Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 10:17
LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
17. ‘The desire of the meek’ is contrasted with ‘the desire of the wicked’ ( Psa 10:3), which in spite of his boasting is doomed to end in disappointment (Psa 112:10).
The second half of the verse may be taken as an explanatory parenthesis: thou didst prepare (or direct) their heart to pray (1Sa 7:3), thou didst cause thine ear to attend: or as expressing the further anticipation, thou wilt establish (encourage, comfort) their heart: thou wilt &c.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
17, 18. Stanza of Tav. God has ‘seen’ ( Psa 10:14); He has also ‘heard’; the prayer of faith cannot remain unanswered.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble – Their desire or their prayer that thou wouldst interpose in their behalf in the time of danger, and rescue them. Compare Psa 6:8-9. The word humble here refers to those who were poor, downtrodden, oppressed; and the original reference is, doubtless, to the psalmist himself, and to his friends. He was so certain that God would interpose, he had such assurance that his prayer would he answered, that his mind was perfectly calm.
Thou will prepare their heart – Margin, or, establish. The margin seems most accurately to express the meaning of the original word – takiyn. The idea is, that he would settle or confirm their heart; that is, that he would dispel their fears and allay their apprehensions by the assurances of his favor, and by his gracious interposition. They had been full of apprehension and alarm, but the assurances of the divine favor would establish their hearts and give them peace.
Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear – Another form of expressing assurance of the same thing. The idea is, that he would incline his ear, or make it attentive to the cry of his afflicted people.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 10:17
Thou hast hoard the desire of the humble.
The desire of the humble encouraged
I. The characters here spoken of. Though there be great difference between man and man with regard to natural character, yet the truly humble before God are those only whom He has humbled. The humble are those whom God doth teach the plague of their own hearts. He humbles them by discoveries of themselves.
II. The desires here spoken of. The soul of man is a restless principle. The souls of the humble ones do desire. The humble soul wants a clearer inward witness of his adoption; a renewed application of the blood of Christ to his conscience; a deeper sense of his acceptance in the Beloved; a closer walk with God.
III. The encouragements here spoken of. Three expressed in the text–
1. Thou hast heard the desire of the humble.
2. Thou wilt prepare their heart.
3. Thou wilt cause Thine ear to hear. (J. Evans.)
The desire of the humble
I. Here is a character described–the humble. It is a characteristic of all Christians. Humility befits us if we regard–
1. The meanness of our origin–dust
2. Our sinfulness.
3. That pride is hateful in the sight of God. What evil it has wrought; how unwarrantable it is.
4. But God hears the desire of the humble. What is that desire? It is to know the want of Himself. To have an interest in Christ. To think highly of others. To adore the goodness of God, and to be obedient to His will.
II. God prepares such a heart.
1. By giving conviction of sin.
2. By encouraging trust in Christ.
3. By giving desire after holiness.
4. By emptying him of self.
III. God hears and answers prayer.
1. Because they come in Christs name. Because–
2. He is their Father.
3. He Himself has bidden us pray; and
4. Prepared their hearts to do so. He who will not pray has no excuse. (T. Scott, M. A.)
Thought-reading extraordinary
I. The lowliest form of prayer may be most true and acceptable. The desire of the humble. It is only a desire. It may not be uttered. Many prayers are very prettily expressed, in fact, so grandly that their tawdry fineries will not be tolerated in heaven. God will say, They were meant for men, let men hear them. The desire of the humble may not be recommended by any conscious attainments, if your stock-in-trade is made up of empty vessels, and little else, the Lord can deal with you as He did with the prophets widow, who had empty vessels not a few. Your little oil of grace He can multiply till every vessel is filled; and you may have no confident expectation. I would chide your unbelief, but I would encourage your desires, for that desire which God hears is not to be despised. Note that it is the desire of the humble. It has this advantage about it that it is free from pride. Now, to be humble is a sweet thing; there is no lovelier spot on the road to the Celestial City than the Valley of Humiliation: he that dwells in it dwells among flowers and birds, and may sing all day long. The desire of the humble is saturated with a gospel spirit, and therefore is acceptable to God.
