There are 7 participants/characters in Psalm 31:
| YHWH
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| "my rock" (v. 4)
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| "my stronghold" (v. 4)
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| "God of faithfulness" (v. 6)
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| David / Psalmist
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| "servant"
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| Righteous/Israel
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| "those who fear" (v. 20)
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| "those who take refuge" (v. 20)
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| "loyal ones" (v. 24)
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| "faithful"
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| Enemies
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| "adversaries" (v. 12)
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| "many people" (v. 14)
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| "pursuers"(v. 16)
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| Sinners
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| "those who worship worthless idols" (v. 7)
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| "the evil ones" (v. 18)
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| "lying lips" (v. 19)
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| "those that speak" (v. 19)
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| "people [who scheme]" (v. 21)
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| "contentious people" (v. 21)
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| "those who act pridefully" (v. 24)
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| Neighbors
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| "friends" (v. 12)
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| "those who see me" (v. 12)
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- David: During his time as the king of Israel, David faced many conflicts and endured hardship. He fled as a fugitive from King Saul (1 Sam 19:8ff) and faced exile during Absalom's coup (2 Sam 15:1ff). While nothing in this psalm identifies a particular event in David's life as the inspiration for the poem, one could imagine any number of scenarios from his life as the background for this psalm.
- Enemies: As with the specific event in David's life, nothing in this psalm identifies a specific set of enemies. Instead, they are characterized in general terms. They are opposed to YHWH (cf. v. 7) and seek to trap and kill David physically (vv. 5, 14). When the enemies are described in relation to the righteous, David describes them as liars (vv. 19, 21) and people who act pridefully (v. 24).