Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 10:3
For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, [whom] the LORD abhorreth.
3. A difficult verse. Boasteth of his heart’s desire may mean either, makes shameless boast of his selfish greed without any pretence at concealment: or, boasts that he obtains all that he desires, and that, as the next clause shews, without troubling himself about God. This clause may be rendered;
and in his rapacity renounceth, yea contemneth Jehovah.
The verb rendered bless in A.V. means also to bid farewell to, to renounce (Job 1:5; Job 2:9, &c.; R.V.). Covetous is an inadequate rendering for a word which means to appropriate by violence or injustice. The wicked man’s lawless plundering of the poor is a virtual renunciation of Jehovah; nay more, it indicates positive contempt for Him ( Psa 10:13; Isa 1:4; Isa 5:14).
Another rendering however deserves consideration:
For the wicked singeth praise over his own soul’s lust:
And in his rapacity blesseth, (but) contemneth Jehovah.
He gives thanks for his prosperity, and like the shepherds of Zec 11:5, blesses God, though his conduct is really the grossest contempt for Him.
Grammatically possible, but far less forcible, is the rendering of R.V. marg., blesseth the covetous, but contemneth &c.: and Psa 10:13, which combines 3 b and 4 a, is decisive against the rendering of A.V., whom the Lord abhorreth.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
3 11. The Psalmist justifies his complaint by a description of the reckless character (3 6) and the ruthless conduct (7 11) of the wicked man, and he traces them to their source in his virtual atheism. The alphabetic structure disappears in this section.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For the wicked boasteth of his hearts desire – Margin, as in Hebrew, souls. The main idea in this verse seems to be that he is a boaster – a man who makes some proclamation about himself as being superior to others, and who, in that proportion, looks with disdain or contempt on others. He vaunts himself, or makes an ostentatious display of something on which he prides himself, as wealth, strength, beauty, talent, prowess, etc. The particular thing here, it would seem, of which he boasted was his natural inclinations; the propensities and passions of his soul; that is, he took pride in himself, in his own passions, desires, lusts, tastes, and made a boastful display of them, as if he regarded them as something honorable, or as something fitted to excite admiration in others. This is not a very uncommon characteristic of wicked men; at least it is found in a certain class of wicked men. They pride themselves in whatever they have in their character that is special, or that is their own, for the very reason that it is theirs; and they become so shameless that they do not hesitate publicly to boast of that which should be regarded as a disgrace. A certain class of younq men are very apt to boast of passions and practices which should cover their faces with the burning blush of shame.
And blesseth the covetous – Margin, the covetous blesseth himself, he abhorreth the Lord. Prof. Alexander renders this, And winning (that is, when he wins) blesses, despises Jehovah. In other words, he hypocritically thanks God for his success, but despises him in his heart. This probably expresses the correct idea. The word rendered the covetous – botse – is a participle, from the verb – batsa, to cut in pieces; then, to plunder, to spoil; and then, to be greedy after gain. Here, the natural construction would seem to be to refer it not to another, as one who was covetous, but to himself, as greedy, or as succeeding in the object of his desire; as referring to the fact that he obtained his hearts desire, and as showing what his feelings were then. He was filled with evil desires, and was so shameless of them that he openly avowed them; and when he obtained the object of his wishes, he did what is here denoted by the word bless – as will be explained directly.
The idea in the mind of the writer seems to be that he cherished the desire, and made no secret of it, and obtained the object of his wishes. The natural explanation of the manner in which he did this is, that it was by plunder, rapine, or spoil, for this would be most literally expressed by the word used. Compare Pro 1:19; Pro 15:27; Jer 6:13; Jer 8:10; Eze 22:12. It might be, however, by unjust gains, or dishonest dealing, 1Sa 8:3; Isa 33:15; Isa 57:17. The word bless here may mean, as in the margin, blesses himself; or, as Prof. Alexander supposes, may mean that he blesses the Lord, that is, renders hypocritical thanks for his success, and professes to acknowledge that all is the gift of God, while at the same time he expresses contempt for him, and despises him in his heart. If the usual meaning of the word bless is to be retained, however, it would seem to be most in accordance with the spirit of the passage that he should bless himself, that is, his own talents, skill, power; in other words, that he should attribute all his success to himself.
The idea does not seem to be that he was even professedly a religious man, but that he was a proud and vain boaster who attributed all success to himself, and despised God and his claims. It has been supposed by some, however, and with plausibility (DeWette, and others), that the word rendered bless here – berek – as in Job 1:5, Job 1:11; Job 2:9, means, not to bless, but to curse. See the notes at Job 1:5. DeWette renders it, Der Rauber lastert schmahend Jehovah. This seems to me to be the true idea – that this braggart or braggadocio did not make any pretensions to religion, but was a profane man, and one who despised God and abhorred His cause.
Whom the Load abhorreth – Or, more correctly, despises, or abhors the Lord. That is, he makes shameless boast of his own corrupt and base passions; when he is successful he makes no acknowledgment to God, but Curses him and despises or contemns him in his heart. A correct rendering then of the whole would be, And having obtained, he curses – he despises Jehovah. Coverdale renders this, The covetous blesseth himself, and blasphemeth the Lord. We have thus an example of lost finished and shameless depravity – but alas! One that was not found in the time of David only.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. Boasteth of his heart’s desire] Boasts among his fellows how often he has gratified such and such passions, in such and such circumstances. This shows the excess of a depraved and imbruted spirit. He who can boast of his iniquity, is in the broad road to perdition. Should such a one repent and turn to God, it would be equal to any miracle.
Blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.] Or, he blesseth the covetous, he abhorreth the Lord. Those who are like himself he commends, and with them he associates; and they abhor the Lord-they have a mortal hatred against every thing that is holy; and they are under the full influence of that carnal mind which is enmity to the Lord.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Boasteth, or glorieth, or praiseth, or pleaseth himself.