II. And he is quick to heal it. Thou hast heard the desire. This must be a Divine science. We hear much about thought reading now. Whatever this may be, here is a wonderful instance of it with the Lord. It is an act which God has exercised in all ages. Thou hast heard, etc. It is a matter of frequent fact, the record of a deed.
III. The heart is the main matter in prayer. Desires are the fruit of the heart. Thou wilt prepare their heart. When a fair wind fills the sails of desire, then make all possible headway.
IV. God Himself prepares the hearts of His people. Thou wilt prepare their heart. I am rejoiced at this statement, because preparation is such an important business. And it is often difficult as it is important. Surely none but the Lord can prepare the heart for prayer. One old writer says it is far harder work to raise the big bell into the steeple than to ring it when it is there. This witness is true. In that uplifting of the heart lies the work and the labour. Now, God prepares the heart by restraining wandering thought by giving us deep sense of need, and by working in us strong faith.
V. Prayer from prepared hearts must be heard. Thou wilt cause Thine ear to hear. He will, for if God had love enough to prepare your heart He has grace enough to give you the blessing. His goodness and faithfulness ensure that He will. Where God leads you to pray, He means you to receive. Be comforted, therefore, you beginners in prayer. God is inclining His ear to catch the faintest moan of your spirit. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The gracious desires and prayers of the humble
Lord Bolingbroke once asked Lady Huntingdon how she reconciled prayer to God for particular blessings with absolute resignation to the Divine will. Very easy, answered her ladyship; just as if I were to offer a petition to a monarch of whose kindness and wisdom I have the highest opinion In such a case my language would be I wish you to bestow on me such a favour; but your majesty knows better than I how far it would be agreeable to you or right in itself to grant my desire. I therefore content myself with humbly presenting my petition, and leave the event of it entirely to you..
Psa 11:1-7
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 17. Lord, thou hast heard] Thou hast not permitted thy tempted and afflicted followers to pray in vain.
Thou wilt prepare their heart] See the economy of the grace of God:
1. God prepares the heart;
2. Suggests the prayer;
3. Hears what is prayed;
4. Answers the petition.
He who has got a cry in his heart after God, may rest assured that that cry proceeded from a Divine preparation, and that an answer will soon arrive. No man ever had a cry in his heart after salvation, but from God. He who continues to cry shall infallibly be heard.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou hast heard the desire of the humble; and therefore wilt still do it, being unchangeable and the same for ever.
Thou wilt prepare, or direct, or fit, by thy grace and good Spirit, either that they may so pray as thou wilt hear, or that they may be made fit to receive the mercies which they desire; which when they are, they shall have their prayers heard. Or, thou wilt confirm or stablish (as this verb is oft used) their heart, to bear their present pressures, and to wait upon and hope and trust in thee for deliverance, until thou seest fit to hear and help them:
Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear in due time, though for a season thou seemest to turn a deaf ear to them. But this and the foregoing verb may be taken as a prayer, future verbs being oft used imperatively; prepare or stablish their hearts, (by giving them support and assurance of help in the time of need, and then,) cause thine ear to hear.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble,…. See
Ps 10:12; for the coming of Christ’s kingdom, and that the kingdoms of this world may become his; for the destruction of antichrist, and for the avenging the blood of the saints. The prayers of God’s people sometimes lie in inward and secret desires of the soul, and are not expressed in words; and these desires are all before the Lord, and are well known unto him; yea, such prayers of the heart, and which come from it, are principally regarded by him; they being his own preparation, as is suggested in the next clause, and the breathings of his Spirit; and especially the desires of humble souls are regarded, whose prayers he never despises, nor sends them away empty, but fills with his good things;
thou wilt prepare their heart; for prayer, by pouring a spirit of grace and supplication on them, impressing their minds with a sense of things to be prayed for, and drawing out the desires of their souls unto them, and making intercession for them with groanings according to the will of God, and so helping their infirmities; and it is God’s work to prepare the heart for prayer, as well as to put words into the mouth,
Pr 16:1; or “thou wilt direct their heart” n; to the object of prayer, himself, and to the things to be prayed for, for they know not what to pray for, nor how as they should; and to what may encourage to it, as the love of God, the covenant of grace, the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ: or “confirm” or “establish their heart” o; strengthen and fix them, that they be not wavering and doubtful, but certain and assured of success, believing that their desires will be fulfilled in God’s own time;
thou wilt cause thine ear to hear; God has an ear to hear the prayers of his people, nor is his ear heavy that it cannot hear; his ears are open to the cries of righteous ones; nor will he ever turn a deaf ear to them, but will give an answer in his own time and way; which is an instance of his sovereign grace and goodness. These words express the faith of the psalmist in God being a God hearing and answering prayer, particularly in things relating to the ruin of antichrist and his followers, and to the kingdom and glory of his son Jesus Christ.
