Psalm 10:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them.

NIV: His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies.

NASB: His ways succeed at all times; Yet Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he snorts at them.

CSB: His ways are always secure; your lofty judgments have no effect on him; he scoffs at all his adversaries.

NLT: Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies.

KJV: His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

NKJV: His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

In an earthly timeframe, it's possible for wicked people to find success. Acting immorally can result in material benefits, for a while. The evil person assumes God doesn't see what he is doing (Psalm 10:11), or He does not exist to see those deeds (Psalm 10:4), therefore no punishment is to be expected. That false sense of security causes him to breathe out contempt for all his foes.

God might be more patient than we would prefer (Psalm 10:1), but eventually He will punish the wicked who feel so secure in their ill-gotten gain. Asaph describes the prosperous wicked in Psalm 73:8 as scoffing and speaking with malice and threatening oppression. They also blaspheme God (Psalm 73:9). However, they will come to a disastrous end. God will make them fall to ruin, and He will sweep them away utterly by terrors (Psalm 73:18–19).

Demonstrating how quickly earthly wealth can become meaningless, a biblical parable depicts a rich farmer who trusted in his bumper crops for security, only to be swept suddenly into eternal judgment (Luke 12:13–21). First Thessalonians 5:3 promises: "While people are saying, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."

Psalm 10:1–11 asks why God seems to ignore the character and deeds of wicked people. The wicked are described as haughty oppressors of the poor and helpless. They are arrogant, greedy, insulters of God. They don't believe He exists, so they feel free to take advantage of poor and helpless victims.

This song opens with a common question humanity asks in hard times: "where are you, God?" There follows a description of wicked people and their deeds and motives. Evil people feel free to be depraved and arrogant, assuming there is no God to judge them. Like predators, these wicked people ambush helpless people. Despite their wrong assumptions, God keeps His promises. He will judge the wicked and defend His people. Helpless people can trust God to make matters right. Someday, He will rid the earth of all sin and suffering. His justice will prevail, and His people will never again experience persecution.

According to some scholars, Psalms 9 and 10 might have been composed together, possibly even as one psalm. No title is affixed to Psalm 10, and it seems to continue the acrostic pattern of Psalm 9, starting each section with a successive letter from the Hebrew alphabet. The Septuagint and the Vulgate place the two psalms as one. However, the mood shifts from one psalm to the other. Psalm 9 focuses on judgment to come; Psalm 10 focuses on the presence of widespread injustice. Whether literally composed together, or separately, they deal with related issues using profoundly different tones.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.