Psalm 17:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

NIV: They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.

NASB: They have closed their unfeeling hearts, With their mouths they speak proudly.

CSB: They are uncaring; their mouths speak arrogantly.

NLT: They are without pity. Listen to their boasting!

KJV: They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.

NKJV: They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly.

David reports that his enemies (Psalm 17:9) purposely withhold sympathy from their victims. They are heartless and boastful about their criminal activity. Their continual refusal to obey God (Psalm 16:4) while leading a violent lifestyle (Psalm 17:4) had given them callous hearts and seared consciences (1 Timothy 4:2). Proverbs 29:1 offers a stern warning to such hard-hearted people: "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing."

The decline into a heartless condition is both gradual and a conscious choice. King Saul started out with humility, but gradually became arrogant and disobeyed the Lord. Ultimately, he resorted to hatred and an insatiable desire to kill David (1 Samuel 20:32–33). Paul predicts in 2 Timothy 3:1–4 that evil men will emerge who are proud, arrogant, unholy, heartless, slanderous, brutal, treacherous, and reckless. He advises Timothy to avoid such people (2 Timothy 3:5). David's enemies and the men Paul describes, demonstrate the truth of Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is "deceitful above all things, and desperately sick."

Psalm 17:6–12 is David's prayer for the Lord's protection. He expresses confidence that the Lord will keep him safe. Surrounded by his bloodthirsty enemies, David knows he is helpless without the Lord's intervention. He describes the enemy as dangerous and deadly as a lion.

Likely written when Saul was pursuing David in the wilderness, this records David's urgent plea for deliverance. He insists that he is in the right and free from deceit or evil. He proclaims God as a Savior and asks God to heed his cry and reveal His steadfast love to him. David addresses God as the Savior of those who seek refuge in Him from their enemies. Verse 8 uses two famous phrases describing God's tender care and love: "apple of the eye" and "shadow of your wings." Using a singular noun, David compares his enemy, likely Saul, to a ferocious, stealthy, bloodthirsty lion. Through these struggles, David looks forward to a blessed eternity of beholding God's face.

This is another psalm in which David appeals to God to deliver him from his enemy, likely Saul (1 Samuel 20:32–33). It shares themes and even Hebrew phrases with Psalm 16. This is one of several psalms identified as direct prayers, along with psalms 86, 90, 102, and 142.

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.