a device.

“Into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Psalms 31:5). Our Lord himself made these the last of his seven words from the Cross, adding only the word “Father,” at the beginning (Luke 23:46). However, quite unlike the verse quoted from Psalms 22 on that same occasion, we cannot believe that Jesus’ use of these words identified this psalm as a prophecy of himself.

In fact, Jesus appears to have used these words in the same understanding of them that David apparently had, with this exception, “Whereas David commended his spirit to God that he might live and not die, Jesus used the same words to mean that he indeed would die, but that he would continue to live after the resurrection!

Jesus did not commended `his spirit’ as distinct from `his body’ to the Father. Did not the Father keep and preserve both? We believe that Jesus may well have used “spirit” in this passage as a synonym for the whole being, just as David evidently did here. Certainly, David used these words in the sense of both soul and body.

“David was not thinking of a final committal of his soul, as distinct from his body, into the hands of the Creator, but was solemnly committing himself, both soul and body, into Divine keeping, to be preserved from his enemies.”The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8, 227.

“Jesus’ use of these words has made this entire psalm sacred and memorable,”Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Old Testament, p. 507. for Christians throughout the ages. Countless saints of God have remembered and used the words in their very act of departing from this life. Stephen used the sentiment of them (Acts 7:59). Polycarp in his martyrdom is said to have made these his last words. And Adam Clarke tells us that the Latin rendition of these words are used in the last rites of the Catholic Church for those who are dying, “In manus tuas Domine, commendo spiritum meum.”Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible (London: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), Vol. III, p. 318.

“I hate them that regard lying vanities” (Psalms 31:6). This is a reference to idols and is distinguished by the fact that the prophet Jonah quoted this very verse in his prayer from the belly of the great fish (Jonah 2:8).

The RSV changes the words “I hate,” as they appear here, making them read “Thou hatest,” apparently out of respect for the foolish notion of many modern religious people that the child of God must not “hate” anything. We agree with Ash that the words as they stand in our version “make good sense.”Anthony L. Ash, Jeremiah and Lamentations (Abilene, Texas: A.C.U. Press, 1987), p. 116.

“Thou hast set my feet in a large place” (Psalms 31:8). This expression means that David had, at this point, been liberated from his terrible anxieties, and that for the moment, at least, he was free and safe in the protection of the Lord,

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy - I will triumph and joy in thy mercy; that is, in the mercy which he had already experienced, and in that which he still hoped to enjoy. He had had abundant proofs of that mercy; he hoped for still further proofs of it; and he says that he would find his joy in that, and not in what idols could give.

For thou hast considered my trouble - In times past and now. He felt assured that his prayer would be regarded, and that God would relieve and deliver him.

Thou hast known my soul in adversities - In the troubles that have come upon me. That is, God had seen and known all the feelings of his heart in the time of adversity; his sorrow and anxiety; his hope and trust; his uncomplaining spirit; his feeling of entire dependence on God, and his belief that He would interpose to save him. God had not turned away from him, but had shown that he regarded with interest all his feelings, his desires, his hopes. It is much, in the time of trouble, to know that all our feelings are understood by God, that He sees all our sorrows, and that He will not be regardless of them. There are no states of mind more interesting than those which occur in adversities; there is no one who can fully understand the soul in adversities but God; there is no one but God who can entirely meet the needs of the soul in such seasons.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

7.I will be glad and rejoice in thy goodness. Here is inserted a thanksgiving, although many are rather of opinion that David’s prayer is suspended, and that he makes a vow, when he shall be delivered from present danger. But as no condition is annexed, I am rather inclined to think that stopping all at once in the middle of his prayer, he promises himself a deliverance, for which he will have abundant matter for giving thanks. Nor is it to be wondered at that different feelings are mingled in the psalms in which David has set forth his own temptations, as well as the resistance which his faith made to them, considering also that when he sung the praises of God, after having already obtained deliverance from him, he embraces different periods in his song, as he here says, that God had regarded his affliction, intimating by this the effect of the assistance which God had afforded him. And that he may the better confirm this, he adds, that he had not been delivered into the hands of his enemies: in which words there is an implied antithesis, namely, that when he was encompassed on every side by severe afflictions, he was marvellously delivered by God. This is also farther intimated by the following sentence, Thou hast set my feet in a large place, ⁽⁶⁴²⁾ which denotes a sudden and unexpected change.

