FOR THE DIRECTOR of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
2He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3How long will you assault a man?
Would all of you throw him down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4They fully intend to topple him
from his lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.
Selah
5Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
6He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Selah
9Lowborn men are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie;
if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10Do not trust in extortion
or take pride in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.
11One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
12and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely you will reward each person
according to what he has done.
Original Meaning
WHILE PSALM 62 seems to reflect a situation of trouble for the psalmist, it does not follow the usual pattern of the laments or pleas for deliverance. Instead, it has more in common with instructive discourses both to the wicked (who are castigated in 62:3–4) and the reader, for whom the psalm is mostly intended as exhortation to faithful endurance. The latter half of the psalm (62:9–12) is a series of aphoristic sayings similar to the wisdom sages.
The psalm contains two major sections, linked by two central verses (62:7–8) that focus on God as refuge and shift the individual concerns of the first section to the communal concerns of the second. The first section is framed by an inclusio, while the second section is a series of aphorisms. Structurally, then, the psalm can be presented as: assault of the wicked (62:1–6), God as rock and refuge (62:7–8), and exhortations to the community (62:9–12).1
The Heading (62:0)
NO NEW TERMS appear in the heading of Psalm 62. In fact, the title is a near duplicate of the heading of Psalm 39. The psalm is referred to “the director of music”2 and attributed to David. Between these two terms stands the more enigmatic ʿal yedutun (“upon/concerning Jeduthun”).3 Introduced by the preposition ʿal, this term in a psalm heading most often suggests a possible tune or melody for performance,4 or perhaps a tuning for the harp accompaniment.5
The Assault of the Wicked (62:1–6)
THE FIRST SECTION of the psalm describes an assault on the psalmist by the wicked. This description itself takes up two central verses (62:3–4) bracketed before and behind by a near inclusio (62:1–2, 5–6), in which the psalmist expresses unshakable trust in God as “my rock,” “my salvation,” and “my fortress.” Particularly distinctive here is the use of the particle ʾak (“surely, indeed”) to introduce each line of the inclusio.6 The effect of the inclusio is to “surround” the attacking enemy with the power and protection of God, so that any strength or effectiveness attributed to the enemy is nullified from the start. The intentions of the wicked have no real substance since they are engulfed by the power of God, which renders them void.
Finds rest. The primary point of discussion in regards to the inclusio has to do with the identification and translation of the word dumiyyah in 62:1 and its counterpart dommi in 62:5. As it stands, the first seems to be a noun meaning “silence.” This makes the relationship of the words in the first phrase (lit., “surely to God silence my soul”) unclear. The NIV apparently takes the last phrase as “silence [is] my soul” and interpretively renders it as “my soul finds rest.” The apparatus of BHS suggests an emendation of dumiyyah to a form of the verb dmh (“be silent”).
The circumstance is complicated by the variations of this concept in verse 5. The opening phrase reads ʾak leʾlohim dommi napši (lit., “surely to God stand still my soul”). In this case, dommi is taken as an imperative of dmm (“stand still, keep still”7); this is the path taken by the NIV.8 Thus, what is described in the first set of lines (the psalmist’s soul finding rest in God) is exhorted in the second set. The psalmist’s soul is undeterred by the threat of the enemy envisioned in the intervening lines, because God remains a rock of salvation and a fortress.
Toward the end of the first verse of the inclusio one encounters a second significant variation. In 62:1b the psalmist affirms: “From him [God] comes my salvation [mimmennu yešuʿati],” while in its counterpart in 62:5b, the phrase is altered to read: “From him comes my hope [mimmennu tiqwati].” The change is significant in light of the shift in focus from individual concerns of the narrator to the perspective of the community. The testimony of the psalmist to the reality of divine salvation in 62:1 provides the foundation for the community’s hope in 62:5.
This may also explain the final variation between the two parts of the inclusio, involving the last statement in each. The first concludes with the somewhat qualified affirmation, (lit.) “I will not be greatly moved” (62:2b).9 In the second set of lines, this affirmation has become even more confident by the removal of the qualifier “greatly” to leave the unqualified declaration (lit.): “I will not be moved [at all]!” (62:6b).
How long will you assault a man? Within the new context of divine power established by the inclusio, the vicious assault of the wicked (62:3–4) appears practically impotent. The assault is depicted as a rather opportunistic attempt to take advantage of those already weakened and about to fall. Like the schoolyard bully, the wicked practice their evil on those ill-equipped to defend themselves: “this leaning wall, this tottering fence” (62:3). Both phrases describe walls—of houses or cities—in an advanced state of decay or ruin. Especially the last suggests a wall of rough field stones without mortar, which is already deḥuyah (“pushed in”).
