King James Version
Psalms 10
18 verses with commentary
Why Do You Stand Far Away?
Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?</strong> Psalm 10 continues the acrostic pattern begun in Psalm 9, suggesting they originally formed one composition. However, the tone shifts dramatically from celebration to complaint. David now questions why God seems absent precisely when His presence is most needed.<br><br>"Why standest thou afar off" (<e...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. I chose out their way--**that is, I willingly went up to their assembly (from my country residence, Job 29:7).
**in the army--**as a king supreme in the midst of his army.
**comforteth the mourners--**Here again Job unconsciously foreshadows Jesus Christ (Is 61:2, 3). Job's afflictions, as those of Jesus Christ, were fitting him for the office hereafter (Is 50:4; He 2:18).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. The wicked: Heb. In the pride of the wicked he doth persecute
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KJV Study Commentary
The psalmist describes the wicked 'hotly pursuing' the poor, using hunting language. This reveals sin's aggressive nature—it doesn't remain passive but actively oppresses. The prayer that they be 'caught in the schemes they have devised' reflects the biblical principle of divine justice turning evil back upon itself (Psalm 7:15-16, Proverbs 26:27).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **The wicked.**—Better, *in the pride of the wicked, the sufferer burns. *(So LXX., Aquila, Symmachus, and Vulg.) Not to be taken of indignation felt by the sufferers, but literally of the afflictions they endure. The Authorised Version rendering of the next clause takes the wicked as the subject of the verb; but it preserves the parallelism better, and is more in accordance with the rest of t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. heart's: Heb. soul's blesseth: or, the covetous blesseth himself, he abhorreth the LORD
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse exposes the root of wickedness: sinful desire replacing God as the ultimate good. The wicked 'blesses the greedy' (literally 'blesses the one who cuts off'), perverting blessing into cursing by celebrating covetousness. This anticipates Paul's description of those whose 'god is their belly' (Philippians 3:19). Reformed theology sees this as the natural outworking of total depravity.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Afar off.**—Comp. Psalm 22:1-2; Psalm 22:19; Psalm 35:22, &c
**Hidest.**—Isaiah 1:15 supplies the ellipsis, “thine eyes,” used of a judge bribed to wink at offence 1Samuel 12:3; comp. Leviticus 20:4), of indifference to suffering (Proverbs 28:27); LXX. and Vulg. “to overlook.”
(3) **For the wicked boasteth.**—Literally, *for the wicked speaketh praise to the lust of his soul, *which has been...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 30
Job 30:1-31.
**1. younger--**not the three friends (Job 15:10; 32:4, 6, 7). A general description: Job 30:1-8, the lowness of the persons who derided him; Job 30:9-15, the derision itself. Formerly old men rose to me (Job 29:8). Now not only my juniors, who are bound to reverence me (Le 19:32), but even the mean and base-born actually deride me; opposed to, "smiled upon" (Job 29:24)...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. God is: or, all his thoughts are, There is no God
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.</strong> After questioning why God seems distant (verse 1), David now describes the wicked person who actively distances himself from God. This verse anatomizes the psychology of practical atheism—living as if God does not exist or does not matter.<br><br>"The wicked, through the prid...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **The wicked.**—The Authorised Version has quite missed the meaning of this verse. Translate, *the wicked in his haughtiness *(literally, *height of his nostril. *Comp. the common expression, ‘to turn up one’s nose at a person’) *saith He will not requite it *(*i.e., *punish; comp. Psalm 10:13). *There is no God in all his thought. *(Comp. Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
2. If their fathers could be of no profit to me, much less the sons, who are feebler than their sires; and in whose case the hope of attaining old age is utterly gone, so puny are they (Job 5:26) [Maurer]. Even if they had "strength of hands," that could be now of no use to me, as all I want in my present affliction is sympathy.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Hebrew describes the wicked man's ways as 'secure' or 'firm' (halaq), showing the temporal prosperity of sinners that troubled many psalmists. God's judgments are 'too high' (marom), illustrating spiritual blindness—the unregenerate cannot perceive divine truth (1 Corinthians 2:14). The Reformed doctrine of total depravity explains this inability to see God's ways.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **His ways are always grievous.**—Better, *his enterprises always succeed. *This meaning is obtained from Job 20:21, “nothing escaped his covetousness, therefore his prospering shall not last,” and from the cognate of the verb “strength.” Perhaps, however, “his ways are always strong” implies only the bold and reckless course with which a tyrant pursues his end. (Comp. Psalm 73:12.)
