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Psalm 31

Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

The Descent from the Cross, James Tissot
The Descent from the Cross, James Tissot, 1886–1894Brooklyn Museum, New York
Friends on ladders lower the body of Jesus from the cross in a long white cloth while the women wait below to receive him.Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.James TissotA French society painter who turned to religion and travelled to Palestine to paint the life of Christ where it happened.Brooklyn Museum, New YorkNew York’s second largest museum, holding a celebrated Egyptian collection and Tissot’s entire Bible series.Brooklyn Museum, New York

Overview & Insights

“Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” (Psalm 31:5)

Psalm 31 is an individual lament.[1] The lament proper is found in 31:10–13, where the psalmist complains about his crisis, which, judging from the anatomical language of 31:9–10, was an illness, interpreted by his enemies as God’s ill favor. In view of the declaration of trust in the Lord (31:6, 14), the attestation of his deliverance (31:7–8, 21–22), and the affirmation of God’s goodness as the basis of his trust (31:19), it could be considered an individual psalm of trust.[2] Yet, it is not unusual that trust is an integral part of lament. The unity of the psalm has been disputed because of the repetitious nature of the content and the awkward transition between 31:18 and 19.

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How is Psalm 31 a Passion psalm?

The psalmist, scorned by enemies and poured out like water, entrusts himself entirely to God with the very words Jesus speaks from the cross.

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