Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
Parallel Translations
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Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
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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.
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Be Thou to me a sheltering rock, whereunto I may continually resort, which Thou hast appointed to save me; for Thou art my rock and my fortress.
Cross-references (15)
Passages linked to Psalms 71:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 18:2 Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
- Proverbs 18:10 Yahweh’s name is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe.
- Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your dwelling place. Underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrust out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’
- Psalms 31:2-3 Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me. For you are my rock and my fortress, therefore for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.
- Psalms 91:9 Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,
- Psalms 91:11-12 For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, so that you won’t dash your foot against a stone.
- Psalms 42:8 Yahweh will command his loving kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life.
- Psalms 44:4 You are my King, God. Command victories for Jacob!
- Isaiah 33:16 he will dwell on high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. His bread will be supplied. His waters will be sure.
- Psalms 68:28 Your God has commanded your strength. Strengthen, God, that which you have done for us.
- Psalms 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
- Revelation 7:2-3 I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Don’t harm the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!”
- Psalms 90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.
- Psalms 144:2 my loving kindness, my fortress, my high tower, my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me.
- Ezekiel 9:6 Kill utterly the old man, the young man, the virgin, little children and women; but don’t come near any man on whom is the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” Then they began at the old men who were before the house.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Thou hast infinite means, and all creatures are at…
Thou hast infinite means, and all creatures are at thy commandment: therefore show some sign, whereby I shall be delivered.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I…
Psa 71:3 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.
Ver. 3. Thou hast given commandment] sc. To thine angels, and all other thy creatures; or, thou hast commanded, that is, thou hast promised.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Commandment; by which he understands God’s purpose and promise,…
Commandment; by which he understands God’s purpose and promise, and his providence watching to execute them; all which are as certain and powerful as a command.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Be thou my strong habitation,.... This is very appropiately…
Be thou my strong habitation,.... This is very appropiately said, when David was driven out of his dwelling place, and palace at Jerusalem, by his son, as Kimchi observes. When God's people have no certain dwelling place, which is sometimes their case, they always find one in the Lord; particularly in his heart's love; for he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, Jo1 4:16; and a strong habitation he is: wherefore he is called a strong rock, a strong hold, a strong tower; he is as a wall of fire around his people, a munition of rocks; his salvation is as walls and bulwarks, and his power as a garrison in which they are kept. The psalmist adds,
whereunto I may continually resort; or "may go into daily" (r), in times of danger and distress, for safety; the name of the Lord being a strong tower, whither the righteous run, and are safe, Pro 18:10; and his perfections, his power, faithfulness, lovingkindness, and unchangeableness, being as so many secret chambers, where they may enter into, and hide themselves, till calamities are over, Psa 57:1; and every day indeed for food, for comfort, for refreshment and pleasure, through communion with him; and God in Christ is always to be come at: Christ is the way of access and acceptance; and through his blood, sacrifice, and righteousness, the believer has boldness to enter into the holiest of all, and go up to the seat of God, the throne of his grace; and even to enter into him himself, who has been the dwelling place of his people in all generations, Psa 90:1;
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thou hast given commandment to save me; either to the ministering angels, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it, comparing it with Psa 91:11; or rather to his Son, in the council and covenant of grace and peace; when he enjoined him the salvation of his people, which he readily agreed to, and with which David was acquainted, Psa 40:7; of this command our Lord speaks, Joh 10:18; and to which he was obedient, Phi 2:8; it may respect David's salvation from present trouble, and his assurance of it, believing that the Lord had determined it, and by his mighty power would effect it; see Psa 44:4;
for thou art my rock and my fortress; see Psa 18:2.
(r) "ut ingrediar jugiter", Pagninus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. Be thou my strong habitation] Instead of…
Verse 3. Be thou my strong habitation] Instead of מען maon, habitation, many of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. read מעז maoz, munition or defence. Be thou my rock of defence.
Thou hast given commandment to save me] Thou hast determined my escape, and hast ordered thy angels to guard me. See Ps 91:11-12.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Be thou my strong habitation - Margin, as in…
Be thou my strong habitation - Margin, as in Hebrew, “Be thou to me for a rock of habitation.” That is, a rock where I may safely make my abode, or to which I may resort and feel safe. In Psa 31:2, this is, “Be thou my strong rock, for an house of defense to save me.” The idea is the same. See the notes at that passage, and compare the notes at Psa 18:2.
Whereunto I may continually resort - Where I may take refuge at all times, in all circumstances of danger.
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Thou hast given commandment to save me - There was some command, or some promise, on which the psalmist relied, or which he felt he might plead as the ground of his appeal. This may refer to some “special” promise or command made to the author of the psalm - and, if the psalm was composed by David, there were many such; or the reference may have been to the general commands or promises made to the people of God as such, which he felt he was at liberty to plead, and which all may plead who are the friends of God. “We” cannot refer, as David could, to any special promise made to “us” as “individuals;” but, in proportion as we have evidence of piety, we can refer to the promises made to alI the people of God, or to all who devote themselves to him, as a reason why he should interpose in our behalf. In this respect the promises made in the Scriptures to the children of God, may be pleaded by us “as if” they were made personally to ourselves, for, if we are his, they are made to us - they are intended for us.
For thou art my rock and my fortress - See the notes at Psa 18:2.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 3. Strong habitation—Literally, my rock of habitation. Psa_31:2.
3. Strong habitation—Literally, my rock of habitation. Psa_31:2.
Continually resort—Continual going to God is the only safety.