**Thy judg...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. solitary--**literally, "hard as a rock"; so translate, rather, "dried up," emaciated with hunger. Job describes the rudest race of Bedouins of the desert [Umbreit].
**fleeing--**So the Septuagint. Better, as Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate, "gnawers of the wilderness." What they gnaw follows in Job 30:4.
**in former time--**literally, the "yesternight of desolation and waste" (the most utter ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. never: Heb. unto generation and generation
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KJV Study Commentary
The wicked man's boast 'I shall not be moved' ironically echoes the righteous man's trust in God (Psalm 16:8, 62:2). This reveals how sin perverts even godly confidence into prideful presumption. The claim 'no adversity' will come demonstrates the hardening effect of prosperity, fulfilling the warning that riches can deceive (Mark 4:19).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **I shall not.**—The meaning of the verse is clear, but the construction is involved. Literally, *I shall not be moved to generation and generation, which not in evil. *The LXX. and Vulg. omit the relative altogether. The best rendering is, “I shall never be moved at any time: I who am without ill.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. mallows--**rather, "salt-wort," which grows in deserts and is eaten as a salad by the poor [Maurer].
**by the bushes--**among the bushes.
**juniper--**rather, a kind of broom, Spartium junceum [Linnæus], still called in Arabia, as in the Hebrew of Job, retem, of which the bitter roots are eaten by the poor.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. deceit: Heb. deceits vanity: or, iniquity
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KJV Study Commentary
Paul quotes this verse in Romans 3:14 as evidence of universal human depravity. The 'mouth full of cursing' reveals that speech flows from heart condition (Matthew 12:34). The Hebrew terms for 'oppression' and 'deceit' indicate violence cloaked in false words—a pattern seen throughout Scripture in false prophets and teachers.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Cursing and deceit.**—From the connection of cursing with deceit (comp. Hosea 4:2, “swearing and lying “), we must understand perjury.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. they cried--**that is, "a cry is raised." Expressing the contempt felt for this race by civilized and well-born Arabs. When these wild vagabonds make an incursion on villages, they are driven away, as thieves would be.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →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 poor. are: Heb. hide themselves
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KJV Study Commentary
This vivid imagery portrays the wicked as a predator lurking to devour the innocent. The Hebrew 'innocent' (nakiy) refers to the legally blameless, not sinlessly perfect—those who are victims of injustice. This foreshadows Satan as a 'roaring lion seeking whom he may devour' (1 Peter 5:8) and anticipates Christ's condemnation of religious leaders who 'devour widows' houses' (Mark 12:40).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **In lurking places . . .***—i.e., *in ambush.
**Villages.**—Properly, enclosed spaces, but then, like our “town” (*ton, *an enclosure), for any collection of dwellings; and in Leviticus 25:31, “an unwalled place”; applied also to a nomadic encampment (Genesis 25:16).
**Privily set.**—Literally, *hid: i.e., *watched secretly.
**The poor.**—The Hebrew word, occurring three times in this psalm (...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6. They are forced "to dwell."
**cliffs of the valleys--**rather, "in the gloomy valleys"; literally, "in the gloom of the valleys," or wadies. To dwell in valleys is, in the East, a mark of wretchedness. The troglodytes, in parts of Arabia, lived in such dwellings as caves.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. secretly: Heb. in the secret places
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KJV Study Commentary
The double lion imagery intensifies the predatory picture—the wicked lies in wait like a lion in its thicket, catching the poor in a net. This combines hunting metaphors to show calculated evil. The 'helpless' (Hebrew 'ani') are those economically and socially vulnerable. This anticipates Jesus' special concern for the poor and marginalized throughout His ministry.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9*)* **Lieth in wait.**—A confusion of metaphor. The wicked is first, the lion watching for his prey, and then the hunter snaring animals. “Poor,” here—better, *afflicted *(see Psalm 9:12). Translate, in his hiding-place he lurks, as a lion in his lair, lurks to seize a sufferer, seizes a sufferer, drawing him into his net.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. brayed--**like the wild ass (Job 6:5 for food). The inarticulate tones of this uncivilized rabble are but little above those of the beast of the field.
**gathered together--**rather, sprinkled here and there. Literally, "poured out," graphically picturing their disorderly mode of encampment, lying up and down behind the thorn bushes.
**nettles--**or brambles [Umbreit].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He: Heb. He breaketh himself by: or, into his strong parts
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KJV Study Commentary
The imagery shifts from predation to the aftermath—the crushed victim fallen under the oppressor's strength. The Hebrew 'daka' (crushed) and 'shachach' (bowed down) depict total subjugation. This reflects the reality of systemic injustice that Reformed theology addresses through the doctrine of common grace—God restrains evil and calls believers to pursue justice in society.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10*)* **By his strong ones.**—Possibly, *by his strong claws, *recurring to the metaphor of the lion. Some (Jerome, Perowne, and apparently Syriac), instead of “croucheth,” render “is crushed,” making the sufferer its subject. There is a various reading to the text, but in either case the image of the beast gathering himself together for a spring is admissible. Or, keeping the primary sense of da...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. fools--**that is, the impious and abandoned (1Sa 25:25).
**base--**nameless, low-born rabble.
**viler than, &c.--**rather, they were driven or beaten out of the land. The Horites in Mount Seir (Ge 14:6 with which compare Ge 36:20, 21; De 2:12, 22) were probably the aborigines, driven out by the tribe to which Job's ancestors belonged; their name means troglodytæ, or "dwellers in caves...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
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KJV Study Commentary
The wicked's theology is revealed: God has forgotten, hidden His face, and will never see. This is practical atheism—even if God exists, He is irrelevant. The Hebrew 'shakach' (forgotten) and 'sathar' (hidden) suggest divine disengagement. This false theology justifies wickedness by denying divine omniscience and providence, contradicting Psalm 139's affirmation that God sees all.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Hideth.**—Better, *hath hidden.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
9. (Job 17:6). Strikingly similar to the derision Jesus Christ underwent (La 3:14; Psa 69:12). Here Job returns to the sentiment in Job 30:1. It is to such I am become a song of "derision."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The psalmist complains of the wickedness of the wicked.(1-11)
He prays to God to appear for the relief of his people.(12-18)
**Verses 1-11**
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men d...
Read full commentary →Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble . humble: or, afflicted
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.</strong> After describing the wicked's arrogance and violence (verses 2-11), David now petitions God to act. This urgent plea employs three imperatives, calling God to intervene on behalf of the oppressed. The prayer presupposes that God can act, should act, and will act—but David requests it passionately nonetheless.<br><br>...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) Here the acrostic arrangement is resumed with koph.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. in my face--**rather, refrain not to spit in deliberate contempt before my face. To spit at all in presence of another is thought in the East insulting, much more so when done to mark "abhorrence." Compare the further insult to Jesus Christ (Is 50:6; Mt 26:67).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto hi...
Read full commentary →Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
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KJV Study Commentary
The psalmist questions why the wicked revile God by saying 'He will not call to account.' This reveals the connection between denying God's judgment and blaspheming His character. The Hebrew 'na'ats' (revile/despise) indicates contempt for God's moral nature. Reformed theology affirms that denying accountability to God is the essence of sin's rebellion.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. He--**that is, "God"; antithetical to "they"; English Version here follows the marginal reading (Keri).
**my cord--**image from a bow unstrung; opposed to Job 29:20. The text (Chetib), "His cord" or "reins" is better; "yea, each lets loose his reins" [Umbreit].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto hi...
