Psalm 10 Study Notes

10:1-2 The perceived absence of the Lord in the psalmist’s suffering is described as standing far away (35:22; 38:21) and hiding (13:1). This is another way of saying that God has not yet delivered the psalmist, although there is an implication of rejection as expressed more forcefully in other lament psalms (22:1). The specific affliction here is identified in the request for the wicked to be caught in their own schemes (see note at 7:14-16).

10:3-6 The arrogance of the wicked one climaxes in a statement denying God’s existence. This is not metaphysical atheism, in which there is absolute unbelief in God’s existence, but practical atheism, which denies that God pays any attention to what people are doing (14:1; 53:1). The enemy’s security rests on his thinking, which is that he can get away with anything his own cravings allow. He will never be moved (15:5; 16:8; 21:7; 62:2; 112:6) in the sense that no higher being will divert him from doing what he desires.

10:7 Mouth and tongue are used for speech, describing the deadly arsenal of the enemy’s words (5:9; 140:3). A similar image appears in 64:3 where a tongue is a sword and speech is an arrow.

10:8-10 The image of a wild animal, specifically a lion, is commonly used for the wicked (see note at 7:1-2). He preys on the innocent (94:21; 106:38) and the helpless. This second term is used only in this psalm (vv. 10,14).

10:11 God’s inactivity is evidence enough for the wicked that he has forgotten the righteous, reinforcing the practical atheism expressed in v. 4. This is coupled with the assumption that God was hiding. For the afflicted, this apparent situation was a perplexing question (v. 1).

10:12-15 On rise up, see notes at 7:6-8 and 9:19-20. What is true in Ps 9 is now in conflict with what appears to be happening in Ps 10. God is asked not to forget the oppressed, but in 9:12,18 he does not forget them. Here the wicked think that God will not demand an account, but in 9:12 he clearly does. The tension is between appearance and reality, a common situation in the lament psalms. Fatherless is a better rendering than “orphan,” since in Hebrew society it was the lack (or loss) of a father that made a person helpless because he was left without property or rights. Breaking the arm of the wicked would make them helpless as well (37:17) and unable to continue to commit wickedness.

10:16-18 Since the Lord is sovereign forever, his justice will triumph. The statement that nations will perish from his land is reminiscent of the annihilation of the Canaanites from the promised land, a land that belonged to the Lord and was given to his people (Dt 7). The final result is that the wicked will no longer terrify others but will themselves be terrified (9:20).