Psalm 10:14 Komentář

The Septuagint translation joins this psalm with the ninth, and makes them but one; but the Hebrew makes it a distinct psalm, and the scope and style are certainly different. In this psalm, I. David complains of the wickedness of the wicked, describes the dreadful pitch of impiety at which they had arrived (to the great dishonour of God and the prejudice of his church and people), and notices the delay of God's appearing against them (Psa 10:1-11). II. He prays to God to appear against them for the relief of his people and comforts himself with hopes that he would do so in due time (Psa 10:12-18).

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 10 This psalm in the Septuagint version, and those that follow it, is a part and continuation of the preceding psalm, and makes but one with it; hence in these versions the number of the following psalms differ from others, and what is the eleventh with others is the tenth with them, and so on to the hundred fourteenth and one hundred fifteenth, which also are put into one; but in order to make up the whole number of one hundred and fifty, the hundred sixteenth and the hundred forty seventh are both divided into two; and indeed the subject of this psalm is much the same with the former. Antichrist and antichristian times are very manifestly described; the impiety, blasphemy, and atheism of the man of sin; his pride, haughtiness, boasting of himself, and presumption of security; his persecution of the poor, and murder of innocents, are plainly pointed at; nor does the character of the man of the earth agree to well to any as to him: his times are times of trouble; but at the end of them the kingdom of Christ will appear in great glory, when the Gentiles, the antichristian nations, will perish out of his land, Psa 10:1.

Thou hast seen it,.... Though the wicked say God will never see, Psa 10:11; he sees all things in general, all men and all their actions; all are manifest and open to him, and everything in particular, especially the wickedness of men; even that which is said or thought in the heart; for thou beholdest mischief and spite; that mischief which arises from spite or malice in the heart; God beholds the inward principle from whence it proceeds, as well as that itself; the mischief devised in the heart, on the bed, and which lies under the tongue, designed against the people of God, either to the injury of their characters and estates, or to their bodies, and even to their souls, as much as in them lies, proceeding from implacable malice and enmity to them; to requite it with thy hand: of power, to retaliate it upon their own heads, to render tribulation to them that trouble the saints, which is but a righteous thing with God: or "to put it in thy hand" (k); and the sense is, that God looks upon all the injuries the wicked out of spite devise to do to his people, and puts them in his hand, that they may be ever before him, and always in his sight, and he will take a proper opportunity of avenging them. The Targum interprets it of God's rewarding good men, as well as punishing the wicked, paraphrasing the whole thus, "it is manifest before thee that thou wilt send sorrow and wrath upon the wicked; thou lookest to render a good reward to the righteous with thy hand;'' the poor committeth himself unto thee: his body, and the outward concerns of life, as to a faithful Creator; his soul, and the spiritual and eternal welfare of it, as to the only Saviour and Redeemer; he commits all his ways to him, as the God of providence and grace; and at last he commits his spirit to him at death, as to his covenant God and Father: the words may be rendered, "the poor leaveth upon thee" (l); that is, he leaves himself and his upon the Lord; he leaves his burden on him, he casts all his care upon him, as he is advised and encouraged to do; he leaves his cause with him to plead it for him, who will plead it thoroughly and maintain it: the phrase is expressive of the poor's faith and hope in God; hence the Chaldee paraphrase renders it, "on thee will thy poor ones hope"; for the supply of their wants, and for help and assistance against their enemies; thou art the helper of the fatherless; God is the Father of them, provides for them, supplies, supports, and defends them; nor will he in a spiritual sense leave his people orphans or comfortless, but will visit and help them; see Psa 68:5; (k) "ut ponas in manibus tuis", Vatablus, Cocceius. (l) "super te relinquit pauper", Montanus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Cocceius.

What is the meaning of “up to the point of their being given into your hands”? It is a rather human expression, but what it means is this: You bide your time, you are forbearing, with the result that they are given over to the excess of wickedness. You are capable, of course, of destroying and subduing them from the outset; yet beyond telling is the ocean of your forbearance, observing them, not pursuing them but awaiting their movement to repentance. If, however, they prove unresponsive, then you will punish them when they profit nothing from your long-suffering.

Then follows, "For You see toil and considerest anger, to deliver them into Your hands." This sentence looks for distinct explanation, wherein if there shall be error it becomes obscure. For thus has the ungodly said in his heart, God will not require it, as though God regarded toil and anger, to deliver them into His hands; that is, as though He feared toil and anger, and for this reason would spare them, lest their punishment be too burdensome to Him, or lest He should be disturbed by the storm of anger: as men generally act, excusing themselves of vengeance, to avoid toil or anger.

Even if those living in impiety claim countless times, he is saying, that you are not looking at human affairs, we know that you are studying and considering their crimes and requiring due penalty of them.