Read full commentary →Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. committeth: Heb. leaveth
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.</strong> David now answers his own earlier question (verse 1: why does God stand afar off?). Though God may seem distant, He sees everything. This verse affirms divine omniscience, divine justice, and divine care—the theologica...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14*)* **The poor committeth himself.**—Better, *the helpless leaveth it to Thee. *By a slight alteration in the division of the Hebrew letters, and of the pointing, we should get, *It is against thee that he is strong in darkness. *(See Notes above, Psalm 10:8; Psalm 10:10.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. youth--**rather, a (low) brood. To rise on the right hand is to accuse, as that was the position of the accuser in court (Zec 3:1; Psa 109:6).
**push ... feet--**jostle me out of the way (Job 24:4).
**ways of--**that is, their ways of (that is, with a view to my) destruction. Image, as in Job 19:12, from a besieging army throwing up a way of approach for itself to a city.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto hi...
Read full commentary →Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
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KJV Study Commentary
The call to 'break the arm of the wicked' uses the Hebrew metaphor of power ('arm' = zeroa). This is an imprecatory prayer asking God to destroy the wicked's ability to oppress. 'Seek out his wickedness till you find none' requests thorough judgment. Reformed theology understands such prayers as appeals to divine justice, not personal vengeance—they trust God as the righteous Judge.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Seek out.**—The meaning of the verse is clear, from Psalm 37:36, and Isaiah 41:12, where we see that *to seek and not find *was a proverb expressing “riddance of evil;” but the construction is difficult. The first clause should end at “wicked,” the words “and the evil” being absolute; and the verbs, which are in form either second or third person, should be taken in the second. Translate, *...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. Image of an assailed fortress continued. They tear up the path by which succor might reach me.
**set forward--**(Zec 1:15).
**they have no helper--**Arabic proverb for contemptible persons. Yet even such afflict Job.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto hi...
Read full commentary →The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
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KJV Study Commentary
This triumphant declaration affirms God's eternal kingship—'Yahweh is King forever and ever.' The perishing of nations from His land demonstrates that all earthly powers are temporary, but God's reign is eternal. This anticipates Revelation's vision where the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord (Revelation 11:15). Reformed theology sees God's sovereignty as absolute and comprehen...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **The Lord is King.**—If the psalm has hitherto been personal, it here swells out into a larger strain of national hope and faith.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. waters--**(So 2Sa 5:20). But it is better to retain the image of Job 30:12, 13. "They came [upon me] as through a wide breach," namely, made by the besiegers in the wall of a fortress (Is 30:13) [Maurer].
**in the desolation--**"Amidst the crash" of falling masonry, or "with a shout like the crash" of, &c.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto hi...
Read full commentary →LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: prepare: or, establish
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear.</strong> As the psalm moves toward conclusion, David affirms with confidence that God has heard the prayers of the oppressed. This verse balances the opening question (verse 1) with confident assurance. God may seem distant, but He hears and will act. The verse addresses both d...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. they--**terrors.
**soul--**rather, "my dignity" [Umbreit].
**welfare--**prosperity.
**cloud--**(Job 7:9; Is 44:22).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto hi...
Read full commentary →To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. oppress: or, terrify
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.</strong> The psalm concludes with God's ultimate purpose: justice for the vulnerable and an end to oppression. After describing the problem (wickedness and oppression), crying out for divine intervention, and affirming God's hearing, David now states God's intention and the eschatological hope of all ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Oppressed.**—See Psalm 9:9. “God’s choice acquaintances are humble men.”—*Leighton.*
**That the man.**—Literally, *that may not continue to terrify *(or *defy*)* mere man from the earth, *which may mean that mere mortals may have to confess their weakness in comparison with God. But Psalm 9:20, where the same word is used, indicates that it is here used in a contemptuous sense of the “heath...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16-23. Job's outward calamities affect his mind.
**poured out--**in irrepressible complaints (Psa 42:4; Jos 7:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto hi...
Read full commentary →