Psalm 31:17-27 chanted in the Sarum Use by Sarah James

Themes: The Psalmist, with strong confidence in God in a time of distress, prays earnestly for deliverance, expresses his abhorrence of evil, gratefully mentions former interpositions of God, continues to detail the miseries of his case, points out the privileges of them that fear God, shows that God had heard his prayers notwithstanding he had given himself over for lost, calls on the saints to love God and to have confidence in him because he preserves the faithful and plentifully rewards the proud doer. This psalm contains no notes of time or place, to help us to ascertain when, where, or on what account it was written. Nor have we any certain evidence relative to the author: it might have been written by David during his persecution by Saul. Some think Jeremiah to have been the author: the thirteenth verse begins exactly with the same words as Jeremiah 20:10. There are several other apparent references to passages in the book of Jeremiah. (From the Adam Clarke Commentary, 1831)

In Judaism: Verse 6 is part of Baruch Adonai L'Olam in the evening prayer, and also of the Bedtime Shema (prayer). The phrase be-yado afkid ruchi ("Into his hand I commit my spirit") starts the last verse of Adon Olam. Verses 15 and 17 are included in the preliminary morning prayers. Verse 20 is said after learning Mishnayos (first major work of rabbinic literature) for a deceased person. In the Siddur Sfas Emes, this psalm is said as a prayer for the well-being of an ailing person. (Wikipedia)

In Christianity: Luke 23:46 records Psalm 31:6 as Jesus’ last spoken words from the cross: “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” Saint Stephen, who was the first Christian to die for his faith, prayed similarly: “While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.” In the Catholic Church, the first line of Psalm 31, "In te Domine speravi" (I thee O Lord have I trusted), becomes the final line of the Te Deum (a canticle at the end of Matins, which is sung before sunrise). Verses 15 and 16, "Illumina faciem tuam" (Make thy face to shine) is a communion verse for Septuagesima, which is the ninth Sunday before Easter. (Wikipedia)

Nine hundred years ago, the Cathedral of Salisbury, England developed a unique form of chant and liturgy known as the “Use of Salisbury,” or “Sarum Use.” Differences from the Roman rite are both melodic (more florid in the Sarum) and textual (Elizabethan English rather than Latin). The best repository of Sarum Use tones is the St. Dunstan's Plainsong Psalter, from which Sarah has sung this psalm. Additional resources on Sarum Use plainsong at https://canticasacra.org.

“Cotopaxi,” an oil on canvas (1855) by Frederic Edwin Church, is made available by the Smithsonian American Art Museum at Wikimedia Commons, where it is in the public domain because the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer.