Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Psalms 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Job 42:3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew n…
Psalms 101:5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
Jeremiah 45:5 And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I…
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
1 Thessalonians 2:6-7 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Psalms 131:1–end
Here are two things which will be comforts to us: -
I. Consciousness of our integrity. This was David's rejoicing, that his heart could witness for him that he had walked humbly with his God, notwithstanding the censures he was under and the temptations he was in.
1. He aimed not at a high condition, nor was he desirous of making a figure in the world, but, if God had so ordered, could have been well content to spend all his days, as he did in the beginning of them, in the sheep-folds. His own brother, in a passion, charged him with pride (Sa1 17:28), but the charge was groundless and unjust. God, who searches the heart, knew, (1.) That he had no conceited opinion of himself, or his own mer…
Lord, my heart is not haughty,.... The heart of every man is naturally so, and everything in civil life tends to make it more so; as riches and honour, birth and blood, wisdom, knowledge, and learning, strength and beauty, especially where there is a superiority of those to others; and in religious if persons have not the true grace of God, their hearts will be haughty; if they have a notion of the purity of human nature, and the goodness of their hearts, and are pure in their own eyes, and of the power of their free will to do this and the other, and of their perfection in good works, and are full of their own righteousness, and have some external gifts, and some degree of notional knowledg…
Psalm 131:1
1. O Jehovah! My heart has not been elated, nor have mine eyes been lifted up, neither have I walked in great matters, or in things shut up from me.
1. O Jehovah! My heart has not been elated David had been made head over God's people, and in order to prove that he was their lawful prince, entitled to the allegiance of the faithful, he is desirous to show that he had not been influenced, in anything which he had attempted, by ambition or pride, but had submitted himself with a quiet and humble spirit to the divine disposal. In this he teaches us a very useful lesson, and one by which we should be ruled in life -- to be contented with the lot which God has marked out for us, to…
The Church Fathers
"Lord, my heart is not lifted up" [Psalm 131:1]. He hath offered a sacrifice. Whence do we prove that he hath offered a sacrifice? Because humility of heart is a sacrifice. ...If there is no sacrifice, there is no Priest. But if we have a High Priest in Heaven, who intercedeth with the Father for us (for He hath entered into the Holy of Holies, within the veil), ...we are safe, for we have a Priest; let us offer our sacrifice there. Let us consider what sacrifice we ought to offer; for God is not pleased with burnt-offerings, as ye have heard in the Psalm. But in that place he next showeth what he offereth: "The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, shall Thou not despise."
Nor can I think otherwise against the authority of so great a man, but I can only follow his steps and, in Christian humility, not deviate from the paths of our ancestors; as David says, "Neither have I walked with great things or with things too sublime for me." He is raised up above himself who departs from the traces of his elders and tries to have vision in things that are beyond his powers. Hence, it follows, "If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul: as a child that is weaned is towards his mother, so will you reward my soul." And so it is useful for us to think humble thoughts, in the words of the apostle: "Not setting your mind on high things but condescending to the lowly"; and to receive weaning with Isaac, that we may share stronger food rather than with Ishmael, son of the slave girl, to carry a bottle with water instead of wine and to be driven from the eternal inheritance.
"Lord, my heart was not lifted up, neither were mine eyes raised on high" [Psalm 131:1]; "I have not exercised myself in great matters, nor in wonderful things which are too high for me" [Psalm 131:2]. Let this be more plainly spoken and heard. I have not been proud: I have not wished to be known among men as for wondrous powers; nor have I sought anything beyond my strength, whereby I might boast myself among the ignorant. As that Simon the sorcerer wished to advance into wonders above himself, on that account the power of the Apostles more pleased him, than the righteousness of Christians. ...What is above my strength, he saith, I have not sought; I have not stretched myself out there, I have not chosen to be magnified there. How deeply this self-exaltation in the abundance of graces is to be feared, that no man may pride himself in the gift of God, but may rather preserve humility, and may do what is written: "The greater thou art, the more humble thyself, and thou shall find favour before the Lord:" [Sirach 3:18] how deeply pride in God's gift should be feared, we must again and again impress upon you. ...
Dictionary and topics
Ambition · Saints avoid — Saints avoid
Humility · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Presumption · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Pride · Saints: give not away — Saints: give not away
Simplicity · Exemplified: David — Exemplified: David
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Ps 131 Out of his contentment in the Lord, the psalmist invites Israel to seek their rest in God (131:3).
131:1 The heart represents the whole being (see 27:8). • God hates arrogance, which is a foolish way of life (Prov 6:16-19). • The psalmist does not trouble himself with matters that properly belong to the Lord.
Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 131:1
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.
Lord, my heart is not haughty. The Psalm deals with the Lord, and is a solitary colloquy with him, not a discourse before men. We have a sufficient audience when we speak with the Lord, and we may say to him many things which were not proper for the ears of men. The holy man makes his appeal to Jehovah, who alone knows the heart: a man should be slow to do this upon any matter, for the Lord is not to be trifled with; and when anyone ventures on such an appeal he should be sure of his case. He begins with his heart, for that is the centre of our nature, and if prid…
