Psalm 62: My Soul Waits in Silence

"Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence… they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah."

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him… Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity."

"Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work."

"Only"

The little word 'akh, "only, surely, truly," opens line after line (vv. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9). It gives the psalm its insistence: only God is rock; only toward God is the soul quiet. "Waiteth" in v. 1 is dumiyyah, "silence": "Toward God alone my soul is silent."

Weighed in the balance

Put on the scales (mo'znayim), people high and low together weigh less than hevel, a breath. Scales and stone weights were everyday tools of trade; seals and weights are among the commonest finds in Judean excavations. Compare Daniel 5:27: "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."

The heading

"To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David" (Vulgate "pro Idithun"). On Jeduthun see Psalm 39. The preposition here is 'al, "upon/according to," as in Psalm 77, which may point to a musical style rather than a person.

"Once… twice"

"God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this" is a numerical saying, a wisdom form found also in Job 33:14, Proverbs 30 and Amos 1–2. "Thou renderest to every man according to his work" (v. 12) is echoed in Matthew 16:27, Romans 2:6 and 2 Timothy 4:14 (compare Proverbs 24:12).