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Psalm Sixty-two
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT
To the Overseer, for Jeduthun. -- A Psalm of David.
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 62
To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, cf15I A Psalm of David.
Concerning "Jeduthun", See Gill on Psalm 39:1, title.
Kimchi thinks this psalm was written concerning the captivity; and Jarchi צל הדתות, concerning the decrees
and judgments made against Israel by their enemies; and so some of their ancient
expositionsF4Vid. Yalkut Simeoni in loc. ; but it seems to have been
composed by David when in distress, either through Saul and his courtiers, or
by reason of the conspiracy of Absalom. Theodoret takes it to be a prophecy of
the persecution of Antiochus in the times of the Maccabees.
Psalm 62:1 Truly
my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.
YLT
1 Only -- toward God [is] my
soul silent, From Him [is] my salvation.
Truly my soul waiteth upon God,.... In the use of means,
for answers of prayer, for performance of promises, and for deliverance from
enemies, and out of every trouble: or "is silent"F5דומיה "silet", Pagninus, Munster, Cocceius;
"silens", Montanus, Tigurine version; so the Targum. , as the Targum;
not as to prayer, but as to murmuring; patiently and quietly waiting for
salvation until the Lord's time come to give it; being "subject" to
him, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions; resigned
to his will, and patient under his afflicting hand: it denotes a quiet,
patient, waiting on the Lord, and not merely bodily exercise in outward
ordinances; but an inward frame of spirit, a soul waiting on the Lord, and that
in truth and reality, in opposition to mere form and show; and with constancy
"waiteth", and "only"F6אך
"tantum", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus; "tantummodo",
Junius & Tremellius, Schmidt. on him, as the same particle is rendered in Psalm 62:2; and so Aben
Ezra here;
from him cometh my salvation; both temporal,
spiritual, and eternal, and not from any creature; the consideration of which
makes the mind quiet and easy under afflictive provide uses: the contrivance of
everlasting salvation is from the Father, the impetration of it from the Son,
and the application of it from the Spirit.
Psalm 62:2 2 He only is my rock
and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.
YLT
2Only -- He [is] my rock,
and my salvation, My tower, I am not much moved.
He only is my Rock and my salvation,.... The Rock
on which the church is built, and every believer; and which was David's safety,
shelter, and shade, and which made him easy in his present state; and he was
the author of his salvation, and the rock and strength of it, Psalm 95:1;
he is my defence; or refuge;
see Psalm 9:9;
I shall not be greatly moved; or "with much
motion", as Kimchi; or "with great motions", as Jarchi: he could
not be moved off of the rock on which he was built; nor out of the city of
refuge, whither he had betook himself for safety; and though he might be
troubled in spirit, and shaken in mind, and staggered in his faith, and fall
from some degree of steadfastness of it; yet not fall so as to be utterly cast
down, or finally and totally, and so as to perish eternally. Aben Ezra
interprets it, "shall not be moved" into the great deep; into the
abyss or bottomless pit; and so some of the ancient Midrashes expound דבה of "hell"F7Vid. Jarchi &
Yalkut Simeoni in loc. ; but much better is the Targum,
"I
shall not be moved in a day of great affliction;'
see
Acts 20:23.
Psalm 62:3 3 How long will you attack a
man? You shall be slain, all of you, Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
YLT
3Till when do ye devise
mischief against a man? Ye are destroyed all of you, As a wall inclined, a
hedge that is cast down.
How long will ye imagine mischief against a man?.... Against a
good man, as the Targum; or against any Israelite, as Kimchi; or rather he
means himself, a single man, a weak man, and an innocent one; which aggravated
their sin, in devising his hurt, and contriving ways to take away his life, as
did Saul and his courtiers; and, Absalom, and those that were with him. R.
Jonah, from the Arabic language, interprets the word here used of putting or
drawing out the tongue to a great length; that is, multiplying words, as lies
and calumnies, in agreement with Psalm 62:4; but
Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi, explain it as we do, of devising mischief. The
Targum is,
"how
long do ye rage against a good man?'
Ye shall be slain all of you; this is a further
aggravation of their folly, since it would issue in their own ruin; the
mischief they devised for him would fall upon themselves. Some understand this דרך תפלה, "by way of
prayer"; as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech,
"may
ye be slain all of you:'
there
is a double reading of these words; Ben Napthali, who is followed by the
eastern Jews, reads them actively, "ye shall slay"; with which agree
the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions; and so the
Targum,
"ye
shall become murderers all of you.'