n “dirigis”, Vatablus; “diriges”, Tigurine version. o “Confirmas”, Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; “confirmes”, Cocceius; “confirma”, Junius & Tremellius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Still standing on this eminence from which he seems to behold the end, the poet basks in the realisation of that which has been obtained in answer to prayer. The ardent longing of the meek and lowly sufferers for the arising, the parusia of Jahve (Isa 26:8), has now been heard by Him, and that under circumstances which find expression in the following futt., which have a past signification: God has given and preserved to their hearts the right disposition towards Himself ( , as in Psa 78:8; Job 11:13, Sir. 2:17 , post-biblical
(Note: B. Berachoth 31 a: the man who prays must direct his heart steadfastly towards God ( ).)
and to be understood according to 1Sa 7:3; 2Ch 20:33, cf. Psa 51:12; Psa 78:37; it is equivalent to “the single eye” in the language of the New Testament), just as, on the other hand, He has set His ear in the attitude of close attention to their prayer, and even to their most secret sighings ( with , as in Pro 2:2; to stiffen the ear, from , Arab. qasuba , root to be hard, rigid, firm from which we also have , Arab. qsa , , Arab. qsh , qsn , cf. on Isa 21:7). It was a mutual relation, the design of which was finally and speedily to obtain justice for the fatherless and oppressed, yea crushed, few, in order that mortal man of the earth may no longer ( , as in Isa 14:21, and in post-biblical Hebrew and instead of ) terrify. From the parallel conclusion, Ps 9:20-21, it is to be inferred that does not refer to the oppressed but to the oppressor, and is therefore intended as the subject; and then the phrase also belongs to it, as in Psa 17:14, people of the world, Psa 80:14 boar of the woods, whereas in Pro 30:14 belongs to the verb (to devour from off the earth). It is only in this combination that forms with a significant paronomasia, by contrasting the conduct of the tyrant with his true nature: a mortal of the earth, i.e., a being who, far removed from any possibility of vying with the God who is in heaven, has the earth as his birth-place. It is not , for the earth is not referred to as the material out of which man is formed, but as his ancestral house, his home, his bound, just as in the expression of John , Joh 3:31 (Lat . ut non amplius terreat homo terrenus ). A similar play of words was attempted before in Psa 9:20 . The Hebrew verb signifies both to give way to fear, Deu 7:21, and to put in fear, Isa 2:19, Isa 2:21; Isa 47:12. It does mean “to defy, rebel against,” although it might have this meaning according to the Arabic rd (to come in the way, withstand, according to which Wetzstein explains Job 30:6, like Arab. ird , “a valley that runs slantwise across a district, a gorge that blocks up the traveller’s way”
(Note: Zeitschrift fr Allgem. Erdkunde xviii. (1865) 1, S. 30.)).