(642) “There is a contrast in the expression between the straits to which he had been confined, and the freedom which was now bestowed upon him.” —Walford.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Let's turn now in our Bibles to Psalms 31:1-24 . This thirty-first psalm is actually divided into three sections. The first one covering the first eight verses, the second one covering verses Psalms 31:9-18 , and Psalms 31:1-24 : ,the final section from nineteen to the end of the psalm. In the first section of the psalm, with David it is sort of a mixture between trust and trial. In the next section the trial is overcome by the trust. And then in the final section it is the triumph of the trusting in the Lord. So the first section through verse Psalms 31:8 the trusting and the trials.

In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me ( Psalms 31:1-3 ).

So a prayer of David declaring that he put his trust in the Lord. Asking God to deliver him. Asking God to hear him and to hear him speedily. I like that. When I pray I like God to hear me speedily. I really don't like when God says, "Wait." Or when He exhorts me towards patience. I like... I am a man of action, and I like God to work quickly when I am in trouble.

"Be Thou my strong rock and a house of defense, for Thou art my rock and my fortress." Now David often speaks of God as his rock and as his fortress. I guess you would really have to go over to the land of Israel to appreciate this fully. The Israelis have a joke that they will tell you when you first arrive. They will say that God dispatched two angels to distribute the rocks over the face of the earth. And that the one angel went all over the earth scattering his rocks, sort of spreading them out all over the entire earth. And the other angel just was tired and so he dumped all of his rocks on Israel. It is a rocky place. But the rocks afforded a tremendous place of defense in those days. And so in speaking of God as a rock, you are speaking actually of God being a shield to you, a defense. So God is my rock. He is my place of defense. He is my fortress. And oftentimes God is spoken of in the figure of a rock.

Now in the Proverbs there are three things on the earth that are small, yea four that are small but exceedingly wise. And he speaks of the conies; they are just a feeble folk. It is sort of a... a coney is sort of related partly to the rabbit family. It looks something like a rabbit, and yet on the other hand, it looks sort of like an overgrown rat. Down in Engedi when you go in there, there is a lot of reeds along the stream, and there are hundreds of these conies down in that area. And the scripture says, "The coney is a feeble folk." It is actually a very defenseless kind of an animal. It is sort of... well, it really is a defenseless animal. It doesn't have any way of defending itself from a predatory type of an animal. And so it says that a coney is a feeble folk, but he makes his home in the rock. So the conies crawl back in the rocks and the wolves, or whatever can stand on the outside and just bark and howl and all, but they can't get to them. So it is actually, the four things on the earth small, exceeding wise, the coney is one of them. The wisdom is knowing its weakness. It has enough sense to make its home in the rock.

Now, we, knowing our weakness, ought to have enough sense to make our home in the Rock. "The Lord is my rock and my fortress." I know that I am weak. I know that I cannot really defend myself from the attacks of the enemy. I know his powers. I know his wiles. I know his guises. I know that I am no match. So it is so important, knowing my weaknesses, that I make my home in the Rock, Jesus Christ. Who then becomes my rock and my fortress. And then asking God to lead me and guide me for His name's sake.

Pull me out of the net that they have privately laid for me: for thou art my strength. For into thine hand I commit my spirit ( Psalms 31:4-5 ):

This is what Jesus, of course, cried from the cross at the time of His death, "Father, into Thine hands I commend My Spirit" ( Luke 23:46 ).

thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD. I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for you have considered my trouble; you have known my soul in adversities; Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: you have set my feet in a large room ( Psalms 31:5-8 ).

Now we enter into the second section where the trial is overcome by the trust.

Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: my eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed. I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life ( Psalms 31:9-13 ).

So they have set a net for David. They are talking about him. His life is filled with grief and with sighing. He is a reproach of his enemies. Even his friends have forsaken him. They treat him like a dead man. Out of mind. Like a vessel that is broken, of no further value.

But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in your hand: deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. And let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous ( Psalms 31:14-18 ).

Into the final section now, into the triumph of his trusting.

Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the LORD: for he hath showed me his marvelous kindness in a strong city. For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he will strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD ( Psalms 31:19-24 ).

So the triumph of trusting and then the encouragement of others. Having experienced the help of God, I then seek to share and to encourage others to also receive God's help and God's work in their life. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 31

This lament-thanksgiving psalm grew out of an experience in David’s life in which his foes plotted to kill him. That incident reminded David that the Lord would protect those who trust in Him. He urged others who might encounter similar affliction to love and trust in God as well.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

2. David’s confidence in God’s love 31:3-8

The psalmist’s confidence that the Lord would protect him was strong.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Even though the psalmist had not yet experienced deliverance, he delighted in the loyal love of his God. God had not handed him over to his enemy, so the prospects for the future were encouraging. Even though final deliverance was yet to come, David could praise God as he waited for it since he believed God would be faithful to His promises to help His afflicted. Paul and Silas sang praises to God in the Philippian jail with the same confidence (Acts 16:25).

