←Psalm 10→BSB

In This Chapter 1 person 22 terms 1 theme 4 resources

People

A Man 3

Key Terms

Plan 5 Poor 5 Bless (Approval) 2 Mischief 2 Exempt 2 Blessing (Act) Bless (Favor) Blessing (Content) Blessed Bless (Request Favor) Curse (Invocation of Harm) To Curse Curse (Consign to Death) Curse (Formula) Curse (Enchant) Curse (Pronouncement Against) Deceit (Act) Deceit (Deception) Deceive Deceit (Betrayal) Laziness Deceit (Covert)

Themes

The Poor and Needy in the Psalms

Resources

Psalms Book Overview Acrostic Articles Persecution Articles Poetry, Biblical Articles

The Perils of the Pilgrim

ⓘ The lament of 9:13–20 continues in Ps 10...

The lament of 9:13–20 continues in Ps 10 (see study note on Pss 9–10), but the mood changes from confident assertion to anguished questioning. The psalmist prays for rescue, believing that the Lord, as a just king, takes care of the needy.
1Why, O LORD, do You stand far off?Why do You hide in times of trouble?
ⓘ Wicked and oppressive people might prosper, leaving ugly...

Wicked and oppressive people might prosper, leaving ugly consequences. Evil can be as dramatic as the psalmist portrays it here, or it could be more subtle.
2In pride the wicked pursue the needy;let them be caught in the schemes they devise.
3For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart;he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.4In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him;in all his schemes there is no God.5He is secure in his ways at all times;Your lofty judgments are far from him;he sneers at all his foes.
ⓘ Despite their evil ways (5:9; 28:3; Rom 3:14),...

Despite their evil ways (5:9; 28:3; Rom 3:14), the wicked expect a future free of trouble such as the righteous will enjoy.
6He says to himself, “I will not be moved;from age to age I am free of distress.”
7His mouth is full of cursing, deceit,† and violence;trouble and malice are under his tongue.8He lies in wait near the villages;in ambush he slays the innocent;his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.9He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket;he lurks to seize the oppressed;he catches the lowly in his net.10They are crushed and beaten down;†the helpless fall prey to his strength.11He says to himself, “God has forgotten;He hides His face and never sees.”
ⓘ With confidence that the wicked will be held...

With confidence that the wicked will be held responsible for their deeds and that the Lord will care for the helpless, the psalmist prays intensely for rescue from evil.
12Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God!Do not forget the helpless.13Why has the wicked man renounced God?He says to himself, “You will never call me to account.”14But You have regarded trouble and grief;You see to repay it by Your hand.The victim entrusts himself to You;You are the helper of the fatherless.15Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;call him to account for his wickednessuntil none is left to be found.
16The LORD is King forever and ever;the nations perish from His land.
ⓘ The psalmist expresses his confidence in the Lord.

The psalmist expresses his confidence in the Lord.
17You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble;You will strengthen their hearts.You will incline Your ear,18to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed,that the men of the earthmay strike terror no more.