Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 10:14
Thou hast seen [it]; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite [it] with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
14. Stanza of Resh, consisting of one long verse. Originally in all probability there were two verses, as in the other alphabetic stanzas.
Thou hast seen it ] Whatever the wicked may imagine to the contrary, arguing from his own limited experience ( Psa 10:11). Faith triumphs over appearances, for it rests on the unchanging character of God, Who never ceases to ‘behold,’ to observe all that goes on upon the earth. Cp. Psa 33:13; Psa 35:22; Psa 94:9.
mischief and spite ] The words may be understood thus, of the wrong done; or, as in R.V. marg., of the suffering endured, travail and grief. The first word inclines rather to the objective, the second to the subjective sense. Perhaps we might render: mischief and vexation.
to requite it with thy hand ] More exactly as R.V., to take it into thy hand. God’s observation cannot fail to lead to action. In His own time He will take the matter in hand. Cp. P.B.V., which however, in opposition to the Hebrew accents, connects the words with the following clause, ‘That thou mayest take the matter into thine hand: the poor &c.’
the poor ] The helpless ( Psa 10:8 ; Psa 10:10) abandons (such is the literal sense of the word) himself and his cause to God, Who will never abandon him (Psa 9:10).
thou art ] Rather as R.V., thou hast been. It is an appeal to experience. The ‘fatherless’ (or ‘orphan’) is mentioned as a typical example of the friendless and unprotected, who are under God’s special guardianship. Cp. the primitive law of Exo 22:22 ff., reechoed in the latest utterance of prophecy, Mal 3:5.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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 perhaps in this case referring particularly to that which gave the psalmist trouble.
And spite – The word spite with us, though it originally denoted rancour, malice, ill-will, now denotes usually a less deliberate and fixed malice than is indicated by those words, but is used to denote a sudden fit of ill-will excited by temporary vexation. It relates to small subjects, and is accompanied with a desire of petty revenge, and implies that one would be gratified with the disappointment or misfortune of another. The word here, however, in the original, means anger, wrath, malice; and the idea is, that God had seen all the anger of the enemies of the psalmist.
To requite it with thy hand – By thine own interposition or agency – the hand being the instrument by which we accomplish anything. The idea is, that the psalmist felt assured that God would not pass this over. Though the wicked acted as if he did not see or regard their conduct, yet the psalmist felt assured that God would not be unmindful of it, but would, in due time, visit them with deserved punishment.
The poor committeth himself unto thee – Margin, leaveth. The word rendered poor is the same as that which occurs in Psa 10:10. It means here those who are helpless and defenseless; the oppressed and the downtrodden. The word committeth or leaveth means that he leaves his cause with God; he trusts in his protection and interposition; he gives himself no anxiety as to the result. He knows that God can deliver him if he sees that it is best; and he is assured that God will do that which it is best should be done.
Thou art the helper of the fatherless – That is, this is the general character of God – the character in which he has revealed himself to man. Compare Exo 22:22; Deu 10:18; Isa 1:17; Psa 68:5; Psa 82:3; Jer 49:11; Hos 14:3; Mal 3:5; Jam 1:27. The psalmist here refers to the general character of God as that in which all the oppressed, the crushed, the helpless may trust; and he mentions this particular case as one that best illustrated that character.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 14. Thou hast seen it] Nothing can escape thy notice. Thou hast not forgotten thy justice, though judgment is not speedily executed on an evil work. But thou wilt requite it with thy hand. By thy power thou wilt cast down and destroy the wicked.
The poor committeth himself unto thee] To thee he has given up his body, his soul, and his cause; with the full conviction that thou who art the helper of fatherless, will not forget him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou hast seen it; or, but thou hast seen it, and therefore they are horribly mistaken, as they will find to their cost. For; or, surely, as this particle is oft used, as Job 8:6; Psa 73:18.
Thou beholdest; not as an idle spectator, but with an eye of observation and vindication, as it follows. Mischief and spite, i.e. all the injurious and spiteful or malicious carriages of wicked men towards those who are more righteous than they.