The poor abandon themselves to you. You will care for his deliverance so that you may make him rich in heavenly goods. So also, the orphan is helped, protected and nourished like a son. It is important to understand here that the orphan is one whose father is the devil because of iniquity but who has cast him out through the practice of repentance.

He will find that the one whom he had hoped had forgotten has remembered, and he will realize that the sins that he had believed to be too numerous to be remembered, even to the point of being immeasurable, are actually taken into account.

When he says, “he is left to you as a poor man,” he shows that the one who is left to him is not cheated of any advantage, for to be left to the devoted Prince is the same as to be handed over to all good things.

"You see." He strengthens the reasons. First, the second, saying, "you alone see the toil" which the wicked inflict upon the good, "so that you may deliver them," that is, in the future, "into your hands," that is, of your justice, who now hold them in the hands of your power, and now do not exercise justice. But sinners do not know this, because the reason of your providence is unknown to them. Job 11: "Seeing iniquity, does he not consider it?" Likewise, ibid. 12: "With him is strength and wisdom; he knows the deceiver and the one who is deceived; and he leads counselors to a foolish end, and judges to stupor." Rom. 11: "His judgments are incomprehensible." Or, "into your hands," that is, of your Son. Jn. 13: "Knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands." Or, according to Augustine, this verse is said on the part of the wicked, who said in their heart, "He will not seek," namely God. And again they said, "because you see the toil." A prelate sometimes sees the fault of a subject and does not punish, fearing the toil or even the penalty from the one punished; and therefore, the wicked one says: O God, you do not punish, because toil and sorrow do not follow upon you. But the first reading is better.

"To you." Here he confirms the first reason; as if to say: you should not forget, because "to you the poor man is left," hence his care belongs to you. Is. 52: "Rejoice and be glad together, O desolate Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people." All who have nothing in the world except God alone, their help belongs to God alone. 2 Chron. 20: "When we do not know what we should do, we have only this recourse: to direct our eyes to God." But he speaks pointedly: for people in this world sometimes defend themselves through riches. Ps. 48: "Those who trust in their own strength and glory in the multitude of their riches." Sometimes through relatives and friends and defenders; but those who do not have these are left to God, and therefore he says, "to you the poor man is left." Job 36: "He will deliver the poor man from his distress." Likewise, ibid. 30: "I wept for him who was afflicted," etc. Lam. 5: "We have become orphans without a father." Ps. 87: "Like a man without help." And if this is so for one who is poor by necessity, how much more for one who is poor in spirit; and this as to the first. As to the second, he says, "you will be a helper to the orphan," who has no defender. Ps. 67: "Father of orphans and judge of widows." Likewise, 26: "Because my father and my mother have left me, but the Lord has taken me up."

The Psalmist mourns God's apparent indifference to his troubles, which are aggravated by the successful malice, blasphemy, pride, deceit, and profanity of the wicked. On the just and discriminating providence of God he relies for the destruction of their false security, and the defense of the needy. (Psa. 10:1-18) These are, of course, figurative terms (compare Psa 7:6; Psa 13:1, &c.). hidest--Supply "thine eyes" or "face."

mischief and spite--provocation and trouble of the sufferer (compare Psa 6:7; Psa 7:14). committeth--or, "leaves (his burden) on Thee."

Now comes the confirmation of his cry to God: It is with Him entirely different from what the ungodly imagine. They think that He will not punish; but He does see (cf. Ch2 24:22), and the psalmist knows and confesses it: ראתה (defective = ראיתה Psa 35:22), Thou hast seen and dost see what is done to Thine own, what is done to the innocent. This he supports by a conclusion a genere ad speciem thus: the trouble which is prepared for others, and the sorrow (כּעס, as in Ecc 7:3) which they cause them, does not escape the all-seeing eye of God, He notes it all, to give it into (lay it in) His hand. "To give anything into any one's hand" is equivalent to, into his power (Kg1 20:28, and frequently); but here God gives (lays) the things which are not to be administered, but requited, into His own hand. The expression is meant to be understood according to Psa 56:9, cf. Isa 49:16 : He is observant of the afflictions of His saints, laying them up in His hand and preserving them there in order, in His own time, to restore them to His saints in joy, and to their enemies in punishment. Thus, therefore, the feeble and helpless (read חלכּה or חלכּה; according to the Masoretic text חלכה Thy host, not חלכה, which is contrary to the character of the form, as pausal form for חלכה) can leave to Him, viz., all his burden (יהבו, Psa 55:23), everything that vexes and disquiets him. Jahve has been and will be the Helper of the fatherless. יתום stands prominent by way of emphasis, like אותם Psa 9:13, and Bakius rightly remarks in voce pupilli synecdoche est, complectens omnes illos, qui humanis praesidiis destituuntur.