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

I will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy,.... Both because of the nature of it, which is large and abundant, free and sovereign, from everlasting to everlasting, and is communicated in and through Christ, and is a good ground of hope and trust; and because of the effects of it, or what it has produced; for to it are owing the covenant of grace, and all the sure mercies of it; the mission of Christ, and redemption by him; regeneration, and the forgiveness of sins, and even eternal life and glory; besides a multitude of blessings, deliverances, and salvations in Providence; on account of all which there is great reason for joy and gladness; of which the following are particulars;

for thou hast considered my trouble; inward, arising from indwelling sin, doubts and fears, desertions and darkness, and Satan's temptations; and outward, from the world, and the men of it, and by reason of bodily afflictions: now the Lord looks upon the troubles of his people, and upon them in them, with an eye of pity and compassion; he sympathizes with them; he considers the nature of their trouble, their weakness to bear it, and the best way, in tans, and time to deliver out of it; he working all things after the counsel of his own will; see Exodus 3:7;

thou hast known my soul in adversities; that is, the Lord had took notice of him, approved of him, loved him, had visited him, and made known his love to him, and owned him for his own, and had chosen him in the furnace of affliction; a time and season when oftentimes friends and acquaintance are shy, and will not look upon men, know them, and own them; but the Lord does otherwise, and which is another reason of joy and gladness in his mercy.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

To the chief musician. A psalm of David.

      1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.   2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defence to save me.   3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.   4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.   5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.   6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.   7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;   8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

      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.

      I. David, in distress, is very earnest with God in prayer for succour and relief. This eases a burdened spirit, fetches in promised mercies, and wonderfully supports and comforts the soul in the expectation of them. He prays, 1. That God would deliver him (Psalms 31:1; Psalms 31:1), that his life might be preserved from the malice of his enemies, and that an end might be put to their persecutions of him, that God, not only in his mercy, but in righteousness, would deliver him, as a righteous Judge betwixt him and his unrighteous persecutors, that he would bow down his ear to his petitions, to his appeals, and deliver him, Psalms 31:2; Psalms 31:2. It is condescension in God to take cognizance of the case of the greatest and best of men; he humbles himself to do it. The psalmist prays also that he would deliver him speedily, lest, if the deliverance were long deferred, his faith should fail. 2. That if he did not immediately deliver him out of his troubles, yet he would protect and shelter him in his troubles; "Be thou my strong rock, immovable, impregnable, as a fastness framed by nature, and my house of defence, a fortress framed by art, and all to save me." Thus we may pray that God's providence would secure to us our lives and comforts, and that by his grace we may be enabled to think ourselves safe in him, Proverbs 18:10. 3. That his case having much in it of difficulty, both in respect of duty and in respect of prudence, he might be under the divine guidance: "Lord, lead me and guide me (Psalms 31:3; Psalms 31:3), so order my steps, so order my spirit, that I may never do any thing unlawful and unjustifiable--against my conscience, nor unwise and indiscreet--against my interest." Those that resolve to follow God's direction may in faith pray for it. 4. That his enemies being very crafty, as well as very spiteful, God would frustrate and baffle their designs against him (Psalms 31:4; Psalms 31:4): "Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me, and keep me from the sin, the trouble, the death, they aim to entrap me in."

