"Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him."
— Psalm 62:5 (NIV)
Psalm 62:5 is the "my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him" verse. This page gives the verse, where it sits in Psalm 62, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about rest, Bible verses about waiting, and Bible verses about hope.
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The verse
The King James reads: "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him."
"Wait" (NIV "find rest") is damam (H1826), to be silent or still. "Soul" is nephesh (H5315), and "expectation" (NIV "hope") is tiqvah (H8615), hope or the thing hoped for. Verse 1 uses a related word, dumiyyah (H1747), silence or quiet waiting.
Where it sits in Psalm 62
Psalm 62 is headed "For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David." It opens, "Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken" (Psalm 62:1-2).
Then David describes people who "take delight in lies": "With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse" (Psalm 62:4). Verse 5 comes right after that, and verse 6 repeats the opening: "Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." Verse 8 turns to everyone else: "Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
What the verse is saying
In verse 1 David states a fact: his soul finds rest in God. In verse 5 he speaks to his own soul and tells it to do so. That shift matters. Rest in God is something he already knows and still has to choose again when pressure comes.
The KJV's "only" makes the point sharper: wait on God alone. The reason given is simple. His hope does not come from his standing, his enemies backing off, or anything else in the psalm. It comes from God.
Questions people ask
What does Psalm 62:5 say?
In the NIV it says, "Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him." The KJV says, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him."
What does Psalm 62:5 mean?
David tells his own soul to be still before God and to look to God alone, because his hope comes from God and not from his circumstances.
Who wrote Psalm 62?
Psalm 62 is headed "A psalm of David," written "for Jeduthun."
What is the difference between Psalm 62:1 and Psalm 62:5?
Verse 1 says "my soul finds rest in God" as a statement. Verse 5 says "Yes, my soul, find rest in God" as a charge David gives himself after describing the people pressing against him.
What other verses are like Psalm 62:5?
Psalm 27:14 (wait for the Lord), Matthew 11:28 (come to me and I will give you rest), and Psalm 46:10 (be still, and know that I am God) are close companions.
