Friday, September 25 My strong rock, my refuge, is God.​—Ps. 62:7.

[Áine]

Friday, September 25

My strong rock, my refuge, is God.—Ps. 62:7.

 

We make Jehovah our Rock when we rely fully on him. We trust that by obeying him even during difficult times, we will benefit. (Isa. 48:17, 18) As we experience his support, our confidence in him will grow. We will then be better prepared to face trials that only Jehovah can get us through. Similar to a massive rock, Jehovah is firm and stable. He is consistent in his personality and unshakable in his purpose. (Mal. 3:6) When faced with the rebellion in Eden, Jehovah did not waver. As the apostle Paul wrote, Jehovah “cannot deny himself.” (2 Tim. 2:13) This means that no matter what happens or what others do, Jehovah will never deviate from his qualities, his purpose, or his standards. With confidence in our stable God, we can look to him for salvation and for help to cope during turbulent times.—Ps. 62:6, 7. w24.0627-28 ¶7-8

[DLJBSP]

Fully

 

“We make Jehovah our Rock when we rely fully on him.”

 

That word fully keeps drawing my attention.

 

We know our own strength. We know how much we can handle. And, sometimes we know it very well, as we have already reached the end of it.

 

But relying fully on Jehovah, means — that our own strength is not the final measurement.

 

Paul spoke about “the power beyond what is normal,” saying that this power is God’s and not from us. — 2 Corinthians 4:7.

 

I like the way those two thoughts fit together.

 

Jehovah does not expect us to suddenly become stronger than we are. We are still the “earthen vessels.” We are tired. We are anxious. We reach places where we simply do not have enough strength left.

 

But Jehovah does. Contradictory? No!

 

And perhaps that is part of what it means to rely fully on him.

 

We do what we can. We use the strength we have. But we do not look at what is left and conclude, I cannot do this because I do not have enough.

 

There is another source of strength.

 

Jehovah will give us what Paul called “the power beyond what is normal.” His spirit will supply strength beyond our own resources.

 

So when Jehovah 'asks' us to trust him fully, he is not asking us to pretend that we are strong.

 

He is asking us to recognize where the strength can come from.

 

“My strong rock, my refuge, is God.” — Psalm 62:7.

 

Sometimes relying fully on Jehovah may simply mean reaching the end of our own strength and realizing that we have not reached the end of his.

[dilip kumar]

Psalms 62:7

 

The nwt uses the adjective *strong* .  

 

I was wondering why are they using that word.?

 

 

This is what i got...

 

 

There is an interesting point behind the NWT wording in Psalm 62:7.

 

 

 

The NWT renders the thought roughly as:

 

> “On God depend my salvation and my glory. God is the rock of my strength, my refuge.”

 

 

 

The key Hebrew expression is צוּר־עֻזִּי (tsur-ʿuzzi) — literally “rock of my strength.” The word translated “strength” is עֹז (ʿoz), which carries the ideas of strength, might, power, security, and force. 

 

Why can it be rendered “strong”?

 

This is where the older commentators are helpful.

 

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown explains:

 

> “rock of my strength—or strongest support”

 

 

 

So they understood the expression not merely as a rock that gives me strength, but as a powerful/strong source of support and security. 

 

Albert Barnes similarly says:

 

> “The strong rock; the refuge that cannot be successfully assailed”

 

 

 

In other words, the emphasis is on security that cannot easily be overcome. 

 

And John Gill says that the firmness and security of the psalmist's strength are in God, describing God as the “Rock of ages” in whom there is everlasting strength. 

 

So what is happening grammatically?

 

This is quite interesting.

 

The Hebrew doesn't literally have an adjective corresponding to “strong” immediately before “rock.” It says:

 

“the rock of my strength”

 

But Hebrew possessive constructions can communicate the quality or function associated with something.

 

So:

 

“rock of my strength”

→ the rock that is the source/security of my strength

→ my strong rock

 

That is why translations differ:

 

KJV: “the rock of my strength”

 

NASB: “The rock of my strength”

 

HCSB: “my strong rock”

 

ISV: “my strong rock”

 

NWT: “the rock of my strength” / wording emphasizing God's strength depending on edition. 

 

 

So “strong” isn't an arbitrary addition. It is an interpretive way of expressing what the Hebrew phrase means in context.

 

And there is a beautiful progression in Psalm 62

 

Look at verses 2, 6, and 7.

 

David repeatedly calls God:

 

Rock → salvation → fortress/refuge → strength

 

By verse 7, David isn't saying merely:

 

> “God gives me some strength.”

 

 

 

He's saying, essentially:

 

> “God Himself is the solid, powerful place upon which my security rests.”

 

 

 

That fits especially well with the ancient Near Eastern picture of a rock/cliff as a place of protection from enemies. The Hebrew word for “refuge” in the next phrase, מַחֲסֶה (machaseh), specifically means refuge/shelter. 

 

So I would understand “strong” here not as changing the Hebrew noun, but as bringing out the sense of “a rock characterized by strength/security.”

 

 

David's strength isn't merely something Jehovah possesses and gives David. 

 

Jehovah himself is described as the “Rock” that is David's strength.