      II. In this prayer he gives glory to God by a repeated profession of his confidence in him and dependence on him. This encouraged his prayers and qualified him for the mercies he prayed for (Psalms 31:1; Psalms 31:1): "In thee, O Lord! do I put my trust, and not in myself, or any sufficiency of my own, or in any creature; let me never be ashamed, let me not be disappointed of any of that good which thou hast promised me and which therefore I have promised myself in thee." 1. He had chosen God for his protector, and God had, by his promise, undertaken to be so (Psalms 31:3; Psalms 31:3): "Thou art my rock and my fortress, by thy covenant with me and my believing consent to that covenant; therefore be my strong rock," Psalms 31:2; Psalms 31:2. Those that have in sincerity avouched the Lord for theirs may expect the benefit of his being so; for God's relations to us carry with them both name and thing. Thou art my strength,Psalms 31:4; Psalms 31:4. If God be our strength, we may hope that he will both put his strength in us and put forth his strength for us. 2. He gave up his soul in a special manner to him (Psalms 31:5; Psalms 31:5): Into thy hands I commit my spirit. (1.) If David here looks upon himself as a dying man, by these words he resigns his departing soul to God who gave it, and to whom, at death, the spirit returns. "Men can but kill the body, but I trust in God to redeem my soul from the power of the grave," Psalms 49:15. He is willing to die if God will have it so; but let my soul fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are great. With these words our Lord Jesus yielded up the ghost upon the cross, and made his soul an offering, a free-will offering for sin, voluntarily laying down his life a ransom. By Stephen's example we are taught in, our dying moment, to eye Christ at God's right hand, and to commit our spirits to him: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. But, 2. David is here to be looked upon as a man in distress and trouble. And, [1.] His great care is about his soul, his spirit, his better part. Note, Our outward afflictions should increase our concern for our souls. Many think that while they are perplexed about their worldly affairs, and Providence multiplies their cares about them, they may be excused if they neglect their souls; whereas the greater hazard our lives and secular interests lie at the more we are concerned to look to our souls, that, though the outward man perish, the inward man may suffer no damage (2 Corinthians 4:16), and that we may keep possession of our souls when we can keep possession of nothing else, Luke 21:19. [2.] He thinks the best he can do for the soul is to commit it into the hand of God, and lodge that great trust with him. He had prayed (Psalms 31:4; Psalms 31:4) to be plucked out of the net of outward trouble, but, as not insisting upon that (God's will be done), he immediately lets fall that petition, and commits the spirit, the inward man, into God's hand. "Lord, however it goes with me, as to my body, let it go well with my soul." Note, It is the wisdom and duty of every one of us solemnly to commit our spirits into the hands of God, to be sanctified by his grace, devoted to his honour, employed in his service, and fitted for his kingdom. That which encourages us to commit our spirits into the hand of God is that he has not only created, but redeemed, them; the particular redemptions of the Old-Testament church and the Old-Testament saints were typical of our redemption by Jesus Christ, Genesis 48:16. The redemption of the soul is so precious that it must have ceased for ever if Christ had not undertaken it; but, by redeeming our souls, he has not only acquired an additional right and title to them, which obliges us to commit them to him as his own, but has shown the extraordinary kindness and concern he has for them, which encourages us to commit them to him, to be preserved to his heavenly kingdom (2 Timothy 1:12): "Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth! redeem me according to a promise which thou wilt be true to."

      III. He disclaimed all confederacy with those that made an arm of flesh their confidence (Psalms 31:6; Psalms 31:6): I have hated those that regard lying vanities--idolaters (to some), who expect aid from false gods, which are vanity and a lie--astrologers, and those that give heed to them, so others. David abhorred the use of enchantments and divinations; he consulted not, nor even took notice of, the flight of birds or entrails of beasts, good omens or bad omens; they are lying vanities, and he not only did not regard them himself, but hated the wickedness of those that did. He trusted in God only, and not in any creature. His interest in the court or country, his retreats or strongholds, even Goliath's sword itself--these were lying vanities, which he could not depend upon, but trusted in the Lord only. See Psalms 40:4; Jeremiah 17:5.

      IV. He comforted himself with his hope in God, and made himself, not only easy, but cheerful, with it, Psalms 31:7; Psalms 31:7. Having relied on God's mercy, he will be glad and rejoice in it; and those know not how to value their hope in God who cannot find joy enough in that hope to counterbalance their grievances and silence their griefs.

      V. He encouraged himself in this hope with the experiences he had had of late, and formerly, of God's goodness to him, which he mentions to the glory of God; he that has delivered doth and will. 1. God had taken notice of his afflictions and all the circumstances of them: "Thou hast considered my trouble, with wisdom to suit relief to it, with condescension and compassion regarding the low estate of they servant." 2. He had observed the temper of his spirit and the workings of his heart under his afflictions: "Thou hast known my soul in adversities, with a tender concern and care for it." God's eye is upon our souls when we are in trouble, to see whether they be humbled for sin, submissive to the will of God, and bettered by the affliction. If the soul, when cast down under affliction, has been lifted up to him in true devotion, he knows it. 3. He had rescued him out of the hands of Saul when he had him safe enough in Keilah (1 Samuel 23:7): "Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy, but set me at liberty, in a large room, where I may shift for my own safety," Psalms 31:8; Psalms 31:8. Christ's using those words (Psalms 31:5; Psalms 31:5) upon the cross may warrant us to apply all this to Christ, who trusted in his Father and was supported and delivered by him, and (because he humbled himself) highly exalted, which it is proper to think of when we sing Psalms 31:1-8, as also therein to acknowledge the experience we have had of God's gracious presence with us in our troubles and to encourage ourselves to trust in him for the future.