Psalms 31 · Verse 2

Psalms 31:2

Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
Psalms 31:2, King James Version

Psalms 31:2 in other translations

BSBIncline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance.
WEBBow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me.
ASVBow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: Be thou to me a strong rock, A house of defence to save me.
YLTIncline unto me Thine ear hastily, deliver me, Be to me for a strong rock, For a house of bulwarks to save me.
DARBYIncline thine ear to me, deliver me speedily; be a strong rock to me, a house of defence to save me.
BBELet your ear be turned to me; take me quickly out of danger; be my strong Rock, my place of strength where I may be safe.
WebsterBow down thy ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.

What does Psalms 31:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 31:2-4
2-4. He seeks help in God's righteous government (Psa 5:8), and begs for an attentive hearing, and speedy and effectual aid. With no other help and no claim of merit, he relies solely on God's regard to His own perfections for a safe guidance and release from the snares of his enemies. On the terms "rock," &c., (compare Psa 17:2; 18:2, 50; 20:6; 23:3; 25:21).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Bow down thine ear - Listen to my complaint. Put thy ear to my lips, that thou mayest hear all that my feebleness is capable of uttering. We generally put our ear near to the lips of the sick and dying, that we may hear what they say. To this the text appears to allude. Strong rock - Rocks, rocky places, or caves in the rocks, were often strong places in the land of Judea. To such natural fortifications allusions are repeatedly made by the Hebrew poetic writers.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 31:1-8

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…

Read the full comment on Psalms 31:1-8 →

Psalms 31:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

הַטֵּ֤הha.TehinclineH5186
אֵלַ֨י\׀'e.Laito meH413
אָזְנְךָ֮'a.ze.ne.Khaear yourH241
מְהֵרָ֪הme.he.RahquicklyH4120
הַצִּ֫ילֵ֥נִיha.Tzi.Le.nideliver meH5337
הֱיֵ֤הhe.YehbecomeH1961
לִ֨י\׀liof me
לְֽצוּר\־le.tzur-<into> a rock ofH6697
מָ֭עוֹזMa.'ozrefugeH4581
לְבֵ֥יתle.Veit<into> a house ofH1004
מְצוּד֗וֹתme.tzu.DotstrongholdsH4686
לְהוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי\׃le.ho.shi.'E.nito save meH3467

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 31:2

  • Psalms 71:2-3

    Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

  • Psalms 102:2

    Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

  • Psalms 86:1

    A Prayer of David. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

  • Deuteronomy 32:31

    For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.

  • 1 John 4:15-16

    Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

  • Psalms 130:2

    Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

  • Psalms 40:17

    But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

  • Psalms 90:1

    A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

  • Psalms 91:9

    Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

  • John 6:56

    He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

  • 2 Samuel 22:3

    The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

  • Psalms 79:1

    A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Bow.
71:2; 86:1; 130:2; Pr 22:17
deliver.
40:17; 69:17; 79:1; 102:2; 143:7; Job 7:21; Lu 18:8
my strong rock. Heb. to me for a rock of strength.
18:1,2; 62:7; 94:22; De 32:31; 2Sa 22:3
an house.
71:3; 90:1; 91:9; Isa 33:16; Joh 6:56; 1Jo 4:12,15,16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 31:1

    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.

  • Psalms 31:2

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

  • Psalms 31:3

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

Read all of Psalms 31

Psalms 31:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Inclina á mí tu oído, líbrame presto; séme por roca de fortaleza, por casa fuerte para salvarme.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		En toi, Éternel, j’ai placé ma confiance; que je ne sois jamais confus; délivre-moi dans ta justice.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Neige zu mir dein Ohr, eilends errette mich! Sei mir ein Fels der Zuflucht, ein befestigtes Haus, um mich zu retten!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Beatus vir cui non imputavit Dominus peccatum, nec est in spiritu ejus dolus.