From his lofty place. The beginning of 62:4 has occasioned numerous suggestions and emendations. Some read miśśeʾeto (“from his/its elevation”) as maššihʾot (“deceptions”) and read together with the following verb as “Indeed they are planning deceptions.”10 Tate takes miśśeʾeto as a “person of high status” and rather awkwardly translates the phrase: “Yes, despite being a person of high status.”11 If, however, the metaphor of the toppling walls is recalled, the relatively straightforward translation of the MT may be best. In this scenario, miśśeʾeto means “from the wall’s elevation” (and by analogy, the elevation of the assault victim as well). The wicked, then, “plan to scatter/disperse”12 the stones of the tottering walls as an enemy army would knock down the walls of a defeated city.
They take delight in lies. For the psalmist, however, the attack is less physical and more verbal—an assault on reputation and honor. The enemies enjoy the game of deception and misinformation. What they say with their mouths and what they truly mean are diametrically opposite: “With their mouths they bless [brk], but in their hearts they curse [qll].” This type of assault on one’s character may be less physical, but it is no less damaging.
Having described the attack of the enemy, the first section concludes with the second appearance of the inclusio, by which the power of the enemy attack is again nullified in God’s power, and the foundation of hope is laid for an unshakable future for individual and community.
God as Rock and Refuge (62:7–8)
THESE CENTRAL VERSES provide the transition from the more individual reflections in 62:1–6 and the community oriented aphorisms in 62:9–12. The “glue” that holds the two together is the brief reflection in these verses on God who is the “refuge” of both psalmist and community (62:2b, 7b). The section moves from testimony to exhortation, with the former providing the basis of the latter. In 62:7, the psalmist affirms confidence in God. The psalmist’s “salvation” and “honor” (kabod)13 are both dependent on the divine power that renders the enemy impotent in the preceding inclusio. God is the “mighty rock” that provides “refuge” in the face of attack.14 The God who is the psalmist’s “refuge” is exhorted as the refuge of the whole community at the end of 62:8: “For God is our refuge.”
Trust in him. The psalmist’s testimony becomes the basis of exhortation to the community. Plural imperatives call the faithful people (ʿam) to follow the example of the psalmist in trusting God and pouring out their hearts to him. This call to trust God “at all times” sets the stage for the series of aphorisms that form the final section of the psalm.
Exhortations to the Community (62:9–12)
THE FINAL SECTION of Psalm 62 is a collection of three aphorisms that drive home the preceding exhortation for the community to place their trust in God as refuge. These sayings are similar in structure, content, and vocabulary with comparable aphorisms known from the biblical wisdom literature.
Lowborn . . . highborn. The first aphorism deflates any reliance on social status and position. Neither low nor high status provides any basis for confidence, since the one is “a breath” (hebel)15 and the other “a lie” (kazab). In a scale they have no weight. Even if weighed together, they remain “a breath.” Human status is a worthless source of human trust.
Extortion . . . riches. Like status, the human ability to control and manipulate life through human power is ultimately worthless. The hearers are cautioned not to adopt the tactics of the wicked (those castigated in vv. 3–4). Oppression of others and extortion is no sound basis for trust. Like “stolen goods”16 such ill-gotten gains may increase but cannot provide a foundation for pride or security. A similar aphorism in Proverbs 23:4–5 cautions against placing much stock in riches in general: “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.”17
One thing . . . two things. The section concludes with a numerical saying similar to those found in Proverbs 30:7–31. “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard. . . .” The twofold description of the character of God provided in this saying offers the necessary basis of confidence and trust that was missing in human status and corrupt power. God can be trusted because he is at one and the same time “strong” and “loving.”18 Weiser makes the point well: “It is in the union of power and grace that the essential nature of the Old Testament belief in God is truly expressed; for power without grace does not admit of any trust, and grace without power is deprived of its ultimate seriousness.”19
The psalmist’s God is caring, capable, and committed. The power that surrounds and nullifies the attack of the wicked is a continuing source of trust for psalmist and community alike. The power of God is not abusive but committed through his covenant relationship to the protection and benefit of his covenant people.
Because God is strong and committed to his covenant purpose, the preceding aphoristic exhortations assume even more importance. God is able to accomplish his purposes and will judge humans according to how their deeds relate to his will. The psalm concludes with the reminder that each person will be rewarded “according to what he has done” (62:12).
BEING STILL. PSALM 62 begins with the awkward but impressive image of finding a place of stillness in relation to God. In this passage the Hebrew root describes a kind of motionless waiting—a sort of “holy inactivity” in anticipation of divine action and deliverance. The lack of movement—the stillness of the whole being (nepeš; NIV “soul”)—indicates the psalmist’s trust and confidence. There are a variety of Hebrew words and phrases in the Old Testament to capture aspects of this kind of “holy inactivity.” In what follows, I will consider what each has to add to this biblical idea.
