Psalms 31:23
O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
Main message
Psalm 31:23: The faithful are called to love the LORD, who preserves faithfulness and repays pride; divine recompense is God’s work, not a mandate for personal revenge.
Meaning in context
Psalm 31:19–24 · Goodness, heard prayer and courage — Verses 19–24 praise stored-up goodness, shelter in God’s presence, marvelous steadfast love, heard supplication, faithful preservation and courageous hope.
The faithful are called to love the LORD, who preserves faithfulness and repays pride; divine recompense is God’s work, not a mandate for personal revenge.
Further teachings
Goodness, heard prayer and courage
The faithful are called to love the LORD, who preserves faithfulness and repays pride; divine recompense is God’s work, not a mandate for personal revenge.
Cross References: Psalm 31:23 — Psalm 31:19–24.
Applications in daily life
- 1
Psalm 31:23
The faithful are called to love the LORD, who preserves faithfulness and repays pride; divine recompense is God’s work, not a mandate for personal revenge.
God’s repayment of pride is not permission for personal retaliation, political persecution, or religious coercion.
Related Bible passages and resources
- Psalm 31 (complete chapter)
Psalm 31 moves repeatedly between refuge and distress: the speaker entrusts himself to the LORD, describes grief, rejection, slander, and danger, and continues to call on God for deliverance. The poem does not minimize embodied suffering or social fear, yet it repeatedly returns to trust, God’s steadfast love, and the confession that the speaker’s times are in God’s hand. The closing movement widens from personal testimony to praise, love for the LORD, and courage for all who hope in him. Its language of enemies, Sheol, hidden shelter, and recompense belongs to prayer and divine justice, not private retaliation or withdrawal from practical help.
- Psalm 31:22
Read the previous verse to preserve the movement.
- Psalm 31:24
Continue with the next verse to preserve the movement.
- Study the Book of Psalms
Keep the verse within Psalm 31’s movement from refuge, through grief and threat, to renewed trust, praise, and courageous hope.
Common misreadings
God’s repayment of pride is not permission for personal retaliation, political persecution, or religious coercion.
The faithful are called to love the LORD, who preserves faithfulness and repays pride; divine recompense is God’s work, not a mandate for personal revenge.
How to Apply Psalms 31:23
Meditate on Psalms 31:23 by reading it aloud each morning this week. Ask yourself how its message from Scripture applies to a current challenge you are facing. Write one specific step you will take today in response to its truth — and revisit that commitment at the end of the week.
Sources & Method
Biblical text
Commentary anchored in the public-domain Psalm 31 text used by the site.
- Author:
- The Lord Will Editorial Team
- Reviewed by:
- Ugo Candido
- Last updated:
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