Psalm 62[a]
Trust in God Alone
1 For the director.[b] For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
2 In God alone is my soul[c] at rest;
it is from him that my salvation comes.
3 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress, so that I stand ever unshaken.
4 How long will you assault someone,
and all of you beat him down,
as if he were a leaning wall
or a tottering fence?[d]
5 They devise plots to dislodge me
from my place on high[e]
and delight in spreading lies about me.
They bless with their lips,
but they curse in their hearts. Selah
6 In God alone be at rest,[f] O my soul;
it is from him that my hope comes.
7 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress, so that I stand unshaken.
8 My deliverance and my glory depend on God;
he is my mighty rock and my refuge.
9 Trust in him at all times, my people,
and pour out your heart before him,[g]
for God is our refuge. Selah
10 Ordinary people are no more than a breath,
and the great are no more than a delusion.
When they are placed on scales all together,
they are lighter than air.[h]
11 Do not place your trust in extortion,
and set no vain hopes in stolen goods;
no matter how greatly your wealth increases,
do not set your heart[i] on it.
12 One thing God has revealed;
two things have I heard:
that power belongs to you, O God,
13 and so does kindness,[j] O Lord.
You reward each person
in accordance with his deeds.
Footnotes
- Psalm 62:1 This psalm recalls the malice of human beings (see Ps 4:3), the nothingness of creatures (see Ps 39:6f; Isa 40:15), the vanity of riches (see Ps 49:13; Prov 11:28; 27:24), and the impartiality of the heavenly Judge (see Pss 9:8f, 17; 11:7; 33:5; 140:13). It provides an unsurpassable lesson of wisdom and simple trust in God to those who are deeply hurt and deceived (see Ps 31). Human beings seek success in wickedness, falsehood, and violence. The believer knows the futility of this manner of acting; it is of no avail in the sight of God’s judgment. Entirely different is the strength of the faithful: the Lord, who renders to each what they merit (Job 34:11; Prov 24:12; Sir 16:14; Ezek 18), will never fail them—and he is the only one who will never do so.
At the invitation of Christ and in union with him, we must learn to abandon ourselves to the heavenly Father in all the trials and difficulties of life and seek in him our rest and inner peace. We could thus recite this entire psalm to celebrate the wonderful fruits of this filial confidence and to exhort our life companions to practice similar abandonment. - Psalm 62:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Jeduthun: see note on Ps 39:1.
- Psalm 62:2 Soul: see note on Ps 6:4.
- Psalm 62:4 Leaning wall . . . tottering fence: metaphor for the psalmist’s state of weakness—real (in God’s eyes) or imagined (by his enemies).
- Psalm 62:5 Place on high: either a throne in the case of David or a place of safety such as a fortress on a cliff in the case of another psalmist. Hearts: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 62:6 Be at rest: see Pss 27:13f; 42:6, 12; 43:5.
- Psalm 62:9 Pour out your heart before him: a call for true prayer and meditation with God (see Lam 2:19). Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 62:10 A reference to the manner of weighing precious objects; the lighter one would rise. On God’s scale, the wicked are a puff of air. The image of the scale recurs in Job 31:6; Prov 16:2; 21:2; 24:12; Isa 40:15.
- Psalm 62:11 The Prophets inveighed against social crimes (see Isa 30:12; Ezek 22:29). The consequence was the recommendation to be detached from riches (see Job 27:12ff; 31:25; Eccl 5:8ff; Jer 17:11; Mt 6:19f, 24). Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 62:13 The doctrine of personal retribution, taught by the Prophets, above all Ezekiel (see Ezek 18), is taken up by the sages and the psalmists (see Pss 28:4; 31:24; Job 34:11; Prov 24:12; Sir 16:13) and passes into the New Testament (see Mt 16:27; Rom 2:6; 2 Tim 4:14; Rev 2:23)—but only good deeds have eternal value. Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.