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Psalms 10

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A Cry Against the Wicked Oppressor 1–11

1
Why standest thou afar off, O Jehovah? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? ​
2
In the pride of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued; Let them be taken in the devices that they have conceived.
3
For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, And the covetous renounceth, yea, contemneth Jehovah. ​
4
The wicked, in the pride of his countenance, saith, He will not requireit. All his thoughts are, There is no God. ​
5
His ways are firm at all times; Thy judgments are far above out of his sight: As for all his adversaries, he puffeth at them.
6
He saith in his heart, I shall not be moved; To all generations I shall not be in adversity. ​
7
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression: Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.
8
He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages; In the secret places doth he murder the innocent; His eyes are privily set against the helpless. ​
9
He lurketh in secret as a lion in his covert; He lieth in wait to catch the poor: He doth catch the poor, when he draweth him in his net.
10
He croucheth, he boweth down, And the helpless fall by his strong ones.
11
He saith in his heart: God hath forgotten; He hideth his face, he will never see it. ​

Appeal for Divine Intervention 12–15

12
Arise, O Jehovah; O God, lift up thy hand: Forget not the poor. ​
13
Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God, And say in his heart, Thou wilt not requireit?
14
Thou hast seenit; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: The helpless committeth himself unto thee; Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless. ​
15
Break thou the arm of the wicked; And as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till thou find none. ​

Confidence in God's Eternal Reign 16–18

16
Jehovah is King for ever and ever: The nations are perished out of his land. ​
17
Jehovah, thou hast heard the desire of the meek: Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear; ​
18
To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, That man who is of the earth may be terrible no more. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalms 10

Verse 1

why hidest thou thyself — 'Standest' is amad and 'afar off' rachoq. 'Hidest' is alam, to veil or conceal, the verb of Isa 1:15, 'I will hide mine eyes from you', and of Ps 55:1, 'hide not thyself from my supplication'. 'Times of trouble' is the phrase of Ps 9:9, where the LORD is 'a refuge' in them.

Verse 3

boasteth of his heart's desire — 'Boasteth' is halal, the verb of 'Praise ye the LORD' (Ps 150:1), here turned on the man's own ta'avah, the longing of his soul. 'Covetous' is batsa, one who cuts off gain. Elsewhere 'all the workers of iniquity boast themselves' (Ps 94:4), and 'the LORD abhorreth' is na'ats, to spurn.

Verse 4

God is not in all his thoughts — 'Pride of his countenance' is literally 'height of his nose' (gobah, aph). 'Seek' is darash, which v.15 turns back on him: God will 'seek out his wickedness'. 'Thoughts' is mezimmah, a scheme, the word of 'wicked devices' in Ps 37:7. Ps 14:1 gives the same state: 'There is no God.'

Verse 6

I shall not be moved — 'Moved' is mot, to totter. 'Never' is literally 'to generation and generation' (dor), and 'adversity' is ra', evil. David knew the saying from himself: 'in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved' (Ps 30:6). Eccl 8:11 gives the ground of it: sentence 'is not executed speedily'.

Verse 8

his eyes are privily set against the poor — 'Lurking places' is ma'arab, an ambush, and 'secret places' is mistar. 'Privily set' is tsaphan, to hide. The picture is that of Prov 1:11, 'let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause'. 'Poor' is chelka, the unfortunate, a word found only in vv.8, 10 and 14.

Verse 11

God hath forgotten — 'Forgotten' is shakach, the verb the psalmist throws back in v.12, 'forget not the humble'. 'Hideth his face' is sathar panim. The same claim is quoted of others: 'The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it' (Ps 94:7), and 'How doth God know?' (Ps 73:11). V.14 answers 'he will never see it'.

Verse 12

Arise, O LORD — 'Arise' is qum, as in 'Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail' (Ps 9:19). 'Lift up thine hand' is nasa yad; Mic 5:9 has the same image with another verb, 'Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries'. 'The humble' is anav, the word for Moses, 'very meek' (Num 12:3), and v.17 uses it again.

Verse 14

Thou hast seen it — 'Seen' is ra'ah, the verb of the wicked man's 'he will never see it' (v.11). 'Beholdest' is nabat, to look intently; 'mischief' is amal, toil, and 'spite' ka'as, provocation. 'The poor committeth himself unto thee' (azab, to leave) and 'the helper of the fatherless' echoes 'A father of the fatherless' (Ps 68:5).

Verse 15

Break thou the arm of the wicked — 'Break' is shabar, and 'arm' is zero'a, the sign of power: 'the high arm shall be broken' (Job 38:15), 'the arms of the wicked shall be broken' (Ps 37:17). 'Seek out' is darash, the verb of v.4, so the one who 'will not seek after God' is himself sought out for his wickedness.

Verse 16

The LORD is King for ever and ever — The words are those of Ex 15:18, 'The LORD shall reign for ever and ever', sung at the Red Sea. 'Heathen' is goyim, the nations, and 'perished' is abad. Jeremiah says the same of the LORD: 'he is the living God, and an everlasting king' (Jer 10:10).

Verse 17

the desire of the humble — 'Desire' is ta'avah, the word of v.3 where the wicked boasts of his; here the LORD hears the humble's. 'Prepare' is kun, to make firm, as David prays 'prepare their heart unto thee' (1 Chr 29:18). 'Cause thine ear to hear' is qashab, to prick up the ear, the verb of Job 33:31.

Verse 18

the man of the earth — 'Oppressed' is dak, crushed, the word of Ps 9:9. 'Oppress' is arats, to strike with dread, and 'man' is enosh, the frail mortal, as in Ps 9:20, 'that the nations may know themselves to be but men'. 'Judge' is shaphat, to give the verdict that vindicates the fatherless.