It is related to Arab. rs , to vibrate, tremble (e.g., of lightning).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
17. O Jehovah, thou hast heard the desire of the needy. In these words the prophet confirms what I have just now said, that when hypocrites prevail in the Church, or exceed the faithful in number, we ought, unceasingly, to beseech God to root them out; for such a confused and shameful state of things ought surely to be matter of deep grief to all the true servants of God. By these words, also, the Holy Spirit assures us, that what of old God granted to the fathers in answer to their prayers, we at the present day will obtain, provided we have that anxious solicitude about the deliverance of the Church which we ought to entertain. The clause which follows, Thou wilt direct their hearts, is variously interpreted by expositors. Some think it signifies the same thing, as if it had been said, Thou wilt give success to their desires. According to others, the meaning is, Thou wilt frame and sanctify their hearts by thy grace, that they may ask nothing in prayer but what is right and according to the divine will, as Paul teaches us that the Holy Spirit
“
stirs up within us groanings which cannot be uttered,” (Rom 8:26)
Both these expositions are perhaps too forced. David, in this clause, magnifies the grace of God in sustaining and comforting his servants in the midst of their troubles and distresses, that they may not sink into despondency, — in furnishing them with fortitude and patience, – in inspiring them with good hope, – and in stirring them up also to prayer. This is the import of the verb כין, Kin, which signifies not only to direct, but also to establish. It is a singular blessing which God confers upon us, when, in the midst of temptation, he upholds our hearts, and does not suffer them to recede from him, or to turn aside to any other quarter for support and deliverance. The meaning of the clause which immediately follows, Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear, is, that it is not in vain that God directs the hearts of his people, and leads them, in obedience to his command, to look to Himself, and to call upon him in hope and patience — it is not in vain, because his ears are never shut against their groanings. Thus the mutual harmony between two religious exercises is here commended. God does not suffer the faith of his servants to faint or fail, nor does he suffer them to desist from praying; but he keeps them near him by faith and prayer, until it actually appear that their hope has been neither vain nor ineffectual. The sentence might, not improperly, be rendered thus: Thou shalt establish their heart, until thine ear hear them.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Psa 10:17. Thou wilt prepare their heart Thou wilt strengthen their heart: Psa 10:18. Thine ear will listen to judge the fatherless and oppressed; the poor creature of the land shall no longer live in terror. This translation is equally suited to the original as the Vulgate, and much more easy and intelligible. The land is God’s land, mentioned Psa 10:16. The latter clause may, however, be translated, This worthless mortal of earth shall no longer continue to play the tyrant: as much as to say, “This worthless mortal, how much soever a man of earth, cherished with all its favours, and supported with all its strength, shall no longer be able to terrify the people of Jehovah, the God of heaven.” Mudge.
REFLECTIONS.Two things the Psalmist complains of, 1. The distance of God from him, and the hiding of his face in the times of trouble, when most he needed the light of his countenance to cheer and comfort him. Note; (1.) The withdrawing of God’s gracious presence, is one of the heaviest burdens of a believer’s heart. (2.) If we are at any time left in a state of darkness, and deadness, it becomes us to inquire if there be not a cause, and whether it is not for the correction of our unfaithfulness.
2. The prevalence of the wicked, whose character in strong and striking colours he sets forth.
3. Having represented his own distress, and the wickedness of his enemies, David calls upon God to arise; not that he slept, and needed to be awaked; but to manifest the notice that he took of the ungodly, to punish them; and the remembrance that he had of the humble, to protect them. Lift up thine hand, forget not the humble; and high time it was to curb the insolence of the wicked, now exalted to the highest pitch, contemning God, his threatenings, omniscience, and judgments; he hath said in his heart thou wilt not require it. Note; Confidence of impunity is the great encouragement to sin; but how vain is the hope of the hypocrite? Thou had seen it; for from thine all-searching eye nothing is hid, nothing is secret; nor is there any darkness or shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, their inveterate malice against thy people, though but conceived in thought, to requite it with thy hand, in punishment adequate to their provocations. The poor committeth himself unto thee, in confidence that he shall not be disappointed, whether for body or soul, for time or eternity, he leaveth all his cares in the hands of a faithful creator, for thou art the helper of the fatherless; those who like me are destitute, and unable to provide for themselves, find in thee a guardian and protector. Therefore, in answer so their humble confidence, break thou the arm of the wicked and evil, be they men or devils, disappoint their devices, and restrain their malice; seek out his wickedness till thou find none, make thorough inquisition. And this the faithful may assuredly expect, for the Lord is king for ever and ever, to protect his loyal subjects, and to destroy his rebellious foes, and this for ever and ever. Therefore the heathen are perished out of his land; by David’s victories they were expelled from Canaan; by the more glorious victories of the son of David, not a Canaanite shall be shortly left in the believer’s heart; and when the Lord Jesus shall appear, to put a final period to the kingdom of Antichrist, and reign over his saints gloriously, not one sinner shall be suffered to have a place in that new heaven and earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: the secret prayers, which arise inwardly in the heart, God notices before the mouth speaks, and grants the request of the humble. Thou wilt prepare their heart, pouring out upon them a spirit of supplication, and teaching them how to pray; or confirm their heart, enable them to trust, and not be afraid. Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear, thou hast, and thou wilt continue so to do; ever attentive to the prayers of thy people, and ready to give more than they are able to ask or think: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, to plead their cause and rescue them from wrong; that the man of the earth may no more oppress, that wicked men in general, and the persecuting antichristian power alluded to in particular, may be utterly and finally destroyed, in the day when the glorious angel shall proclaim, , Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and Jesus shall complete the salvation of his faithful people, and put all their enemies and his for ever under their feet. Well may every faithful soul with eager expectation cry, Lord, how long?
