Six times in twelve verses David repeats some form of the word “only” — only God, wait only, trust only. This is a psalm built entirely around a single refusal to divide his trust between God and anything else that might promise safety.
A study in Psalm 62 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 10 min read
Truly My Soul Waiteth Upon God
“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.”
Psalm 62:1-2
“I shall not be greatly moved” is a carefully honest phrase — not a claim to be entirely unshaken, but a confidence that whatever movement comes will not be the kind that actually topples him, because the foundation itself is not in question.
They Bless With Their Mouth, But They Curse Inwardly
“How 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. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.”
Psalm 62:3-4
David describes his enemies’ strength as already failing before he ever confronts them directly — a bowing wall, a tottering fence, structures that look solid from a distance but are already compromised underneath. Their outward blessing and inward cursing is the same instability, applied to speech instead of masonry.
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.”
Psalm 62:5-6
David repeats his own opening lines here almost word for word, but preaching them to himself this time, addressing his own soul directly — and the small change is telling: “I shall not be greatly moved” becomes simply “I shall not be moved,” the qualifier dropped as his own confidence settles further.
Pour Out Your Heart Before Him
“In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
Psalm 62:7-8
The psalm widens here from David’s own private resolve to an open invitation — “ye people,” anyone listening, urged to bring the same full, unguarded honesty to God that David has just modeled for two Selahs running.
Altogether Lighter Than Vanity
“Surely 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. Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.”
Psalm 62:9-10
David places rich and poor on the same scale here and finds them equally weightless when set against God — not a claim that social rank is meaningless in ordinary life, but that neither poverty nor wealth changes the actual math of where real security is found.
Power Belongeth Unto God
“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.”
Psalm 62:11-12
“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this” is an unusual way to introduce a truth, drawing attention to repetition itself — one thing said by God, and somehow received twice over, as though the same fact grows more solid the longer it is turned over. And the pairing in the final line matters: power without the mercy named right beside it would be a much colder note to end on.