Ben
Asher, who is followed by the western Jews, reads passively as we do, "ye
shall be slain"; and which is approved by Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and others;
as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence; which are
easily and suddenly pushed down; and so these similes denote the easy, sudden,
and certain destruction of those men; see Isaiah 36:13;
though some connect the words with the men against whom mischief was imagined
by his enemies, who was like a bowing wall and a tottering fence; and so are
expressive of his weakness, and of the easy destruction of him; and read the
words, "ye shall be slain all of you", in a parenthesis; but the
former sense seems best.
Psalm 62:4 4 They only consult to cast him
down from his high position; They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah
YLT
4Only -- from his excellency
They have consulted to drive away, They enjoy a lie, with their mouth they
bless, And with their heart revile. Selah.
They only consult to cast him down from his excellency,.... Either
from the excellency of God, from his greatness, and from his height, as Kimchi;
or from his grace, as the Arabic version: that is, they consulted to discourage
him from looking to God, his rock and fortress, and from trusting in him; or
rather, from his own excellency, from what high estate of dignity and honour he
was advanced to, or designed for, namely his kingly office. Saul and his
courtiers consulted how to prevent his coming to the throne, and Absalom and
Ahithophel how to pull him down from it, and seize his crown and kingdom; which
latter best agrees with the expression here;
they delight in lies; in making and in
spreading them, in order to hurt his character, and give his subjects an ill
opinion of him; and thereby alienate their affections from him, and weaken their
allegiance and obedience to him; see Revelation 22:15;
they bless with their mouth: saying, God bless the
king, or save the king:
but they curse inwardly; they curse the king in
their hearts, and when by themselves in private, when they imagine nobody hears
them; see Ecclesiastes 10:20.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 62:5 5 My soul, wait silently for
God alone, For my expectation is from Him.
YLT
5Only -- for God, be silent,
O my soul, For from Him [is] my hope.
My soul, wait thou only upon God,.... Be silent and
subject to him, acquiesce in his providences, rest in him patiently and
quietly, wait for his salvation; See Gill on Psalm 62:1; perhaps
some new temptation might arise, and David's soul began to be uneasy and
impatient; for frames are very changeable things; and therefore he encourages
it to be still and quiet, and patiently wait on the Lord, and on him only:
for my expectation is from him; or "my
hope", as the Targum; the grace of hope is from the Lord, and the thing
hoped for is from him; he is the author and the object of it; and his word of
promise encourages to the exercise of it; or "my patience"; as the
Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions. The grace of patience is from
the Lord; the means of it is his word; and it is exercised, tried, and
increased by afflictions sent and sanctified by him; and
"expectation" is nothing else than these graces in exercise, a
waiting patiently for things hoped for Old Testament saints expected the first
coming of Christ; New Testament saints expect his second coming; and all expect
good things from him in time and eternity; nor shall their expectation fail and
perish; and therefore is a reason why their souls should wait only on the Lord.
Psalm 62:6 6 He only is my rock
and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
YLT
6Only -- He [is] my rock and
my salvation, My tower, I am not moved.
He only is my rock and my salvation,.... See Gill
on Psalm 62:2;
he is my defence; these
epithets of God are repeated, to strengthen his faith and hope in him, and to
encourage a patient waiting upon him;
I shall not be moved; neither greatly, nor at
all; his faith gets fresh strength and rigour, the more he considers God as his
rock, salvation, defence, and refuge; See Gill on Psalm 62:2.
Psalm 62:7 7 In God is my
salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is
in God.
YLT
7On God [is] my salvation,
and my honour, The rock of my strength, my refuge [is] in God.
In God is my salvation,.... Or "upon
God"F8על אלהים
"super Deo", Montanus, Gejerus, Michaelis; "super Deum",
Vatablus, Cocceius. ; he that is God over all has took it upon him to save me;
he is the author of salvation to me; and it is in him safe and secure, and I
shall be saved in him with an everlasting salvation:
and my glory; the author of all his temporal glory,
honour, and dignity; and of all his spiritual glory, which lay in the
righteousness of Christ put upon him, and in the grace of God wrought in him;
and of the eternal glory he was waiting for; and besides, God was the object of
his glorying, of whom he boasted, and in whom he gloried; see Psalm 3:3;
the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God; not only his
strength, as well as his righteousness and refuge; but the firmness and
security of his strength were in God, who is the Rock of ages, in whom is
everlasting strength.
Psalm 62:8 8 Trust in Him at all times,
you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
YLT
8Trust in Him at all times,
O people, Pour forth before Him your heart, God [is] a refuge for us. Selah.
