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Psalm 31:20
In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.
18Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.
19Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!
20In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.
21Praise be to the LORD, for he has shown me his marvelous loving kindness in a strong city.
22As for me, I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before your eyes.” Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.
Notice
The shelter here is God's own presence, a refuge described with full awareness that human plots and hostile words can do harm.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What words or disputes, if any, make the phrase “strife of tongues” concrete for you?
Write on thisWhat would you want to tell God about the shelter of his presence today?
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Where else Scripture says this
11 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 91:1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.Both passages describe refuge through the image of dwelling in a hidden place under God's protection.
Isaiah 26:20Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past.Both use a sheltered dwelling as protection from danger; Isaiah names passing indignation, while the psalm names plots and hostile speech.
Psalm 27:5For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me. He will lift me up on a rock.Both describe God hiding people in his dwelling, with Psalm 27 naming the day of trouble.
Psalm 32:7You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.God himself is the hiding place in both passages, preserving those who seek shelter with him.
Job 5:21You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither will you be afraid of destruction when it comes.Both describe being hidden from harmful speech, naming the tongue as a source of danger.
James 4:6But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”The connection is broad: James describes God's grace toward the humble, while the psalm describes his shelter for those taking refuge.
Exodus 18:11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods because of the way that they treated people arrogantly.”The link is broad: Exodus declares the LORD's greatness, while the psalm trusts his protection against human plotting.
James 3:14–16But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth.Both concern harmful speech: James warns against lying against the truth, while the psalm describes shelter from verbal strife.
James 3:5–6So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest!Both recognize the tongue's capacity for harm; James compares it to fire, while the psalm describes shelter from its strife.
1 Timothy 6:4he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions,Both name strife arising through speech, with Timothy describing word battles and the psalm describing God's shelter from them.
Romans 13:13Let’s walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy.Strife is the shared concern: Romans warns against participating in it, while the psalm describes protection from it.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
Trusting God's shelter does not require you to call harmful words harmless. The psalm names their danger and entrusts protection to God himself.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).