(1) Keep still. In Exodus 14, the Israelites, having fled Egypt following the death of the firstborn, find themselves in a difficult spot. The pursuing army of Pharaoh has caught them up against the sea, with no way to escape. The Israelites, aware of the approaching Egyptians, mob Moses in a panic, expressing their fear in terms of wishing they had never left Egypt in the first place. Moses responds in words most often used to encourage troops just before an attack: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today” (14:13).
I can imagine the Israelites fingering what few weapons they may have possessed in fearful anticipation of a clash with the professional Egyptian charioteers. But Moses goes on: “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Ex. 14:14). That is a decidedly un militaristic exhortation, especially since the word employed (ḥrš) means “keep still, be silent; let someone do something without objection.”20 The Israelites were encouraged not to fight but to allow God to fight for them. Their inactivity was to be a sign of their trust and reliance on God, that he would do what they could not hope to do alone.21
The verb used in Psalm 62:1 (dmm) expresses much of the same idea as ḥrš. Both have the sense of remaining still, not beginning activity, although dmm may have a bit more emphasis on motionlessness. Note Psalm 4:4: “In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent [dmm].”22 The point is not to get caught up in frantic activity that relies on human strength.
Another related term is the verb šqṭ (“have peace, quiet; be at peace, in a tranquil state”). This word often describes political tranquility in the land or a city (Josh. 11:23; 2 Kings 11:20; Isa. 32:17), though it can also speak of divine (Isa. 18:4; 62:1) or human (Ruth 3:18) inactivity.
A different nuance is added by the Hebrew verb rph, normally in the Hiphil. Here activity is in process and must be stopped. “Cease! Desist!” most accurately captures the force of this verb. With this word Yahweh commands the nations of the world to cease their endless struggles for power and domination and to acknowledge God’s sovereignty: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Ps. 46:10).23
(2) Be silent. Silence is another way to demonstrate “holy inactivity.” Often it seems that Israel did not “do” silence well. (They would have had a difficult time being Quakers!) They constantly voiced their complaints and laments to God and his human representatives. (We should probably be grateful for their verbal persistence, since much of their conversation with God has found its way into Scripture for our benefit.) Sometimes their “many words” needed to be stilled in order to allow them to hear God speaking or to see him acting in their behalf.24
Several Hebrew verbs capture this sense of silence. The most common verb (hsh) is often used as an imperative interjection commanding silence. Something like an emphatic “Shhhh!” hsh means “Hush!” or “Be quiet!” In Nehemiah 8:11 the Levites quieted the vocal lamenting of the people by commanding them to “be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.” The prophet Zechariah admonishes humankind at the approach of Yahweh: “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling” (Zech. 2:13).25
Two less frequent verbs also offer a similar case of “be silent.” One (skt) occurs only once in Deuteronomy 27:9, where Moses and the Levitical priests call the gathered Israelites to “be silent . . . and listen” to the commands of God. The second (ʾlm) appears in Psalm 31:18, where the psalmist appeals to God to let the “lying lips [of his enemies] be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.”26
Stillness and quietness, then, reflect a strong theme in Israel’s understanding of her relationship to Yahweh. When Yahweh comes, silence shows proper respect and attention in order to learn his will and purpose. Cessation of activity mirrors the Sabbath rest, which witnesses to Israel’s dependence on God rather than on human strength and endeavor. Frantic activity, whether in conflict with the enemy or in pursuit of wealth and personal security, does not acknowledge the strength and power of God as the place of refuge and ultimate security in the midst of trouble. Quiet repose in the face of attack is the ultimate evidence of trust in God and reliance on his strength.27
Divine temple oracles. It seems apparent from this and other psalms that God “spoke” to his people in the context of temple worship. If Israel is anything like the peoples in her ancient Near Eastern context, this probably means that there were in the service of the temple certain cultic “prophets,” whose role was to provide a divine word at particular points in the worship liturgy. Most likely this kind of prophetic utterance was not a regular feature of worship but came in response to sporadic needs and significant events that seemed to call for divine insight and direction. Such an occasion may have been the enthronement of the new king, and the divine pronouncement of authorization recorded in 2:6–7 seems to capture the speech of the cultic prophet in Yahweh’s behalf: “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill. . . . You are my son, today I have become your father.”28 This scene may have been replayed as often as a new king took the throne of the kingdom.