Trust in him at all times, ye people,.... Of the
house of Israel, as the Targum; or of God, as Aben Ezra; all that are
Israelites indeed, and are the Lord's covenant people; these are exhorted and
encouraged to trust in him; not in a creature, nor in any outward thing, in
riches, wisdom, strength, birth, privileges, the law, and the works of it; in
their own righteousness, in their hearts, in themselves or in others; but in
the Lord only, both for temporal and spiritual blessings: the Targum is,
"in his Word"; his essential Word, by whom the world was made, and
who, in the fulness of time, was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and who is a
proper object of trust; in him should the people of God trust; in his person
for acceptance with God, in his righteousness for justification, in his blood for
pardon, in his grace for supply, and in his strength for support, deliverance,
and salvation, and that "at all times": there is no time excepted;
there is not a moment in which the Lord is not to be trusted in: he is to be
trusted in in adversity as well as in prosperity; in times of affliction, when
he is present, and will not forsake; in times of temptation, when his grace is
sufficient for them; and in times of darkness, when he will arise and appear
unto them;
pour out your heart before him: as Hannah did, 1 Samuel 1:15; and
as water is poured out, Lamentations 2:19;
it means the desires of the heart, the complaints of the soul, the whole of
their case which they should spread before the Lord, and make known unto him;
see Psalm 102:1, title,
and Psalm 142: 2; the
phrase denotes the abundance of the heart, and of its requests, and the freedom
with which they should be made to the Lord; for through the blood and sacrifice
of Christ a believer may come to the throne of grace with boldness and liberty,
and there freely tell the Lord all his mind, and all that is in his heart;
God is a refuge for us; to whom the saints may
have recourse in all their times of trouble, and where they find safety and
plenty, Isaiah 33:16.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 62:9 9 Surely men of low degree are
a vapor, Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales, They are altogether lighter
than vapor.
YLT
9Only -- vanity [are] the
low, a lie the high. In balances to go up they than vanity [are] lighter.
Surely men of low degree are vanity,.... Or
"sons of Adam"F9בני אדם "filii Adam", Musculus, Michaelis; "nati
plebeio homine", Junius & Tremellius; "plebeii", Gejerus;
"sons of base men", Ainsworth. ; of the earthly man; of fallen Adam;
one of his immediate sons was called Hebel, "vanity"; and it is true
of all his sons; but here it designs only one sort of them; such as are poor
and low in the world; mean men, as the phrase is rendered in Isaiah 2:9; See
Gill on Psalm 49:2; these
are subject to sinful vanity; their thoughts are vain, their affections vain,
their minds vain, their conversation vain, sinful, foolish, fallacious, and inconstant.
The wicked poor are, generally speaking, of all persons, the most wicked; and
therefore, though they are the multitude, they are not to be trusted in. The
Arabic version is, they are as a "shadow", fleeting and unstable, no
solidity in them; the Syriac version, "as a vapour", that soon
passeth away, like the breath of the mouth, and so not to be accounted of;
and men of high degree are
a lie; or "sons of men"; of איש,
"the great man"F11בני איש "nati praestante viro", Junius &
Tremellius; "sons of noble men", Ainsworth. Vid. Schindler. col. 214.
, as it is rendered in Isaiah 2:9,
noblemen, men of high birth, fortune, rank, and quality; these are a
"lie", fallacious and deceitful: they talk of their blood, as if it
was different from the rest of mankind; but, trace them up to their original,
Adam, and it is a lie. All men are made of one blood, Acts 17:26; their
riches promise them peace and pleasure, and long life, but do not give those
things, Luke 12:16; their
honour is fickle and inconstant; they are act in high places, and those are
slippery ones; they are brought to desolation in a moment; and if they continue
in them till death, their glory does not descend after them, Psalm 49:17; they
make promises of great things to those who apply to them, but rarely perform,
and are by no means to be confided in. This distinction of high and low degree
is observed in James 1:9;
to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter
than vanity; take a pair of balances, and put men both of high and low degree
together in one scale, and vanity in the other, vanity will weigh heaviest; the
scale in which men are will go up, as the wordF12לעלות
"ascendant", Pagninus, Cocceius; so Musculus, Junius &
Tremellius, &c. here used signifies: they are "in the balances to
ascend"; or being put in the balances, they will ascend, and the scale in
which vanity is will go down; for, take them altogether, they are
"lighter" than that: the word "lighter" is not in the text,
but is rightly supplied, as it is by Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech. This
last clause, according to the accents, may be best rendered thus; being put
"in the balance, they must ascend; they are lighter than vanity
together". The Targum is,
"if
they should take the sons of men in a balance, and weigh their fates, they
themselves would be "lighter" than nothing, as one;'
or
than vanity together.
