Be my rock of refuge, where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.
Parallel translations
- WEB Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
- KJV Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
- NKJV Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.
- NASB Be to me a rock of dwelling to which I may continually come; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.
- NLT Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The psalmist asks God to be his rock of refuge and fortress, a constant place of safety. It expresses confidence in God as an unshakable, ever-available shelter.
Overview
The psalmist calls on God to be the steadfast rock and fortress to which he can always run for safety. The imagery conveys stability, security, and constant access. God as the rock of his people points to Christ, the spiritual Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4) and sure foundation, in whom believers find unfailing refuge.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 18:2The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Prov 18:10The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
- Deut 33:27The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
- Ps 91:9Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High—
- Ps 31:2–3Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance.
- Ps 91:11–12For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
- Ps 42:8The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day, and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.
- Ps 44:4You are my King, O God, who ordains victories for Jacob.
- Isa 33:16he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.
- Rev 7:2–3And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
- Ps 68:28Summon Your power, O God; show Your strength, O God, which You have exerted on our behalf.
- Ps 91:1–2He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
- Ps 90:1A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.
- Ezek 9:6Slaughter the old men, the young men and maidens, the women and children; but do not go near anyone who has the mark. Now begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple.
- Ps 144:2He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 71:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.