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Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:6

He hath said in his heart - The phrase, “he hath said,” means that this was his deliberate and settled character. What is here described was no sudden thing. It was not the freak of passion; it was a deliberately-formed purpose. The phrase, “in his heart,” means that he had purposed this; he had said this to himself in a spirit of self-gratulation and confidence.I shall not be moved - That is, he was confident in his present condition, and he apprehended no changes. He had formed his plans so... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:7

His mouth is full of cursing - Profaneness; blasphemy against God. In the former verse the writer had described the feelings of the “heart;” he now proceeds to specify the open acts of the wicked. The meaning is, that the wicked man, as here described, was one who was full of imprecation, swearing, execration; a “profane” man; a man who, whatever was his belief about God, would constantly call upon his name, and imprecate his wrath on himself or others. An atheist, strange as it may seem, is as... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:8

He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages - As robbers do, who hide themselves in the vicinity of villages, that they make a sudden descent upon them in the silence of the night, or that they may seize and rob the inhabitants as they go forth in the morning to attend their flocks to the pastures, or to labor in the fields. The word rendered “villages” means properly an enclosure, as a court before a building; and then a village or hamlet, farm-buildings, or farm hamlets, usually erected... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:9

He lieth in wait secretly - Margin, in the secret places. See the note at Psalms 10:8. The object here is merely to illustrate the thought in the previous verse, by an allusion to a lion and a hunter.As a lion in his den - As a lion crouches down in his den, ready to spring upon his prey. That is, the lion is concealed, but is on the look out, and when his prey passes near his den, he suddenly springs upon it and secures it. So it is with the wicked man. He carefully lays his plans. He conceals... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:10

He croucheth - Margin, “breaketh himself.” Coverdale, “Then smiteth he, then oppresseth he.” Prof. Alexander, “And bruised he will sink.” Horsley, “And the overpowered man submits.” Luther, “He slays, and thrusts down, and presses to the earth the poor with power.” This variety of interpretation arises from some ambiguity in regard to the meaning of the original. The word rendered “croucheth” - ודכה, in the Kethib (the text) - is in the Qeri’ (margin), ידכה, “and crushed, he sinks down.” There... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:11

He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten - That is, this is his practical, habitual feeling. He acts as if God had forgotten, or as if God takes no knowledge of what is occurring in the earth. Compare Psalms 10:6.He hideth his face - God has hidden his face; that is, he does not look on what is occurring.He will never see it - That is, he will never see what is done. It cannot be supposed that any man would deliberately say either that the memory of God has failed, or that he will not see... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:12

Arise, O Lord - See the note at Psalms 3:7. This commences the second part of the psalm, in which the author calls on God to remember those who were oppressed and wronged by the wicked. By suffering the wicked thus to carry on their plans, God seemed to be indifferent to human affairs, and the psalmist, therefore, invokes him to interpose, and to rescue the afflicted from their grasp.O God, lift up thine hand - As one does when he is about to strike, or to exert his power. The prayer is, that... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:13

Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? - That is, despise him; or treat him with contempt and disregard. On what ground is this done? How is it to be accounted for? What is the proper explanation of so strange a fact? It is to be observed here:(a) that the psalmist assumes this to be a fact, that the wicked do thus contemn or despise God. Of this he had no doubt; of this there can be no doubt now. They act as if this were so; they often speak of Him as if this were so. They pay no respect to... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:14

Thou hast seen it - Thou seest all. Though people act as if their conduct was not observed, yet thou art intimately acquainted with all that they do. The workers of iniquity cannot hide themselves. The idea here is, that although God seemed not to notice the conduct of the wicked, and though the wicked acted as if he did not, yet that all this was seen by God, and that he would deal with men according to justice and to truth.For thou beholdest mischief - All that is done on the earth, though... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 10:15

Break thou the arm of the wicked - The arm is the instrument by which we effect a purpose, and especially in wielding a sword or a spear, as in battle; and if the arm is broken, we are powerless. The psalmist, therefore, prays that God would render the wicked, in this respect, powerless.And the evil man - Of all the evil, or the wicked. In regard to the prayer here, see the note at Psalms 5:10.Seek out his wickedness until thou find none - Until it is all punished; until there has been a full... read more

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