1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
3 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.
4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.
5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
9 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.
10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
<html><b>on jeduthun</b> The name of a musical instrument. The Midrash Aggadah, though, [explains it to mean]: concerning the ordinances (דתות) and laws that are decreed upon Israel by their enemies.</html>
<html><b>does my soul hope</b> Heb. דומיה. My soul hopes, as (above 37:7): “Wait (דום) for the Lord and hope for Him.”</html>
<html><b>I shall not falter greatly</b> Great falterings. According to the Midrash Aggadah (Mid. Ps. 62: 2), “greatly” refers to Gehinnom.</html>
<html><b>will you plan destruction</b> Heb. תהותתו. Menachem (p. 69) explained it as derived from (Jer. 12: 9): “come (התיו) to eat”; (Deut. 33:21), “He came (ויתא) to the head of the people.” How long will you gather against a man? But it appears to me that it should be interpreted as an expression of הַוּוֹת destruction, and the “hey” and “tav” are the radical. As one says from מֵת, מוֹת, so shall we say from the root הֵת, הוֹת, and the plural is הוּוֹת. It is an expression of a destructive and deceitful plot. Others explain תְּהוֹתֲתוּ as “you extend.” i.e., you extend your tongue on the sons of men with evil, and they compared it to Arabic, when one speaks overly much. <b>as a leaning wall</b> which is ready to fall upon the sons of men.</html>
<html><b>because of his loftiness</b> Because you are afraid of people (sic) perhaps he will reign and repay you your recompense, and your counsel is to cause harm to fall upon him. <b>with his mouth</b> of each of them they bless. <b>but inwardly</b> But in their thoughts they curse forever.</html>
<html><b>The sons of men are but vanity</b> Do not fear them, since God is forever our shelter in time of trouble. <b>were they to be put on a scale</b> If they came to go up on a scale, they and their vanities would be equal. This is the simple meaning, but midrashically, it is interpreted as concerning couples (Lev. Rabbah 29:8).</html>
<html><b>if wealth burgeons</b> If you see wicked men whose money prospers and increases, pay it no heed. חיל is money. <b>burgeons</b> Heb. ינוב, grows, an expression of produce (תנובה).</html>
<html><b>God spoke one thing</b> I heard two things from it, and what are the two things? First, that God has strength to repay a man according to his deed. Second, that You, O Lord, have kindness. Now, from which statement do we derive this? From the second commandment of the Decalogue. We derive from it that the Holy One, blessed be He, punishes iniquity and preserves kindness, as it is stated therein: “I visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, etc.” Therefore, I am confident that He will pay a good reward to the righteous and punishment to the wicked. I learned from the work of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan, but our Sages interpreted it as referring to [the maxim that] “Remember” and “Keep” were stated in a single utterance.</html>
<html><b>And You, O Lord, have kindness</b> And what is the kindness? That You repay a man according to his deed; not really his deed but part of it, as the matter that is stated (Ezra 9:13): “for You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities [deserve].” In this manner it is interpreted in Aggadath Tehillim (Mid. Ps. 62:4). It may also be interpreted: And You, O Lord, have kindness because You have the power to repay a man according to his deed.</html>