In Psalm 50, almost the entire psalm (50:7–23) is given over to a word of Yahweh against the emptiness of sacrifice accompanied with dishonesty, theft, and slander. Similarly 81:6–16 is occupied with an extended divine speech rehearsing Israel’s failure to respond faithfully to God’s gracious care.29
In other psalms the voice of God punctuates in smaller utterances. Take, for example, Psalm 110, where two brief oracles are reported (110:1, 4) in the midst of a more extended discussion of divine support of the king. In 46:10, God breaks into the psalmist’s ongoing description of God’s mighty deeds to call all nations to acknowledge his sovereignty: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”30
Considerable debate has developed among the scholars regarding the presence and function of prophetic personnel in association with the temple and worship.31 General consensus seems to support the conclusion that some temple personnel had the responsibility to respond to inquiries with a divine “word” of insight or direction. Such words might be of condemnation and judgment, exhortation and direction, or deliverance and hope. Statements such as those mentioned above in the psalms reflect the public promulgation of these divine utterances within the context of temple worship.
Contemporary Significance
FINDING REST IN GOD ALONE. As a child and young adult growing up in southeast Texas, not far from the Gulf of Mexico, one of my most vivid memories is of enduring the frequent hurricanes that battered the coastal areas between Galveston and New Orleans. On more than one occasion my family took in provisions, boarded up and taped the windows of the old frame house in which we lived, turned on the battery-operated radio, and hunkered down to wait the storm out. As the flood waters rose in the yard outside, invariably the lights went out, and we sat in the dark listening to the radio report of the storm’s progress and the damage left in its wake. Outside the winds howled, the trees were whipped in the wind, and often broken limbs, large and small, lay strewn on the yard and occasionally on the roof.
The display of nature unleashed was always powerful and impressive, but for me the eeriest and most unnerving part of the whole experience was the unnatural calm that descended on us as the eye of the storm moved over us. The winds ceased, and an almost smothering quiet ruled the night. Rain, if there was any, fell gently and almost straight down rather than driven horizontally by the wind. This continued, sometimes for an extended period, until the other side of the eye reached us, and the wind resumed its battering attack on our home and anything left standing in its path.
Later, the calm in the eye of the storm came to provide for me an experiential metaphor for the kind of inward calm needed to face the hurricanes life sometimes tosses at us. It is not an entirely accurate metaphor, perhaps, because the dying winds at the storm’s center carry a sort of sinister edge insofar as we know it is only a brief respite before the storm returns. But it does provide a helpful image of a moment of calm at the center when all around you is swirling out of control and life is being turned upside down by the destructive power of the storm.
Having personally gone through several hurricanes since those early days in Texas, I know what it is like to long for a place of confident calm in the midst of the chaotic attack of life gone amok. I have hungered for the kind of confident repose that permeates Psalm 62, with its repeated inclusio: “My soul finds rest [stillness] in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (62:1–2; cf. vv. 5–6). What can this psalm tell us about achieving unshakable calm? How do we find the still point?
Artur Weiser offers a powerful translation of the opening phrase: “My soul is still if focused on God alone.”32 With eyes on the storm, there seems no hope to overcome it. With eyes turned toward self, there is no personal power equal to the task. Only when one is able to focus on God alone does the power of the storm recede in response to his command, “Peace! Be still!” Only then is our lack of power swallowed up in his complete adequacy. Here are three avenues to the calm center we seek, based on God’s word in Psalm 62.
(1) In the face of the attack. The kind of calm confidence we seek is not found in the absence of an attack. The narrator of the psalm acknowledges that outside the center of calm, all hell is still breaking loose. The winds still howl, the rain still blows horizontally. Yet there is calm at the center. My experience has been that as long as I am intent on escaping or avoiding the trouble that assails me, there is no hope for a quiet still point in my life. The trouble, whatever it might be, assumes impossible proportions beyond any hope. But simply to acknowledge to myself and another that the trouble is real is to begin to rob the situation of its power to attack me.
(2) Acknowledging my dependence on God. Giving up my attempts to escape or avoid attack also forces me to acknowledge just how dependent I am on God alone. As the psalmist puts it: “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge” (62:7). Whenever I accept the lack of power and control I have over any situation, calm begins to descend. It is strange but true. To acknowledge my rightful place in the world—that I am not particularly unique and that I am powerless, out of control, needy, dependent—actually restores a sense of calm. If there is nothing I can do, I don’t have to do anything. I am able to “be still and know that [he] is God” (46:10). I am able to allow God to fight for me so that I have only to be still (Ex. 14:14).
(3) Pour out your hearts to him. This kind of confident stillness does carry a price tag. It involves vulnerability and transparency before God. The words the psalmist uses are “pour out your hearts to him” (62:8). The verb “pour out” describes the complete pouring out of a liquid with no reserve—nothing held back. That might be water on the desert sands;33 a libation of oil or wine before Yahweh;34 the lifeblood of a murder victim or sacrifice;35 or metaphorically anger,36 God’s spirit,37 one’s mind,38 or the heart.39 To enter the still point of confidence afforded by God’s power means opening ourselves completely to God: our need, our fears, our weakness, our sin. This kind of vulnerable honesty is characteristic of the psalmists as a whole and is the foundation of their trust in God.