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
Ver. 17. Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble ] The whole life of a good Christian is a holy desire, saith Austin. And the desires of the righteous shall be satisfied, Pro 10:24 , because they are framed by the Holy Spirit, according to the will of God, Rom 8:27 , and they bare the mind of Christ, 1Co 2:16 , who knoweth the mind of the Spirit, Rom 8:27 , though their desires be not uttered, Rom 8:26 .
Thou wilt prepare their heart
Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
heard. prepare. cause. Figure of speech Anabasis.
prepare = establish.
ear. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 10:17-18
Psa 10:17-18
“Jehovah, thou hast heard the desire of the meek:
Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear;
To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,
That man who is of the earth may be terrible no more.”
Looking beyond the ravages of lawless men and the sufferings of the poor and oppressed of earth, the Psalmist here promises the ultimate victory of the righteous. God indeed will judge the fatherless and the oppressed and righteousness and truth shall prevail.
“That man of the earth may be terrible no more.” Who is this terrible man of the earth? He is the carnal, unredeemed sinner, the typical son of rebellious Adam, for whom the primitive sentence still stands, “Thou shalt surely die.” Why does not God destroy him at once? The answer lies in the fact that God is still redeeming men from the posterity of Adam’s rebellious, sinful and doomed race; and as long as God’s true purpose in that redemption is being realized, we may not expect the ultimate Judgment and Destruction of Adam from the face of the earth to be executed. Our total ignorance of the true status of that progressive redemption is assurance enough that we can never know the day nor the hour of the Final Day.
As Delitzsch noted, “`The earth’ is not referred to in this passage as the material out of which man is formed.” The wicked is described as, “a man who is of the earth,” in the sense that the earth is the home of all his hopes and aspirations; heaven with its salvation and promise is no concern whatever of the wicked.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 10:17-18. David’s confidence in the goodness of God to the poor was indicated by his positive declaration that he would do so. We should therefore not regard this paragraph in the light of a dictation.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Lord: Psa 9:12, Psa 9:18, Psa 37:4, Psa 145:19, Pro 10:24
humble: 2Ch 33:12, 2Ch 33:13, 2Ch 34:27, Pro 15:8, Mat 5:3, Luk 18:13, Luk 18:14, Jam 4:6, Jam 4:10, 1Pe 5:5
thou wilt prepare: or, establish, Psa 112:7, Psa 112:8, 1Ch 29:18, 2Ch 29:36, 2Ch 30:12, Pro 16:1, Rom 8:26, Eph 2:18, Eph 3:12, Jam 1:16, Jam 1:17
cause: Psa 102:17, Isa 65:24, Act 4:24-31, Act 12:5-19, 1Pe 3:12
Reciprocal: Gen 18:30 – General Exo 22:23 – I will surely Num 21:3 – hearkened 2Sa 7:27 – found 1Ki 3:12 – I have done 1Ki 9:3 – I have heard 1Ch 17:25 – found 2Ch 7:12 – I have heard 2Ch 30:19 – prepareth Ezr 7:10 – prepared Job 5:15 – he saveth Psa 34:6 – This Psa 69:33 – the Lord Psa 71:2 – incline Psa 72:12 – For Psa 91:15 – He shall Psa 140:12 – the Lord Pro 11:23 – desire Ecc 5:8 – regardeth Jer 29:12 – General Eze 36:37 – I will yet Mat 7:7 – and it Mat 8:8 – I am Luk 1:17 – to make Luk 11:1 – teach Joh 4:10 – thou wouldest Jam 5:16 – The effectual 1Jo 3:22 – whatsoever
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A SYMPATHETIC GOD
Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the poor: Thou preparest their heart, and thine ear bearkeneth thereto; to help the fatberless and poor unto their right: that the man of the earth be no more eralted against them.
