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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》