To requite it with thy hand, Heb. to give (i.e. to restore or pay, the simple verb for the compound; which is usual in the Hebrew tongue) it (to wit, the mischief which they have done to others)
with thy hand, i.e. by thy own immediate and extraordinary providence, because the oppressed were destitute of all other succours. Or, to put (giving being oft used for putting, as hath been observed before) it in or into thy hand, that thou mayst have it always in thine eye, and under thy care and consideration, as the like phrase is evidently used, Isa 49:16 Therefore thou dost not and canst not forget it, but wilt certainly require it.
Committeth himself; or, his matters or cause, i.e. the care of his person and righteous cause. Heb. he leaveth; which word is used for committing to the trust of another, Gen 39:6; Job 39:14; Isa 10:3.
Of the fatherless, i.e. of such poor oppressed ones as have no friend nor helper; one kind of them being put for all the rest.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14. mischief and spiteprovocationand trouble of the sufferer (compare Psa 6:7;Psa 7:14).
committethor, “leaves(his burden) on Thee.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou hast seen [it],…. Though the wicked say God will never see, Ps 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 Ps 68:5;
k “ut ponas in manibus tuis”, Vatablus, Cocceius. l “super te relinquit pauper”, Montanus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
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. 2Ch 24:22), and the psalmist knows and confesses it: (defective = 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 ( , 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 (1Ki 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 or ; according to the Masoretic text Thy host, not , which is contrary to the character of the form, as pausal form for ) can leave to Him, viz., all his burden ( , Psa 55:23), everything that vexes and disquiets him. Jahve has been and will be the Helper of the fatherless. stands prominent by way of emphasis, like Psa 9:13, and Bakius rightly remarks in voce pupilli synecdoche est, complectens omnes illos, qui humanis praesidiis destituuntur .
14. Thou hast seen it; for thou, etc Here David, suddenly kindled with a holy zeal, enters into conflict, and, armed with the shield of faith, courageously repels these execrable opinions; but as he could derive no advantage by making his appeal to men, he has recourse to God, and addresses him. As the ungodly, in the hope of enjoying unrestrained license in the commission of all kinds of wickedness, withdraw to the greatest possible distance from God, (231) and through the dictates of a perverse mind, imagine themselves to be far beyond his reach; so, on the contrary, the faithful ought carefully to keep themselves aloof from those wild opinions, which are afloat in the world, and with minds lifted upward, to speak to God as if present with them. Accordingly, David, in order to prevent himself from being overcome by the blasphemies of men, very properly turns away his attention from them. There is added a reason in confirmation of the first sentence of the verse, namely, because God considers mischief and vexation Since it is the peculiar province of God to take cognisance of all wrongs, David concludes that it is impossible for God to shut his eyes when the ungodly are recklessly and without restraint committing their outrages. Moreover, he descends from the general to the particular, which ought to be attentively marked: for nothing is easier than to acknowledge in general terms that God exercises a care about the world, and the affairs of men; but it is very difficult to apply this doctrine to its various uses in every-day life. And yet, all that the Scripture says concerning the power and righteousness of God will be of no advantage to us, and, as it were, only matter of meagre speculation, (232) unless every one apply these statements to himself, as his necessity may require. Let us therefore learn, from the example of David, to reason thus: that, since it belongs to God to take notice of all the mischief and injuries which are inflicted on the good and simple, He considers our trouble and sorrows even when he seems for a time to take no notice of them. The Psalmist also adds, that God does not look down from heaven upon the conduct of men here below as an idle and unconcerned spectator, but that it is his work to pass judgment upon it; for to take the matter into his own hand, is nothing else than duly and effectually to examine and determine it as a judge.
It is, however, our duty to wait patiently so long as vengeance is reserved in the hand of God, until he stretch forth his arm to help us. We see, therefore, the reason why it is immediately added, Upon thee shall the poor leave. By these words David means, that we ought to give the providence of God time to manifest itself. The godly, when they are afflicted, may with confidence cast their cares into his bosom, and commit themselves to his protection. They ought not, however, to be in haste for the accomplishment of their wishes; but, being now disburdened, they should take their breath till God manifestly declare that the fit time of interfering in their behalf is come. The man, therefore, leaves upon God who betakes himself to his protection, and who, fully persuaded of his faithfulness in keeping what is entrusted to him, quietly waits till the fit time of his deliverance come. Some read the verb passively, The poor shall be left upon thee. The first reading, however, is more correct, and it agrees with the rules of grammar; only it is a defective form of expression, inasmuch as the thing which the poor leaves is not expressed. But this defect is common in Hebrew; and there is no obscurity in the thing itself, namely, that, when the godly commit themselves and their concerns to God by prayer, their prayers will not be in vain; for these two clauses are closely connected, Upon thee shall the poor leave, and, Thou shalt be a helper to the fatherless By a metaphor he terms the person fatherless whom he had in the preceding clause called poor. And the verb being in the future tense denotes a continued act.
