Psalm 62 Study Notes

Ps 62 title On Jeduthun, see note at Ps 39 title.

62:1 Rest (Hb dumiyah) expresses the idea of silence. In 22:2 it is used with a negative (“not silent”) to describe the restlessness of actively praying for something. Here it most likely refers to rest in the sense of waiting on the Lord and feeling secure that he will answer prayer and protect the psalmist. It appears as a command in 62:5.

62:2 On rock and other terms here and in vv. 6-8, see notes at 18:1-2; 31:1-4.

62:3 The enemies described here have the common characteristic of oppressing those who were weak or vulnerable, like a leaning wall and tottering fence.

62:4 High position indicates that the person being attacked by these enemies was a person of some importance, perhaps a leader. It could refer to the king himself.

62:5-7 These verses echo vv. 1-2.

62:8 Pour out your hearts is an idiom for opening up to God with all one’s requests (42:4; 102:1; 142:2). It is joined with the idea of trust to indicate that through prayer a person can rely on God to meet his needs.

62:9-10 Vapor (Hb hevel) represents lack of significance or the fleeting nature of life (see note at 39:4-6). It is parallel with important people, showing the contrast between human perception and reality. Since vapor literally refers to a small puff of air, the idea of weighing it on a scale is absurd. All who think of themselves as prominent weigh less than a vapor. Trusting in anything other than God is futile. The mention of wealth in this way is developed elsewhere (see notes at 49:6, 10-12).

62:11 Once . . . twice is used for emphasis to show that something has been repeated and is therefore significant (Jb 33:14; 40:5). In this case it is a lesson to be learned.

62:12 Repay refers to retribution (see note at 28:3-5).