Psalm 10

¹ Why do you stand far off, LORD? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

² In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught in the schemes that they devise.

³ For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings. He blesses the greedy and condemns the LORD.

⁴ The wicked, in the pride of his face, has no room in his thoughts for God.

⁵ His ways are prosperous at all times. He is arrogant, and your laws are far from his sight. As for all his adversaries, he sneers at them.

⁶ He says in his heart, “I shall not be shaken. For generations I shall have no trouble.”

⁷ His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.

⁸ He lies in wait near the villages. From ambushes, he murders the innocent. His eyes are secretly set against the helpless.

⁹ He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless when he draws him in his net.

¹⁰ The helpless are crushed. They collapse. They fall under his strength.

¹¹ He says in his heart, “God has forgotten. He hides his face. He will never see it.”

¹² Arise, LORD! God, lift up your hand! Don’t forget the helpless.

¹³ Why does the wicked person condemn God, and say in his heart, “God won’t call me into account”?

¹⁴ But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless.

¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.

¹⁶ The LORD is King forever and ever! The nations will perish out of his land.

¹⁷ LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear,

¹⁸ to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.

Around Psalm 10

Book context

PsalmsEditorial draft

Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers used in Israel’s worship, written by several people over a long period. Headings name David most often, along with Asaph, the sons of Korah and others. The collection falls into five books, each ending with a short blessing of the LORD (41:13, 72:19, 89:52, 106:48), and it closes with a call for everything that has breath to praise the LORD (150:6). The psalms hold praise, lament, thanksgiving, confession and trust, so readers find words for nearly every season of life.

Why we say this

HisFullGlory editorial · broad consensus · not yet reviewed by a theological reader

From the text itself

Sources

Notes summarise their sources in our own words. Where Christians or scholars disagree, the note says so. Notes are not original-language evidence and do not replace the text.

AI explanation

About Psalms as a whole · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this book is about

“How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?” A prayer can begin like that, and in the Psalms it does. Four times the poet asks how long, and then, in the same short song, comes the turn: “But I trust in your loving kindness.”

That honesty runs through the whole book. Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers, and it holds praise, thanksgiving, lament, confession, songs for the king, and reflections on wisdom and on God's law. It is arranged in five books and moves, on the whole, from many laments at the start to pure praise at the end.

Joy, fear, anger, guilt and doubt are all spoken to God directly.

Background

The psalms were written and gathered over several centuries. Their headings link about half of them with David and others with Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon and Moses. They were sung in the worship of the temple and later in synagogues and churches.

How Christians read it

Jews and Christians have prayed the Psalms daily for well over two thousand years. The New Testament quotes them more than any other book and reads many as speaking of Christ, among them Psalms 2, 22 and 110. The psalms that call for judgment on enemies are hard to read. Many understand them as handing vengeance over to God instead of taking it oneself.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 19 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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