Salmi 31

1 Salmo di Davide, dato al capo de’ Musici SIGNORE, io mi son confidato in te; Fa’ che io non sia giammai confuso; Liberami per la tua giustizia.

2 Inchina a me il tuo orecchio, affrettati a liberarmi; Siimi una rocca forte, e un luogo di fortezza, Per salvarmi.

3 Perciocchè tu sei la mia rocca e la mia fortezza; E, per amor del tuo Nome, guidami, e conducimi.

4 Trammi fuor della rete che mi è stata tesa di nascosto; Poichè tu sei la mia fortezza.

5 Io rimetto il mio spirito nelle tue mani; Tu mi hai riscattato, o Signore Iddio di verità.

6 Io odio quelli che attendono alle vanità di menzogna; Ma io mi confido nel Signore.

7 Io festeggerò, e mi rallegrerò della tua benignità; Perciocchè tu avrai veduta la mia afflizione, Ed avrai presa conoscenza delle tribolazioni dell’anima mia;

8 E non mi avrai messo in mano del nemico; Ed avrai fatto star ritti i miei piedi al largo.

9 Abbi mercè di me, Signore; perciocchè io sono in distretta; L’occhio mio, l’anima mia, e il ventre mio, son consumati di cordoglio.

10 Perciocchè la mia vita si vien meno di noia, Ed i miei anni di sospirare; Le mie forze sono scadute per le mie pene, E le mie ossa son consumate.

11 Per cagione di tutti i miei nemici, io sono stato in gran vituperio Eziandio a’ miei vicini, e in ispavento a’ miei conoscenti; Quelli che mi veggono fuori se ne fuggono lontano da me.

12 Io sono stato dimenticato dal cuor loro come un morto; Io son simile ad un vaso perduto.

13 Perciocchè io ho udito il vituperio di molti; Spavento è d’ogn’intorno, Mentre prendono insieme consiglio contro a me, E macchinano di tormi la vita.

14 Ma io, o Signore, mi confido in te; Io ho detto: Tu sei l’Iddio mio.

15 I miei tempi son nella tua mano; Riscuotimi dalla mano de’ miei nemici, e da quelli che mi perseguitano.

16 Fa’ risplendere il tuo volto sopra il tuo servitore; Salvami per la tua benignità.

17 O Signore, fa’ che io non sia confuso; perciocchè io t’invoco; Sieno confusi gli empi; Abbian la bocca turata, e sieno posti nel sepolcro.

18 Ammutoliscano le labbra bugiarde, Le quali parlano duramente contro al giusto, Con alterezza, e con isprezzo.

19 Quanto grandi sono i tuoi beni Che tu hai riposti a quelli che ti temono; E che tu fai in presenza de’ figliuoli degli uomini, Inverso quelli che si confidano in te!

20 Tu li nascondi, nel nascondimento della tua faccia, Dalle superbie degli uomini; Tu li occulti in un tabernacolo, lungi dalle brighe delle lingue.

21 Benedetto sia il Signore; Perciocchè egli ha renduta ammirabile la sua benignità inverso me, Come se io fossi stato in una città di fortezza.

22 Ora, quant’è a me, nel mio smarrimento, dissi: Io son riciso d’innanzi al tuo cospetto Ma pur tu hai udita la voce delle mie supplicazioni, Quando io ho gridato a te.

23 Amate il Signore, voi suoi santi tutti; Il Signore guarda i fedeli, E rende la retribuzione a colmo a quelli che procedono alteramente.

24 Confortatevi, voi tutti che sperate nel Signore; Ed egli fortificherà il vostro cuore.

Salmi 31 Commentary

Chapter 31

Confidence in God. (1-8) Prayer in trouble. (9-18) Praise for God's goodness. (19-24)

Verses 1-8 Faith and prayer must go together, for the prayer of faith is the prevailing prayer. David gave up his soul in a special manner to God. And with the words, ver. 5, our Lord Jesus yielded up his last breath on the cross, and made his soul a free-will offering for sin, laying down his life as a ransom. But David is here as a man in distress and trouble. And his great care is about his soul, his spirit, his better part. Many think that while perplexed about their worldly affairs, and their cares multiply, they may be excused if they neglect their souls; but we are the more concerned to look to our souls, that, though the outward man perish, the inward man may suffer no damage. The redemption of the soul is so precious, that it must have ceased for ever, if Christ had not undertaken it. Having relied on God's mercy, he will be glad and rejoice in it. God looks upon our souls, when we are in trouble, to see whether they are humbled for sin, and made better by the affliction. Every believer will meet with such dangers and deliverances, until he is delivered from death, his last enemy.

Verses 9-18 David's troubles made him a man of sorrows. Herein he was a type of Christ, who was acquainted with grief. David acknowledged that his afflictions were merited by his own sins, but Christ suffered for ours. David's friends durst not give him any assistance. Let us not think it strange if thus deserted, but make sure of a Friend in heaven who will not fail. God will be sure to order and dispose all for the best, to all those who commit their spirits also into his hand. The time of life is in God's hands, to lengthen or shorten, make bitter or sweet, according to the counsel of his will. The way of man is not in himself, nor in our friend's hands, nor in our enemies' hands, but in God's. In this faith and confidence he prays that the Lord would save him for his mercies's sake, and not for any merit of his own. He prophesies the silencing of those that reproach and speak evil of the people of God. There is a day coming, when the Lord will execute judgment upon them. In the mean time, we should engage ourselves by well-doing, if possible, to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

Verses 19-24 Instead of yielding to impatience or despondency under our troubles, we should turn our thoughts to the goodness of the Lord towards those who fear and trust in Him. All comes to sinners through the wondrous gift of the only-begotten Son of God, to be the atonement for their sins. Let not any yield to unbelief, or think, under discouraging circumstances, that they are cut off from before the eyes of the Lord, and left to the pride of men. Lord, pardon our complaints and fears; increase our faith, patience, love, and gratitude; teach us to rejoice in tribulation and in hope. The deliverance of Christ, with the destruction of his enemies, ought to strengthen and comfort the hearts of believers under all their afflictions here below, that having suffered courageously with their Master, they may triumphantly enter into his joy and glory.

Chapter Summary

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 Psalm 31:22. 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.