🎵WEB · Psalms 31:17
What does Psalms 31:17 mean?
"Let me not be disappointed, Yahweh, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol."
— Psalms 31:17 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
But I trust in you, Yahweh. I said, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness.
Let me not be disappointed, Yahweh, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol.
Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.
Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!
In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.
Explanation
Psalm 31:17 comes from a prayer of David in which he cries out to God amid intense distress—surrounded by enemies, feeling forgotten, and pleading for rescue. In plain language, this verse is a request: "Don't let me be put to shame for trusting in you, God, since I've called on you for help. Instead, let the wicked—those who oppose you and me—be put to shame, and let them be silenced in the grave." David is essentially asking God to vindicate him publicly by answering his prayer, while asking that those who do evil face the consequences of their actions rather than escape unpunished.
The broader context of Psalm 31 is a lament psalm, a common genre in the Psalter where the writer pours out fear, pain, and even feelings of abandonment, but does so in the context of trust. David describes being attacked by enemies, feeling like a broken vessel, and even feeling forgotten by others (verse 12). Yet throughout, he affirms "my times are in your hand" (verse 15) and appeals to God's covenant faithfulness. This verse sits within that larger appeal: having called on God rather than turning to other sources of help or self-reliance, David asks that this trust not prove to be in vain.
Theologically, the verse highlights the connection between calling on God and expecting vindication—not vindication rooted in personal merit, but in the character of God who is faithful to those who trust him. To be "disappointed" or "put to shame" in the Psalms often means more than emotional letdown; it refers to being publicly exposed as foolish for trusting God,
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.