Psalms 71:3

Be my rock of refuge, where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly, continuing a personal plea for rescue that began in verse 2 and will extend into verse 4. The speaker is positioned as one seeking immediate deliverance from oppression.

The words — The text uses לְצוּר מָעוֹן (le./Tzur ma.'on), literally “into a rock dwelling place,” and צִוִּיתָ (tzi.Vi.ta), meaning “you have given command,” to frame the plea as a request for a permanent sanctuary and a decisive divine order.

The thread — This imagery of God as a secure rock and fortress appears in Psalms 18:2, Proverbs 18:10, and Deuteronomy 33:27, where the same metaphor marks God as a reliable refuge and the source of protection against enemies.

Why it lands — The verse demands that a reader acknowledge God as the only constant place of safety and expect divine intervention rather than relying on human strength or circumstance. It calls for direct reliance on God’s authority to execute deliverance.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

הֱיֵ֤הhe.Yehbecomeלִ֨י׀l/iof/ meלְצ֥וּרle./Tzur<into>/ a rock מָע֡וֹןma.'ona dwelling place לָב֗וֹאla./Vo'to/ go תָּמִ֗ידta.Midcontinually צִוִּ֥יתָtzi.Vi.tayou have given command לְהוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נִיle./ho.shi.'E./nito/ save/ me כִּֽי־ki-for סַלְעִ֖יsal.'/I[are] rock/ my וּמְצוּדָתִ֣יu./me.tzu.da.T/iand/ stronghold/ my אָֽתָּה׃'A.tahyou

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Psalms 18:2 The 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.
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
Psalms 31:2 Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance.
Psalms 91:9 Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High—
Psalms 91:11 For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Psalms 42:8 The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day, and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalms 44:4 You are my King, O God, who ordains victories for Jacob.
Psalms 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Isaiah 33:16 he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.