TRV
Translation
King James Version
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
Complete Jewish Bible
Turn your ear toward me, come quickly to my rescue, be for me a rock of strength, a fortress to keep me safe.
Berean Standard Bible
Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance.
American Standard Version
Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: Be thou to me a strong rock, A house of defence to save me.
World English Bible Messianic
Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Bowe downe thine eare to me: make haste to deliuer mee: be vnto me a stronge rocke, and an house of defence to saue me.
Young's Literal Translation
Incline unto me Thine ear hastily, deliver me, Be to me for a strong rock, For a house of bulwarks to save me.
In the KJVVerse 14,334 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 31 verses 1–8
1 ¶ To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. 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.
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 (Psa 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, Psa 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, Pro 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 (Psa 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 (Psa 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 (Psa 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 (Psa 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," Psa 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, Psa 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 (Psa 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," Psa 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 (Co2 4:16), and that we may keep possession of our souls when we can keep possession of nothing else, Luk 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 (Psa 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, Gen 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 (Ti2 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 (Psa 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 Psa 40:4; Jer 17:5.
IV. He comforted himself with his hope in God, and made himself, not only easy, but cheerful, with it, Psa 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 (Sa1 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," Psa 31:8. Christ's using those words (Psa 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 these verses, 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.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–8. Public domain.
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Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 31
"Bend down Your ear unto Me" [Psalm 31:2]. Hear Me in My humiliation, near at hand unto Me. "Make haste to deliver Me." Defer not to the end of the world, as with all who believe in Me, My separation from sinners. "Be unto Me a God who protects Me." Be unto Me God, and Protector. "And a house of refuge, that You may save Me." And as a house, wherein taking refuge I may be saved.
Arnobius the YoungerAD 460
COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 31:3
God rescues and frees the one who puts his hope in him. He bends his ear to them, and he snatches them … so that they are saved.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 31:2 presents a fervent and urgent prayer from David, encapsulating a profound reliance on God amidst intense distress. It serves as a timeless expression of humanity's cry for divine intervention, portraying God as the ultimate, unshakeable refuge and an impenetrable fortress. The verse powerfully articulates David's deep trust in God's attentive ear, His swift power to deliver, and His unwavering capacity to provide complete safety and salvation in the face of overwhelming circumstances.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Psalms 31 is a deeply personal lament of David, yet it masterfully navigates between expressions of profound distress and unwavering trust in God. Verse 2, "Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me," immediately establishes the urgent and intimate tone for the psalm's opening section. It follows directly from David's declaration of refuge in God in Psalm 31:1, where he seeks deliverance from shame. The subsequent pleas for swift intervention and the robust imagery of God as a rock and fortress are foundational to the psalm's emotional and theological trajectory, moving from desperation (vividly depicted in Psalm 31:9-13) to a triumphant resurgence of confidence and praise (culminating in Psalm 31:19-24). Thus, this verse is a pivotal invocation, setting the stage for David's earnest appeal for immediate and powerful divine assistance.
Historical & Cultural Context: David's life was frequently characterized by periods of intense persecution, betrayal, and personal affliction. While the specific historical backdrop for Psalm 31 remains unstated, its themes resonate deeply with known episodes such as his flight from Saul (e.g., 1 Samuel 23:25), the painful rebellion of his son Absalom (e.g., 2 Samuel 15:13-14), or even severe personal illness. In ancient Israel, the concepts of "rock" (צוּר, tsur) and "fortress" (מְצוּדָה, metsudah) were not abstract theological metaphors but tangible realities. Natural rock formations provided literal, unassailable refuge from enemies, and fortified cities or strongholds were indispensable for defense against invaders. This imagery, therefore, evokes a profound understanding of physical vulnerability and the desperate human need for a secure, unassailable sanctuary. Culturally, the idea of God "bowing down His ear" reflects the posture of a compassionate king, judge, or parent leaning in to hear the desperate plea of a subject or child, signifying personal, attentive, and immediate engagement, underscoring God's relational nature.
