Old Testament · Poetry

Psalm 31

Into Your Hands

The words Jesus spoke from the cross first appear here. David commits his spirit to the faithful God who has redeemed him.

King James Version BSB KJV

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1In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

2Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.

3For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

4Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.

5Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

6I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.

7I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

8And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

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

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

11I 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.

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

13For 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.

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

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

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

17Let 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.

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

19Oh 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!

20Thou 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.

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

22For 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.

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

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

Understand This

Psalm 31, explained

What Psalm 31 is saying

Psalm 31 is a rich lament-to-praise psalm containing the phrase Jesus quoted with His dying breath: 'Into Your hands I commit my spirit' (b'yadkha afqid ruchi). The psalm oscillates between terror and trust, with David describing himself as a 'broken vessel' (k'li oved) forgotten by all. The communal exhortation to 'love the LORD, all His faithful ones' at the close transforms personal testimony into congregational instruction.

The background behind it

The psalm's language of siege, conspiracy, and social isolation fits multiple periods of David's life. Stephen echoed Christ's use of verse 5 at his martyrdom (Acts 7:59), establishing this as a prayer of entrustment in extremis across both Testaments.

Themes running underneath

The psalm develops the theology of entrustment—committing one's entire existence (ruach, spirit) into God's hands as the ultimate act of faith. The 'broken vessel' imagery captures the experience of being discarded and useless, which God's faithful love (chesed) addresses directly.

Why it still matters

This psalm provides language for moments when one feels forgotten, useless, and surrounded by hostility. The act of committing one's spirit to God—whether in daily prayer or at life's end—is presented as the definitive expression of trust.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.