Psalm 62[a]
Trust in God Alone
1 For the leader; ‘al Jeduthun.[b] A psalm of David.
I
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
II
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;[c]
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 [d]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.
Cross references
- 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.