Psalms 62:10

Trust not in oppression,.... Either in the power of oppressing others; see Isaiah 30:12; or in riches gotten by oppression, which being put into a man's hand by his friend, he keeps, and will not

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; as you may not trust any other men, so neither must you trust to yourselves, nor to your own wit, or industry, or courage, by which you may oppress others, and so think to secure and enrich yourselves. Become not vain; lifting up and feeding yourselves with vain hopes, and expectations of safety and felicity, from those riches which you take from others by robbery or violence. Set not your heart upon them; so as to please yourselves immoderately in them, to place your hope, and trust, and chief joy in them, or to grow proud and insolent because of them.

Psalms 62:10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart [upon them].Ver. 10. Trust not in oppression, &c.] In the fail of persons. Some may think that things may be trusted to, as wealth, wit, power, &c., but especially wealth, 1 Timothy 6:17. Trust not to that, saith the Psalmist, whether it will be ill or well gotten, unless you covet to be deceived; for, first, he who getteth riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his days, and in his end be a fool, a poor fool God will make of him, Jeremiah 17:11, Male parta male dilabentur. If riches increase] Though by means lawful and laudable, though they come in at the street door, and not at a postern, Non minimum felieitatis argumentum Metello fuit bona malta bona mode invenisse (Policrat. lib. 8, c. 4), yet Set not your heart upon them] Place not your felicity in them, think not yourselves simply the better or the safer for them. Be not puffed up with outward things, as a bubble with a child s blast in a walnut shell, when he hath in it a little scope. Wilt thou cause thine eyes to fly upon that which is not? Proverbs 23:5. An eagle will not catch flies (that is no game for her), much less will she make a flight at nothing, when there is no game sprung at all. He is the true rich man, who loveth his riches poorly, saith one.

(10) If riches increase.—Even if by honest means you grow rich, distrust your wealth.

Verse 10. Trust not in oppression] Do not suppose that my unnatural son and his partisans can succeed. Become not vain in robbery] If ye have laid your hands on the spoils of my house, do not imagine that these ill-gotten riches will prosper. God will soon scatter them to all the winds of heaven. All oppressors come to an untimely end; and all property acquired by injustice has God's curse on it.

10. The first two lines (cp. Psalms 62:9 a, 11 a, b) are a rhythmical division of what is logically one sentence: put not vain trust in oppression and robbery.’ Do not rely, for you will only be deceived, upon wealth and material resources amassed by violence and wrong, instead of trusting in God (Psalms 62:8). It is a warning against the old temptation to follow might rather than right. ‘Oppression and robbery’ are often coupled. See Leviticus 6:2; Leviticus 6:4; Ezekiel 22:29; and cp. Isaiah 30:12. if riches increase &c.] Lit. if riches grow, pay no regard. The Psalmist addresses those who were in danger of being tempted to covet the power which wealth brings, no matter what might be the means used for obtaining it. There are indications that social discontent was a factor in the momentary success of Absalom’s rebellion (Psalms 4:6).

Trust not in oppression - The general meaning here is, that we are not to trust in anything but God. In the previous verse the psalmist had stated reasons why we should not trust in men of any rank.

10. Oppression… robbery—The two words differ more in the manner of acquiring than in the thing acquired. The former denotes that which is acquired by deceit and guile, the latter that which is gotten by force or violence.