Key Themes: Psalms 31:2 powerfully articulates several core themes prevalent throughout the Psalter and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it highlights the urgency of prayer in times of acute crisis, demonstrating that believers are encouraged to approach God with immediate and specific needs, holding nothing back. Secondly, it profoundly underscores God's attentiveness and compassion, portraying Him as one who actively "bows down His ear" to the cries of His people, rather than remaining distant or indifferent. This emphasizes His personal engagement and care. Thirdly, the verse vividly emphasizes God's character as a deliverer and protector, employing the robust imagery of a "strong rock" and a "house of defence." This theme of God as an unshakeable refuge is central to the Psalter, providing unwavering assurance that He is an ever-present help in trouble, as declared in Psalm 46:1. Finally, it speaks to the absolute trust that the righteous place in God alone for their salvation and security, recognizing His unparalleled power to save, a trust far superior to reliance on human strength or military might, as contrasted in Psalm 20:7.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 31:2 is profoundly enriched by its use of Imagery and Metaphor, painting vivid pictures of God's character and His intimate relationship with His struggling servant. The opening phrase, "Bow down thine ear to me," employs Anthropomorphism, attributing a human physical action (leaning in to listen) to God. This device makes God's attentiveness relatable and emphasizes His personal, compassionate engagement with the petitioner, fostering a sense of divine intimacy. The most prominent devices are the Metaphors of God as "my strong rock" and "an house of defence." These are not merely comparisons but profound declarations of God's very nature as an unyielding, stable foundation and an impenetrable, secure dwelling place. The combination of these powerful images creates a comprehensive sense of unwavering protection and absolute security, transforming abstract theological concepts into tangible, comforting realities for the distressed soul.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly illustrates God's immanence—His active presence and engagement in the lives of His people—even as it affirms His transcendence as the all-powerful "strong rock." It underscores the biblical truth that God is not a distant, indifferent deity but one who listens, cares, and intervenes personally and powerfully in human affairs. David's urgent plea for "speedy" deliverance highlights the universal human experience of distress and the legitimate desire for quick relief, yet it is rooted in a deep theological understanding of God's character as a faithful covenant keeper who is both able and willing to save. The imagery of God as a "strong rock" and "house of defence" connects to the broader biblical theme of God as the ultimate refuge, fortress, and deliverer for His people, a source of unwavering strength and security in a chaotic and dangerous world.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 31:2 offers profound encouragement and a timeless model for prayer in moments of personal crisis and overwhelming challenge. It reminds us that when we face distress, danger, or despair, we are not left to our own devices but are invited to approach God with the same heartfelt urgency and absolute trust that David displayed. This verse assures us that God is not only capable of delivering us from our troubles but is also intimately attentive to our cries, ready to "bow down His ear" and respond with compassion and power. It challenges us to shift our focus from the magnitude of our problems to the immensity of God's power and His unwavering character as our "strong rock" and "house of defence." In Him, we find an unshakeable foundation and an impenetrable sanctuary, regardless of the storms raging around us. Placing our complete reliance on His strength and protective presence allows us to experience true security and salvation, knowing that our ultimate refuge is found in Him alone.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does David ask God to "bow down His ear" rather than just "hear me"?
Answer: The phrase "bow down thine ear" (נָטָה אָזְנְךָ, natah ozn'kha) is a powerful anthropomorphism that conveys a deeper, more intimate level of divine attention than a simple request to "hear." It pictures God leaning in, inclining His ear, as a compassionate parent or a caring friend would do to hear a desperate, whispered plea. This imagery emphasizes God's personal engagement, His empathetic concern, and His readiness to give focused, undivided attention to the petitioner's specific need. It's a plea for God to draw near and respond with active care, not just passive awareness, highlighting the deeply personal nature of David's relationship with the Almighty.
What is the significance of the request for "speedy" deliverance?
Answer: The request for "speedy" deliverance underscores the urgency and severity of David's situation. It implies that he is in immediate danger or facing overwhelming distress where a delay in divine intervention could lead to disastrous consequences. This is not an impatient demand but a desperate cry from a heart besieged by trouble, recognizing that only God's swift and timely action can bring relief and salvation. It reflects a profound reliance on God's sovereign timing and His power to act decisively in moments of crisis, as seen in other urgent prayers like Psalm 70:5.
How can God be both a "strong rock" and a "house of defence"? Are these not redundant images?
Answer: Far from being redundant, the metaphors of "strong rock" and "house of defence" are complementary and amplify the comprehensive nature of God's protection. The "strong rock" (צוּר, tsur) emphasizes God's unchangeable character, His absolute stability, and His unyielding power as an immovable foundation. It speaks to His inherent strength and steadfastness. The "house of defence" (בֵּית מְצוּדָה, beit metsudah), or "house of fortress," adds the dimension of a secure, permanent dwelling place. It implies not just a temporary shelter but an enduring sanctuary, an impenetrable stronghold where one can reside in complete safety. Together, they paint a comprehensive picture of God as both the unshakeable foundation upon which one stands and the secure, protective environment in which one lives, providing both stability and comprehensive refuge from all threats, as also seen in Psalm 91:2.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 31:2 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who perfectly embodies the divine attributes longed for by the psalmist. He is the very "strong rock" upon whom believers can build their lives, a foundation that will never fail, just as He Himself taught in the parable of the wise and foolish builders, where those who hear and obey His words build on an unshakeable rock (Matthew 7:24-25). Jesus is also our ultimate "house of defence," the secure dwelling place where we find eternal salvation and refuge from sin, death, and the power of the enemy. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus consistently demonstrated His willingness to "bow down His ear" to the cries of the afflicted, responding with compassion and "speedy" deliverance, whether healing the sick (Mark 1:40-42), casting out demons, or raising the dead. His own cry of lament on the cross, echoing psalms of profound distress (Psalm 22:1), shows His perfect solidarity with human suffering, yet His resurrection is the ultimate "speedy deliverance" from death itself. Through His atoning sacrifice, Jesus became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, providing the ultimate salvation David longed for. In Christ, we have not only a listening ear and swift help but also an eternal, unshakeable sanctuary, allowing us to approach the throne of grace with confidence for mercy and help in time of need.