Our soul waiteth for the Lord - This and the subsequent verses to the end of the psalm refer to the people of God, expressing their faith in him in view of the considerations suggested in the former part of the psalm. The language is expressive of the general character of piety. True piety leads people to wait on the Lord; to depend on Him; to look to His interposition in danger, sickness, poverty, want; to rely upon Him for all that is hoped for in this life, and for salvation in the life to come. Compare Psalms 62:1; Psalms 25:3.
He is our help - Our aid; our helper. Compare Psalms 10:14; Psalms 22:11; Psalms 30:10.
And our shield - See the notes at Psalms 5:12. That is, He will defend us from our enemies, as if He threw His shield between us and them.