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Commandment to save me—This is the language of faith. If God had commanded “to save,” no man could disannul or make void the decree, Psa_44:4. God commands to be done what is promised, when the conditions of the promise are fulfilled.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 3. Be thou my strong habitation] Better as R.V.,…
3. Be thou my strong habitation] Better as R.V., Be thou to me a rock of habitation. God is called our habitation in Psa_90:1; and the phrase may be an intentional modification of the words a rock of stronghold in Psa_31:2. But some Heb. MSS., the LXX, Symm., and Targ., read stronghold here also, and the word mâ‘ ôn (מעון) so closely resembles mâ‘ ôz (מעוז) that the variation is probably due to accident.
thou hast given commandment] Cp. Psa_44:4; Psa_68:28. To the three Heb. words rendered whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment correspond two words in Psa_31:2, meaning for a fortress-house. The curious similarity of the consonants in the Heb. suggests that the reading of the Massoretic Text here is a restoration of partially obliterated or faded letters: and the LXX translators, though they give a different rendering, appear to have found the same reading here as in Psa_31:2, or a closely similar one. The other Versions agree with the Massoretic Text.
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my rock] My cliff: a different word from that in the first line, recalling the ‘cliff’ (sela) where David had been so unexpectedly delivered from Saul (1Sa_23:25 ff.). On the metaphors see note on Psa_18:2.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (3) Rock.—Better, cliff (Hebrew selah), to distinguish it from…
(3) Rock.—Better, cliff (Hebrew selah), to distinguish it from tsûr, above.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Be thou my strong Habitation; literally, be thou to…
Be thou my strong Habitation; literally, be thou to me for a Rock of habitation; i.e. a rock upon which I may take up my abode. Whereunto I may continually resort. Exegetical of the preceding clause, habitation" Thou hast given "a rock of commandment to save me. It is in thy counsels that I am to be helped and saved not left to the will of my enemies. (comp. Psa_68:28) This conviction lies at the root of the psalmist"s faith and trust. For thou art my Rock and my Fortress. (comp. Psa_18:2 Psa_61:2, Psa_61:3, etc.)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Ver. 3. Be thou my strong habitation. Permit me…
Ver. 3. Be thou my strong habitation. Permit me to enter into thee, and be as much at home as a man in his own house, and then suffer me to remain in thee as my settled abode. Whereas foes molest me, I need a dwelling framed and bulwarked, to sustain a siege and resist the attacks of armies; let, then, thine omnipotence secure me, and be as a fortress unto me. Here we see a weak man, but he is in a strong habitation; his security rests upon the tower in which he hides, and is not placed in jeopardy through his personal feebleness.
Whereunto I may continually resort. Fast shut is this castle against all adversaries, its gates they cannot burst open; the drawbridge is up, the portcullis is down, the bars are fast in their places; but, there is a secret door, by which friends of the great Lord can enter at all hours of the day or night, as often as ever they please. There is never an hour when it is unlawful to pray. Mercy's gates stand wide open, and shall do so, till, at the last, the Master of the house has risen up and shut to the door. Believers find their God to be their habitation, strong and accessible, and this is for them a sufficient remedy for all the ills of their mortal life.
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Thou hast given commandment to save me. Nature is charged to be tender with God's servants; Providence is ordered to work their good, and the forces of the invisible world are ordained as their guardians. David charged all his troops to spare the young man Absalom, but yet he fell. God's commandment is of far higher virtue, for it compels obedience, and secures its end. Destruction cannot destroy us, famine cannot starve us; but we laugh at both, while God's mandate shields us. No stones of the field can throw us down, while angels bear us up in their hands; neither can the beasts of the field devour us, while David's God delivers us from their ferocity, or Daniel's God puts them in awe of us. For thou art my rock and my fortress. In God we have all the security which nature which furnishes the rock, and art which builds the fortress, could supply; he is the complete preserver of his people. Immutability may be set forth by the rock, and omnipotence by the fortress. Happy is he who can use the personal pronoun "my" --not only once, but as many times as the many aspects of the Lord may render desirable. Is he a strong habitation? I will call him "my strong habitation, "and he shall be my rock, my fortress, my God (Ps 71:4), my hope, my trust (Ps 71:5), my praise (Ps 71:6). All mine shall be his, all his shall be mine. This was the reason why the psalmist was persuaded that God had commanded his salvation, namely, because he had enabled his to exercise a calm and appropriating faith.
Ver. 3. Whereunto I may continually resort. Would he then want to repair to him always? Our necessities, our work, our danger require it constantly. We are commanded to pray without ceasing. And if, while we acknowledge and feel the obligation, we are renewed in the spirit of our mind, we shall not lament it. Loving him, as well as depending upon him, we shall find it good to draw near to God, and delight ourselves in the Almighty; and we shall never find him, when we want him, inaccessible. There is a way to our strong habitation, and we know the way. There is a door, and we have the key. No sentinel keeps us back; the dwelling is our own: and who dares to forbid us all its accommodations and contents? Kings, however disposed, cannot be always approachable. Owing to the multitude of their claims, and the limitation of their powers, and the importance of keeping up a sense of their dignity, they are only accessible at certain times, and with stately formalities. But the King of kings allows us to come boldly to the throne of grace; and enjoins us in every thing, by prayer and supplication, to make our requests unto him. We cannot be too importunate, or by our continual coming weary him. William Jay.
Ver. 3. Thou hast given commandment to save me. Let us observe his words; he ascribes to the word and command of God a saving virtue, which no power on earth, none in hell, nor death itself can resist. Only, he says, give the command that I may be saved, and, in a moment, I shall be wholly saved. Musculus.
Ver. 3. (first two clauses). The believer abiding in God and continually resorting to him.
Ver. 3. (Third clause). A command based on the divine promise, clothed with divine power, addressed to all necessary agencies, and embracing all exigencies.
Psalms 71:4*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.