Like a Weaned Child
Psalm 131 summary: what it means
Psalm 131 is only three verses long. The writer tells the LORD that his heart is not arrogant and his eyes are not lofty. He does not concern himself with great matters or things too wonderful for him. Instead he has stilled and quieted his soul. He compares himself to a weaned child resting with its mother, and he repeats the picture to make it plain.
The comparison is exact. A weaned child no longer feeds at the breast, but still stays with its mother, calm rather than demanding. The psalm then turns from the writer's own soul to the whole people: Israel, hope in the LORD, from this time forward and forever more. A private confession becomes a word for everyone.
Psalm 131: Like a Weaned Child
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-131
Psalm 131 commentary: explained verse by verse
LORD, my heart isn’t arrogant, nor my eyes lofty;nor do I concern myself with great matters,or things too wonderful for me.
LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
The writer describes himself by what he is not: his heart is not arrogant and his eyes are not lofty. He does not concern himself with matters too great or too wonderful for him. The verse is a statement of limits, spoken to the LORD.
Also read Numbers 12:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:10, 1 Samuel 17:15, Psalm 122:1
Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul,like a weaned child with his mother,like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.
This verse shows what he has done instead. He has stilled and quieted his soul, like a weaned child with his mother, and the picture is given twice. The verb is active, so the calm is something he has brought about.
Also read Psalm 42:5, Matthew 18:3-4, 2 Samuel 16:11-12, 1 Corinthians 14:20
Israel, hope in the LORD,from this time forward and forever more.
Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.
The psalm closes by speaking to the whole people. Israel is told to hope in the LORD from this time forward and forever more. The personal calm of verse 2 becomes an invitation to everyone.
Also read Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 146:5, Psalm 130:7, Psalm 115:18
A prayer from Psalm 131
LORD, keep my heart from arrogance and my eyes from looking too high. I do not need to concern myself with great matters, or things too wonderful for me. Help me to still and quiet my soul, like a weaned child with his mother. Let my soul be like a weaned child within me. I put my hope in you, LORD, from this time forward and forever more, and I pray that same hope for all your people. Amen.
Psalm 131 Bible study questions
- In verse 1, what three things does the writer say about his heart, his eyes and the matters he concerns himself with?
- In verse 2, what picture does the writer use for his soul, and what has he done to it?
- What great matters or things too wonderful for you do you find yourself trying to carry?
- The writer says he has stilled and quieted his soul. What helps you to become quiet inside?
- Psalm 130:7 and Psalm 131:3 both begin Israel, hope in the LORD. How does the same call sound after each psalm?
Questions about Psalm 131
What does Psalm 131 mean?
It is a short prayer of humility and trust. The writer says he has not reached beyond himself, has quieted his soul like a weaned child with its mother, and calls Israel to hope in the LORD.
Who wrote Psalm 131?
The heading attributes it to David and calls it a Song of Ascents.
What does Psalm 131:1 mean?
The writer tells the LORD his heart is not proud and his eyes are not lofty, and that he does not concern himself with matters too great or too wonderful for him. It is a statement of humility and of knowing his limits.
What does the weaned child in Psalm 131:2 mean?
A weaned child no longer feeds at the breast but still rests with its mother. The writer uses the picture for a soul he has stilled and quieted.
What is Psalm 131:1 in the KJV?
The King James Version reads: "LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me."
Psalm 131 KJV: the King James Version
LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.1
Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.2
Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.3
Psalm 131 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּֽעֲל֗וֹת לְדָ֫וִ֥ד יְהוָ֤ה ׀ לֹא־גָבַ֣הּ לִ֭בִּי וְלֹא־רָמ֣וּ עֵינַ֑י וְלֹֽא־הִלַּ֓כְתִּי ׀ בִּגְדֹל֖וֹת וּבְנִפְלָא֣וֹת מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
2 אִם־לֹ֤א שִׁוִּ֨יתִי ׀ וְדוֹמַ֗מְתִּי נַ֫פְשִׁ֥י כְּ֭גָמֻל עֲלֵ֣י אִמּ֑וֹ כַּגָּמֻ֖ל עָלַ֣י נַפְשִֽׁי׃
3 יַחֵ֣ל יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל אֶל־יְהוָ֑ה מֵֽ֝עַתָּ֗ה וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃
Psalm 131 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 130 there.
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1 Lord, my heart is not exalted: nor are my eyes lofty. Neither have I walked in great matters, nor in wonderful things above me.
2 If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul: As a child that is weaned is towards his mother, so reward in my soul.
3 Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.
Psalm 131 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 130.
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1 Canticum graduum David. Domine, non est exaltatum cor meum, neque elati sunt oculi mei, neque ambulavi in magnis, neque in mirabilibus super me.
2 Si non humiliter sentiebam, sed exaltavi animam meam: sicut ablactatus est super matre sua, ita retributio in anima mea.
3 Speret Israël in Domino, ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.
Printable Psalm 131: free, large print and PDF
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Psalm 131 at a glance
| Verses | 3 |
| Heading in the text | A Song of Ascents. By David. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David. It is one of the fifteen Songs of Ascents, Psalms 120 to 134. |
| Type | Song of Ascents and Trust |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 130 |
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Psalm 131 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 131 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 131 belongs
Songs of AscentsPsalms of DavidBook 5 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source