(231) “ Se reeulent le plus loin de Dieu qu’ils peuvent.” — Fr.
(232) “ Sera de nulle utilite et comme un speculation maigre.” — Fr.
(14) The poor committeth himself.Better, the helpless leaveth it to Thee. By a slight alteration in the division of the Hebrew letters, and of the pointing, we should get, It is against thee that he is strong in darkness. (See Notes above, Psa. 10:8; Psa. 10:10.)
14. Thou hast seen it The psalmist repels their blasphemy. God does behold human actions with legal cognizance.
To requite it The word rendered “requite” signifies to give, but the connexion determines what this giving is, namely, according to desert, judicial retribution.
The poor committeth himself unto thee Literally, the poor will abandon himself to thee. He seeks, he accepts, no other refuge. Here is the faith that meets, and rebukes, and conquers fundamental scepticism.
Fatherless Such as have no earthly protector.
Psa 10:14 Thou hast seen [it]; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite [it] with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
Ver. 14. Thou hast seen it ] For thou art All-eye, whatever the wicked conceiteth to the contrary, making thee a God of clouts, as they say, or a heathen idol, which is nothing in the world.
To requite it with thy hand
The poor committeth himself unto thee
Thou art the helper of the fatherless Thou hast seen. Compare Psa 10:11.
Thou hast: Psa 35:22, Pro 15:3, Jer 16:17, Jer 23:24, Heb 4:13
for thou: Hab 1:13
to requite: Jdg 1:7, 2Ki 9:26, 2Ch 6:23, Jer 51:56, Joe 3:4
the poor: Psa 55:22, 2Ti 1:12, 1Pe 4:19, 1Pe 5:7
committeth: Heb. leaveth, Isa 10:3, Jer 49:11
helper: Psa 68:5, Psa 146:9, Deu 10:18, Hos 14:3
Reciprocal: Gen 4:9 – I know Exo 21:26 – General Jos 22:23 – let the Lord 2Sa 18:19 – avenged him 2Ki 19:28 – thy rage 2Ch 24:22 – and require it 2Ch 24:25 – for the blood 2Ch 32:19 – spake Job 5:15 – he saveth Job 11:11 – he seeth Job 24:23 – yet his eyes Job 36:6 – giveth Psa 9:12 – he forgetteth Psa 10:18 – judge Psa 26:10 – In Psa 28:3 – mischief Psa 35:10 – which Psa 35:17 – look Psa 86:1 – for I am Psa 103:6 – executeth Psa 109:16 – persecuted Psa 109:31 – to save Psa 146:7 – executeth Pro 10:3 – will Ecc 9:1 – that the Isa 37:17 – hear Jer 11:20 – revealed Lam 3:60 – General Jam 2:6 – Do 1Pe 2:23 – but
Psa 10:14. Thou hast seen it Or, But thou hast seen it, and therefore they are horribly mistaken, as they will find to their cost; for thou beholdest And not as an idle spectator, but with an eye of observation and vindication; mischief and spite All the malicious, spiteful, and injurious conduct of wicked men toward those who are more righteous than they; to requite it with thy hand Hebrew, to give (to restore, to repay to them the mischief they have done to others) by the hand of thy extraordinary providence, because the oppressed were destitute of all other succours. The poor committeth himself unto thee Hebrew, , jagnazob gnalecka, leaveth to thee the care of his person and righteous cause. Thou art the helper of the fatherless Of such poor and oppressed ones as have no friend nor helper; one kind of them being put for all. We may collect from hence, says Dodd, that there were two kinds of infidels at the time this Psalm was written; one of whom made God a sort of epicurean deity, and supposed him not to concern himself with the moral government of the world; the other altogether denied his being, Psa 10:4.
10:14 Thou hast seen [it]; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to {h} requite [it] with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
(h) To judge between the right and the wrong.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes