Psalm 62:9 Parallel Translations

Common people are only a whisper in the wind. Important people are only a delusion. When all of them are weighed on a scale, they amount to nothing. They are less than a whisper in the wind.(GOD'S WORD®)

KJV:

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.

ASV:

Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: In the balances they will go up; They are together lighter than vanity.

BBE:

Truly men of low birth are nothing, and men of high position are not what they seem; if they are put in the scales together they are less than a breath.

DBY:

Men of low degree are only vanity; men of high degree, a lie: laid in the balance, they go up together lighter than vanity.

ERV:

Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: in the balances they will go up; they are together lighter than vanity.

JPS:

Men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie; if they be laid in the balances, they are together lighter than vanity.

WBS:

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.

WEB:

Surely men of low degree are just a breath, and men of high degree are a lie. In the balances they will go up. They are together lighter than a breath.

YLT:

Only -- vanity are the low, a lie the high. In balances to go up they than vanity are lighter.

Psalm 62:9 Cross References

XREF:

Job 7:16 "I waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

Psalm 39:5 "Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.

Psalm 49:2 Both low and high, Rich and poor together.

Psalm 116:11 I said in my alarm, "All men are liars."

Isaiah 40:15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

Isaiah 40:17 All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. (NASB ©1995)

Commentaries and Concordances

WES:

62:9 Vanity - Vain, and helpless creatures. A lie - They promise much, but generally deceive those who trust in them.

MHC:

62:8-12 Those who have found the comfort of the ways of God themselves, will invite others into those ways; we shall never have the less for others sharing with us. the good counsel given is, to trust wholly in God. We must so trust in him at all times, as not at any time to put that trust in ourselves, or in any creature, which is to be put in him only. Trust in him to guide us when in doubt, to protect us when in danger, to supply us when in want, to strengthen us for every good word and work. We must lay out wants and our wishes before him, and then patiently submit our wills to his: this is pouring out our hearts. God is a refuge for all, even for as many as will take shelter in him. The psalmist warns against trusting in men. The multitude, those of low degree, are changeable as the wind. The rich and noble seem to have much in their power, and lavish promises; but those that depend on them, are disappointed. Weighed in the balance of Scripture, all that man can do to make us happy is lighter than vanity itself. It is hard to have riches, and not to trust in them if they increase, though by lawful and honest means; but we must take heed, lest we set our affections unduly upon them. A smiling world is the most likely to draw the heart from God, on whom alone it should be set. The consistent believer receives all from God as a trust; and he seeks to use it to his glory, as a steward who must render an account. God hath spoken as it were once for all, that power belongs to him alone. He can punish and destroy. Mercy also belongs to him; and his recompensing the imperfect services of those that believe in him, blotting out their transgressions for the Redeemer's sake, is a proof of abundant mercy, and encourages us to trust in him. Let us trust in his mercy and grace, and abound in his work, expecting mercies from him alone.

CONC:

Altogether Balance Balances Birth Breath Degree Delusion Estate Highborn Laid Less Lie Lighter Low Nothing Position Rank Scales Seem Surely Truly Vanity Weighed

Altogether Balance Balances Birth Breath Degree Delusion Estate High Laid Low Position Rank Seem Surely Together Vanity Weighed

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.

GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved.

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