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The Bible · 509 of 1189

Psalms 31

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 an 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.

9.Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

10.For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

11.I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.

12.I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.

13.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.

14.But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.

15.My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

16.Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.

17.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.

18.Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

19.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!

20.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.

21.Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.

22.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.

23.O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

24.Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Asked of Guide

Why does the psalmist call God a 'strong rock' and a 'pavilion' in the same prayer?

The psalmist uses ‘strong rock’ to name God’s reliability in crisis and ‘pavilion’ to picture hidden, intimate protection; both images describe protection from enemies and slander (verses 2–3, 20–21). The poem moves from desperate plea—“Pull me out of the net”—to confident praise—“Blessed be the LORD”—so the two images map the arc from rescue to safe dwelling.

This combination echoes themes in Proverbs and Isaiah where God is both fortress and shelter; see Isaiah 25:4 where God is a refuge for the poor and a shelter from the storm. The language therefore holds together: the rock secures deliverance, the pavilion secures ongoing safety and presence for those who trust him.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.