Tap any verse number for what that verse means.
1Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.
2He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
3How 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.
4They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.
5My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
6He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.
7In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
8Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
9Surely 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.
10Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
11God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
12Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
Understand This
Psalm 62, explained
What Psalm 62 is saying
A psalm of pure trust, Psalm 62 is distinctive for its repeated declaration of waiting in silence (akh) before God alone. The psalm systematically eliminates all alternative sources of security—human allies, wealth, power—leaving God as the sole foundation. The numerical proverb in verse 11 ('One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard') employs a wisdom tradition device to establish that power and chesed both belong to God.
The background behind it
The psalm's Solomonic-wisdom vocabulary and its absolute confidence suggest a mature theology of trust, possibly from David's later reign. Its placement after psalms of crisis creates a literary arc from distress to settled confidence.
Themes running underneath
The psalm's theological core is radical divine sufficiency. The repeated 'alone' (akh) in relation to God contrasts sharply with the 'mere breath' (hevel) applied to human beings. The integration of divine power and divine chesed in the closing verses resolves any tension between God's sovereignty and His love.
Why it still matters
Psalm 62 challenges the subtle idolatries of trusting in wealth, status, or human alliances. The call to silence before God suggests that true trust requires stilling the anxious voices that offer competing securities.
Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.