Psalms 131 - Introduction

The Psalmist has learned the spirit of child-like humility in the school of suffering. His is not a naturally unambitious soul, but he has disciplined all worldly ambitions, and calmly and contentedly resigned himself to the Will of God.

Many commentators think that Israel is the speaker; but it is more natural to regard the Psalm as the utterance of a pious Israelite, representing the best spirit of the community of the Restoration, and renouncing on behalf of himself and those like-minded all thoughts of worldly aggrandisement for Israel. The Psalm belongs in all probability to the same period as the preceding Psalm. The prophets had seemed to promise great and wonderful triumphs for Israel in the Restoration, and what was the actual condition of Israel? Did it not demand the sternest self-discipline alike for the individual and for the community to enable them to fling away ambition, and accept, with cheerful faith, the lowly, despised position, which was so different from the glowing pictures of Jeremiah and the later Isaiah? It is "a humility not natural to Israel, but born of penitence," and so the Psalm is a fitting sequel to Psalms 130. It is one element which this period had to contribute to the formation of the Christian character. Cp. Matthew 18:3; Jas 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5.

The title of Davidis found not only in the Massoretic text, but in the LXX (א AR), Aq., Symm., Syr., though wanting in some MSS of the LXX, and in the Targ. Probably it was added because the Psalm was thought to illustrate the spirit of David's life (see especially 2 Samuel 6:21 f.), but there can be little doubt that the Psalm belongs to the same period as the Psalms among which it stands.