John Calvin Commentary Psalms 31:23

"Oh love Jehovah, all ye his saints: Jehovah preserveth the faithful, And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly." — Psalms 31:23 (ASV)

O love Jehovah, all ye his meek ones! In my opinion, the Psalmist does not here exhort the saints to fear and reverence God, as many think, but encourages them to confide in him; or, in other words, to devote themselves wholly to him, to put all their hope in him, and to rely entirely upon him, without seeking any other.

Why is it that our own foolish fancies delight us? Is it not because we do not delight in God as much as we ought, and because our affections do not cling to him? This love of God, therefore, encompasses all the desires of the heart. By nature, all men greatly desire to be in a prosperous or happy state; but while the greater number are fascinated by the allurements of the world, and prefer its lies and deceptions, hardly one in a hundred sets his heart on God.

The reason that immediately follows confirms this interpretation, for the inspired Psalmist exhorts the meek to love God, because he preserves the faithful. This is as if he wanted them to rest satisfied with his guardianship and to acknowledge that in it they had sufficient help. Meanwhile, he admonishes them to keep a good conscience and to cultivate uprightness, since God promises to preserve only those who are upright and faithful.

On the other hand, he declares that he plentifully recompenses the proud, so that when we observe them succeeding prosperously for a time, an unworthy emulation may not entice us to imitate them, and that their haughtiness, and the outrageous acts they commit while they think they are free to do whatever they please, may not crush and break our spirits.

The sum of it all is this: although the ungodly flatter themselves while they continue in their wickedness with impunity, and believers are harassed with many fears and dangers, yet devote yourselves to God and rely on his grace, for he will always defend the faithful and reward the proud as they deserve.

Concerning the meaning of the Hebrew word על-יתר, al-yether, which we have translated as plentifully, interpreters do not agree. Some translate it as pride, meaning that to those who behave proudly, God will repay them according to their pride. Others translate it as to overflowing, or beyond measure, because יתר, yether, signifies in Hebrew residue or remnant; instead of which I have translated it as plentifully. Some understand it as extending to their children and children’s children, who will remain as the remnant of their descendants.

Besides, as the same word is frequently used for excellence, I have no doubt that the prophet elegantly rebukes the proud, who imagine that their imagined excellence is not only a shield to them but an invincible fortress against God. As their groundless authority and power blind, or rather bewitch them, so that they boast intemperately and without measure against those who are lowly and feeble, the prophet elegantly says that there is a reward in store for them proportioned to the haughtiness with which they are puffed up.