USB ~ Psalms 62

Trust in God Alone

1 For the leader; ’al Jeduthun.† A psalm of David.

2 My soul rests in God alone, a from whom comes my salvation.

3 God alone is my rock and salvation, my fortress; I shall never fall.

4 How long will you set yourself against a man? You shall all be destroyed, Like a sagging wall or a tumbled down fence!

5 Even highly placed people plot to overthrow him. They delight in lies; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. b Selah

6 My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope.

7 God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not fall.

8 My deliverance and honor are with God, c my strong rock; my refuge is with God.

9 Trust God at all times, my people! Pour out your hearts to God our refuge! Selah

III

10 Mortals are a mere breath, the sons of man but an illusion; d On a balance they rise;† together they weigh nothing.

11 Do not trust in extortion; in plunder put no empty hope. On wealth that increases, do not set your heart. e

12 †One thing God has said; two things I have heard: f Strength belongs to God;

13 so too, my Lord, does mercy, For you repay each man according to his deeds. g

Footnotes

†. Psalm 62 A song of trust displaying serenity from experiencing God’s power (the refrains of Ps 62:2-3 and Ps 62:6-7) and anger toward unjust enemies (Ps 62:4-5). From the experience of being rescued, the psalmist can teach others to trust in God (Ps 62:9-12).

†. 62:1 ’Al Jeduthun: apparently the Hebrew name for the melody.

†. 62:10 On a balance they rise: precious objects were weighed by balancing two pans suspended from a beam. The lighter pan rises.

†. 62:12 One thing…two things: parallelism of numbers for the sake of variation, a common device in Semitic poetry. One should not literally add up the numbers, cf. Am 1:3; Prv 6:16-19; 30:15, 18, 21.

62:2-3, 6-7 Ps 18:3; 31:3-4; 42:10; 118:8; 146:3.
62:5 Ps 12:3; 28:3; 55:22; Prv 26:24-25.
62:8 Ps 3:3; Is 26:4; 60:19.
62:10 Ps 39:6-7; 144:4; Jb 7:16; Wis 2:5.
62:11 Jb 31:25; Eccl 5:9; Jer 17:11; Mt 6:19-21, 24.
62:12 Jb 40:5.
62:13 Ps 28:4; 31:24; 2 Sm 3:39; Jb 34:11; Jer 17:10; Mt 16:27; Rom 2:6; 2 Tm 4:14.