Some translations of this passage use “wait in silence” instead of “rest”, resonating with the Hebrew root word dâmam, which implies far more than waiting. Biblehub.com describes it as “an act of worshipful submission”, melding both halting and reverence due to a deep awareness of the reality of the situation.

It is hard for us to wait, even harder to do so in silence, often because we do not believe our hope is from God alone, or when we do, disagree with God’s ways. David wrestles with this tension. He claims the truths of v5 in v1, then immediately focuses on the hardship. There is something striking about these two nearly identical passages: v5 adds a direct command to the soul, to “wait in silence.” His soul needed an emphatic reminder of something David knew. It echoes the dilemma in Psalm 42: knowledge of God’s character is not always embraced by the soul.

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him,” the NIV says. David calls his soul to trust God as the source of hope even as he is attacked and betrayed (v.3-4), and to do so with worshipful submission. It is not simply a call to wait, but to do so as an act of honoring God; Psalm 46:10 exhorts us to, “Be still, and know that I am God.” We typically wait as an act of passing the time until we get what we want; it is actually an opportunity to be still and give God the honor He deserves.