1 Yahweh, my heart isn’t haughty, nor my eyes lofty; nor do I concern myself with great matters, or things too wonderful for me.
2 Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Free Grace note
The weaned child: a soul that has stopped grasping. This is one of the shortest psalms, and one of the hardest to live. David begins with what he has laid down: a haughty heart, lofty eyes, and the compulsion to master matters too great and too wonderful for him. That last phrase does not forbid learning; it describes a man who has accepted the boundary between what God has revealed and what God has kept to Himself. Then comes the picture. Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother. A nursing infant is with his mother for what she gives; he cries and grabs. A weaned child has passed through the frustration of losing the milk and come out the other side content simply to be near her. That is the portrait: a soul that has stopped demanding explanations and settled into the presence of God Himself. Notice the verb, though. I have stilled my soul. Quietness like this is fought for. And the psalm ends by handing the lesson to the whole community: Israel, hope in Yahweh, from now and forever. Humble trust is not a private mood; it is the posture of God's people in every age.
3 Israel, hope in Yahweh, from this time forward and forever more.
Open Psalms 131 in the study reader The full reader adds verse-by-verse AI explanations, deeper Advanced notes, quizzes, book sermons in four voices, and whole-Bible search. Free, no account.
The Free Grace Bible App