Psalm 62:10 10 Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on
them.
YLT
10Trust not in oppression,
And in robbery become not vain, Wealth -- when it increaseth -- set not the
heart.
Trust not in oppression,.... Either in the power
of oppressing others; see Isaiah 30:12; or in
riches gotten by oppression, which being put into a man's hand by his friend,
he keeps, and will not return them; so Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it of
mammon unlawfully obtained; mammon of unrighteousness, or unrighteous mammon;
see Jeremiah 17:11;
and become not vain in robbery; in riches gotten by open
rapine and theft; and men become vain herein when they boast of such riches,
place their confidence in them, and think to make atonement for their sins by
burnt sacrifices purchased with them, Isaiah 61:8;
if riches increase; in a lawful way, in such manner as the
fruits of the earth do, as the wordF13ינוב
"cum pullulaverit", Montanus; "efflorescunt", Cocceius;
"germinant, fructificant", Amama. used signifies: if they increase in
great abundance from a little, as from one grain of corn many proceed; and
insensibly, as the seed sown grows up, a man knows not how, through diligence
and the blessing of God from heaven;
set not your heart upon them; your affections on them;
they are ensnaring, they are apt to take the heart from God, to draw off the
affections from Christ and things above, to choke the word, and lead into many
temptations and harmful lusts; let not your hearts be elated, or lifted up with
them; be not highminded, or filled with pride and vanity on account of them;
nor put any trust in them, for they are uncertain things. Jarchi interprets it
of the increase of the riches of others; see Psalm 49:16.
Psalm 62:11 11 God has spoken once, Twice
I have heard this: That power belongs to God.
YLT
11Once hath God spoken, twice
I heard this, That `strength [is] with God.'
God hath spoken once,.... One word of his is
more to be confided in, and depended on, than all the men and things in the
world. The meaning is not that God hath only spoke once; he has spoke often; he
spoke all things out of nothing in creation; he spoke all the words of the law
at Mount Sinai; he spoke by the prophets under the Old Testament dispensation,
and by his Son in the last days, and still by the ministers of the Gospel: but
the sense is, that what God has once spoken stands; it is irreversible and
immutable; it is firm, sure, and unalterable; he does not repent, he cannot
lie, nor will he alter the thing that is gone out of his lips; and therefore
his word is to be trusted to, when men of high degree are a lie;
twice have I heard this; that is, many times, as
Kimchi explains it: the Targum refers this, and the preceding clause, to the
delivery of the law:
"one
law God spake, and twice we heard it from the mouth of Moses the great scribe;'
but
the meaning is, that the psalmist had heard of two things, and was well assured
of the truth of them, and which were the foundation of his trust and
confidence; one is mentioned in this verse and the other in Psalm 62:12; the
first is,
that power belongeth unto God; great power,
even almighty power, as appears from the creation of all things out of nothing,
the preservation of them in their beings, the government of the world, the
redemption of his people by Christ, the work of grace upon their hearts by his
Spirit, the perseverance of the saints, their deliverance from their enemies,
and the destruction of them. The ancient CabalistsF14Tikkune Zohar,
Correct. 38. fol. 82. 1. among the Jews have endeavoured, from this passage, to
establish a Trinity in unity, they speak of
"three
superior "Sephirot", or numbers; and of them it is said, "God
hath spoken once, twice have I heard this": once and twice, lo, the three
superior numbers, of whom it is said, one, one, one, three ones; and this is
the meaning of "God hath spoken once, twice have I heard this; this"
in it makes them one.'
Psalm 62:12 12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs
mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.
YLT
12And with Thee, O Lord, [is]
kindness, For Thou dost recompense to each, According to his work!
Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy,.... This is
the other thing the psalmist had heard, and was assured of, and which
encouraged his hope and trust in the Lord; that mercy belonged to him, Psalm 130:7; as
appears, not only from the common bounties of his providence, daily bestowed
upon his creatures; but from the special gift of his Son, and of all spiritual
mercies and blessings in him; from the regeneration of the Lord's people, the
pardon of their sins, and their eternal salvation;
for thou renderest to every man according to his work; and which is
a reason proving that both power and mercy belong to God; power in punishing
the wicked according to their deserts, and mercy in rewarding the saints, not
in a way of merit, or of debt, but of grace. Some interpret the words, as Aben
Ezra and Kimchi observe, "though thou renderest", &c. that is,
God is gracious and merciful, though he is also just and righteous in rendering
to every man as his work is, whether it be good or evil.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》