Psalms 131:2

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 …

Surely I have behaved and quieted myself,.... Or "my soul" (o); behaved quietly and peaceably towards all men, even his inferiors in Saul's court and elsewhere, and had given no tokens of a restless, turbulent, and ambitious spirit; as well as behaved patiently under all his troubles and afflictions, reproaches and calumnies: or "if I have not" (p), being in the form of an oath or imprecation, as Kimchi and Aben Ezra observe; if I have not thus behaved, let it come to me so and so, or let me be as a weaned child.

This intimates that our hearts are naturally as desirous of worldly things as the babe is of the breast, and in like manner relish them, cry for them, are fond of them, play with them, and cannot live without them. But, by the grace of God, a soul that is sanctified, is weaned from those things.

Commentary on Chapter 131 2. Surely - When my mind was provoked. Weaned - Wholly depending upon God's providence, as the poor helpless infant, relies upon its mother for support.

I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child - On the contrary, I have been under the rod of others, and when chastised have not complained; and my silence under my affliction was the fullest proof that I neither murmured nor repined, but received all as coming from the hands of a just God. My soul is even as a weaned child - I felt I must forego many conveniences and comforts which I once enjoyed; and these I gave up without repining or demurring.

I was once conversing with a very excellent aged minister and while we were talking about our attitude and feelings, he made the following confession—he said, "When I read that passage in the Psalm, 'My soul is even as a weaned child,' I wish it were true of me, but I think I should have to make an alteration of one syllable and then it would exactly describe me at times—'My soul is even as a weaning rather than a weaned child,' for," said he, "with the infirmities of old age, I fear I get fretful and peevish and anxious.

Submission is denoted by the figure of a weaned child. As the child weaned by his mother from the breast, so I still the motions of pride in me (Mt 18:3, 4; Hebrew children were often not weaned till three years old. soul--may be taken for desire, which gives a more definite sense, though one included in the idea conveyed by the usual meaning, myself.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

I was once conversing with a very excellent aged minister and while we were talking about our attitude and feelings, he made the following confession—he said, "When I read that passage in the Psalm, 'My soul is even as a weaned child,' I wish it were true of me, but I think I should have to make an alteration of one syllable and then it would exactly describe me at times—'My soul is even as a weaning rather than a weaned child,' for," said he, "with the infirmities of old age, I fear I get fretful and peevish and anxious. And when the day is over I do not feel that I have been in so calm, resigned and trustful a frame of mind as I could desire." I suppose, dear Brothers and Sisters, that frequently we have to make the same confession. We wish we were like a weaned child, but we find ourselves neglecting to walk by faith and getting into the way of walking by the sight of our eyes. And then we get like the weaning child which is fretting and worrying, and unrestful and who causes trouble to those round about it and, most of all, trouble to itself. Weaning was one of the first real troubles that we met with after we came into this world and it was, at the time, a very terrible one to our little hearts. We got over it somehow or other. We do not remember, now, what a trial it was to us, but we may take it as a type of all troubles, for if we have faith in Him who was our God from our mother's breasts, as we got over the weaning and do not even remember it, so we shall get over all the troubles that are to come and shall scarcely remember them for the joy that will follow. If, indeed, Dr. Watts is correct in saying that when we get to Heaven we shall, "recount the labors of our feet," then, I am quite sure that we shall only do it, as he says, "with transporting joy." There, at least, we shall be, each one of us, as a weaned child.

Surely I have behaved and quieted myself - Margin, as in Hebrew, my soul. The Hebrew is, “If I have not soothed and quieted my soul.” This is a strong mode of affirming that he had done it. The negative form is often thus used to denote a strong affirmation. The full form would be, “God knows if I have not done this;” or, “If I have not done this, then let me bear the consequences; let me be punished.” The idea is that he was conscious he had done this. Instead of being arrogant, proud, and ambitious - instead of meddling with matters above him, and which did not belong to him, he had known his proper place. He had been gentle, calm, retiring. The word rendered behaved means properly to be even or level; then, in the form used here, to make even, smooth, or level; and it is used here in the sense of calming the mind; smoothing down its roughnesses; keeping it tranquil. Compare the notes at Isa 38:13, in our version, “I reckoned” (the same word as here) “till morning,” but where the correct translation would be, “I composed or calmed myself until morning.” So the meaning here is, that he had kept his mind calm, and even, and gentle. As a child that is weaned of his mother - See Isa 28:9. There have been very various interpretations of this passage. See Rosenmuller in loc. Perhaps the true idea is that of a child, when weaned, as leaning upon its mother, or as reclining upon her breast. As a weaned child leans upon its mother. That is, as a child, accustomed to the breast, and now deprived of it, lays its head gently where it had been accustomed to derive its nutriment, feeling its dependence, hoping to obtain nourishment again: not angry, but gently grieved and sad. […]