Psa 10:17-18 (Prayer Book Version)
The Psalter contains two main ideas: the defeat of Gods enemies, yet the suffering of Gods people.
I. When we sing the Psalms, we triumph in the Churchs exultation over the might of this world.(We find triumph expressed in Psalms 26, Psalms 47, Psalms 72, etc.)
II. Notice the other aspect of the Christian kingdom, which is much more frequently brought before us in the Psalms: the suffering, troublous state which in this world naturally befalls an empire so large, so aggressive, so engrossing, so stately and commanding, yet so destitute of weapons of earth. It provokes persecution at all times, both from its claims and from its weakness. (1) Thus, then, we cry out to God against our enemies (Psa 27:2-3; Psa 27:13, etc.). (2) We lay before Almighty God our desolations (Psa 44:12-13). (3) We complain of our captivity (Psa 14:7). (4) The Psalms say much concerning the poor and needy, and Gods protecting them against bad men (Psa 9:9-19). (5) The Psalms speak especially of the righteous being in trouble, plead for them, and wait for their deliverance (Psa 34:17, etc.).
III. Now here it is easy to make this objection: we are not in persecution; for us to use the language of the Psalms is unreal.But many answers may be made to this objection, (1) It is not necessary that all parts of the Church should be in persecution at once either to fulfil the Scripture statements or to justify the use of the Psalms. If we are members of the body of Christ we must feel for the rest, in whatever part of the world they are, when they are persecuted, and must remember them in our prayers. (2) In spite of her prosperity for the moment, even in this country the Church of Christ is in peril. Is there no battle between the Church and the world in this country, and no malevolence, scorn, unbelief, calumny, no materials of open persecution, though persecution, through Gods mercy, as yet be away? (3) If we are not altogether in a position to use the words of the Psalter, is it not possible that so far we really do lack a note of the Church? Is there not a fear lest the world be friends with us because we are friends with the world? Let us but put off the love of the world, and follow the precepts of our Lord and His apostles, and then see in a little while where we should all find ourselves, and what would be the condition of the Church.
Illustrations
(1) This psalm is treated by the LXX. as a continuation of the last, both being given together as one psalm. One fundamental difference between the two psalms, or two parts of one psalm (if we so take it), is that the enemies of Psalms 9. are heathen, or those outside the Kingdom of God, whereas in Psalms 10. apostates and persecutors of his own nation, under the name of the wicked stand in the foreground.
(2) Remember that before you ever felt it, others have realised the anguish of being apparently left to the mercy of such when God seems to stand afar off and hide Himself, and when there appears no hope of escape; but remember that God has seen it. All the mischief and spite, all the pride and godlessness, are beheld, and will be taken in hand. No helpless soul can commit itself to God without finding Him a very present help; no meek soul will breathe its desire, but that He will cause His ear to hear. The Lord is King for ever and ever.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Psa 10:17-18. Thou hast heard the desire of the humble And, therefore, wilt still hear it, being unchangeable, and the same for ever. Thou wilt prepare their heart By kindling therein holy desires by thy Holy Spirit, strengthening their faith, collecting their thoughts, and raising their affections to things above, that they may so pray as that thou wilt hear: or, that they may be made fit to receive the mercies they desire, which, when they are, they shall have their prayers answered. Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear In due time, though, for a season, thou seemest to turn a deaf ear to their requests. To judge the fatherless, &c. That is, to defend them, and give sentence for them against their enemies. That the man of the earth Earthly and mortal men, who, though great and powerful, are of no better origin than those whom they oppress, but are made of the dust, and must return to it; may no more oppress Which they have wickedly done, and thereby have presumed, most audaciously, to contend with thee their Maker and Judge. Therefore it is time for thee to suppress such insolence, and to show how unable they are to stand before thee.