“Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.”
The psalmist continues his petition, asking that God incline his ear and deliver him speedily. The verb "hear me" combines the request for audition with the idiom of heeding and responding. The adverb "speedily" emphasizes the urgency: the psalmist faces pressing danger and cannot wait for leisurely divine response. The phrase "be my rock and fortress" returns to protective imagery. The double imperative employs repetition to convey intensity and desperation. This verse demonstrates the pattern of authentic prayer: vulnerability acknowledged, appeal made directly to God's hearing.
Church Fathers on Psalms 31:2
To the end, a psalm of David himself, an ecstasy. 1. To the end a Psalm of David Himself, the Mediator strong of hand in persecutions. For the word ecstasy, which is added to the title, signifies a transport of the mind, which is produced either by a panic, or by some revelation. But in this Psalm the panic of the people of God troubled by the persecution of all the heathen, and by the failing of faith throughout the world, is principally seen. But first the Mediator Himself…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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