Of his hearts desire; or, in, or concerning, or because of the desire, or concupiscence, or lust of his heart, or soul; which word is added to note the vehemency and fervency of it. He glorieth in his very lusts, which are his shame, Phi 3:19, and especially in the satisfaction of his desires, how wickedly soever he gets it.
Desire is oft put for the thing desired, as Psa 21:2; 78:29,30.
And blesseth the covetous; and as he applaudeth himself, so he commends others that are greedy after and get abundance of gain, though it be done by fraud and violence, accounting such the only happy men. Or, the covetous (the same with the wicked enlarging his desire, as was now said) blesseth, or applaudeth, or flattereth himself in what he hath already gotten, and in the confident expectation of the continuance and increase of his worldly wealth and glory.
Whom the Lord abhorreth; so his judgment as well as practice is contrary to Gods. Or rather, without any supplement, as it is in the margin, he abhorreth, or despiseth, or provoketh the Lord. He sets himself not only against men, but against God himself, as he declareth more fully in the next verse.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. heart’sor, “soul’s.”
desirethat is, hissuccess in evil.
and blesseth, &c.he(the wicked) blesseth the covetous, he despiseth the Lord.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire,…. As antichrist does of his universal power over all bishops and princes, which his heart was long desiring after; of his being Christ’s vicar, Peter’s successor, and head of the church; and of having power in heaven, earth, and hell: he boasts of his wealth and riches, of the righteousness and merits of saints, of works of supererogation, a stock of which he pretends to have in his hands to dispense to others: he boasts of his own holiness and infallibility, and of miracles, signs, and lying wonders done by his creatures, and of his great success in destroying those that oppose him; see Re 18:7. The words may be rendered, “the wicked praiseth himself for the desire of his heart” u, so the Chaldee paraphrase; to which agrees Jarchi’s gloss,
“wicked Esau praiseth himself, because he hath obtained the desire of his soul:”
and thus it is usual for proud, haughty, wicked men, as the Assyrian monarch, Nebuchadnezzar, and so the man of sin, to ascribe whatsoever they have or do to their own power and prudence; see Isa 10:12 Da 4:30. Or they may be rendered, “he praiseth the wicked for his heart’s desire” w; or for his lusts, for his indulging them: for a wicked man not only delights in committing sin himself, but he also takes pleasure in those that do it; and some of the antichristian party have even wrote in commendation of the most unnatural lusts;
and blesseth the covetous, [whom] the Lord abhorreth: the covetous man is one that makes no use of what he has but for himself; and oftentimes withholds that which is meet from himself, as well as from others; and who makes use of unlawful ways to get, retain, and increase wealth, and is never satisfied: such an one God abhors, because he is an idolater, he has other gods before him; he worships his gold, be sets his affection on it, places his confidence in it, and expects protection and security from it, to a neglect of divine Providence; and yet the wicked man blesses him, calls his covetousness frugality and good husbandry; ascribes what he has to his diligence, care, and industry, and bestows gifts upon him. The words may be rendered, “the covetous man blesses himself” x; with the good things he has laid up for many years; he pronounces himself blessed, and promises himself a great deal of happiness, in futurity; and ascribes all he has to his own hands. Or, “the covetous man curses, he abhors the Lord” y; for the same word in the Hebrew language signifies to bless and curse, Job 1:5, which Aben Ezra on the place observes; and it is applicable enough to antichrist, who opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven; see Re 13:6.
u “nam laudat improbus animam suam in desiderio ipsius”, Junius Tremellius so Michaelis. w “Quoniam laudat ipsium pro desiderio animi sui”, Tigurine version. x “et avarus benedicit sibi”, Piscator; so Ainsworth. y “Avarus maledicit sive blasphemat Jehovam”, Tarnovius, Hammond; so some in Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prominent features of the situation are supported by a detailed description. The praett. express those features of their character that have become a matter of actual experience. , to praise aloud, generally with the accus., is here used with of the thing which calls forth praise. Far from hiding the shameful desire or passion (Psa 112:10) of his soul, he makes it an object and ground of high and sounding praise, imagining himself to be above all restraint human or divine. Hupfeld translates wrongly: “and he blesses the plunderer, he blasphemes Jahve.” But the who persecutes the godly, is himself a a covetous or rapacious person; for such is the designation (elsewhere with Pro 1:19, or Hab 2:9) not merely of one who “cuts off” (Arab. bd ), i.e., obtains unjust gain, by trading, but also by plunder, . The verb (here in connection with Mugrash, as in Num 23:20 with Tiphcha ) never directly signifies maledicere in biblical Hebrew as it does in the alter Talmudic (whence blasphemy , B. Sanhedrin 56a, and frequently), but to take leave of any one with a benediction, and then to bid farewell, to dismiss, to decline and abandon generally, Job 1:5, and frequently (cf. the word remercier, abdanken; and the phrase “ das Zeitliche segnen ” = to depart this life). The declaration without a conjunction is climactic, like Isa 1:4; Amo 4:5; Jer 15:7. , properly to prick, sting, is sued of utter rejection by word and deed.
(Note: Pasek stands between and , because to blaspheme God is a terrible thought and not to be spoken of without hesitancy, cf. the Pasek in Psa 74:18; Psa 89:52; Isa 37:24 (2Ki 19:23).)
In Psa 10:4, “the evil-doer according to his haughtiness” (cf. Pro 16:18) is nom. absol., and (contrary to the accentuation) is virtually the predicate to . This word, which denotes the intrigues of the ungodly, in Psa 10:2, has in this verse, the general meaning: thoughts (from , Arab. zmm , to join, combine), but not without being easily associated with the secondary idea of that which is subtly devised. The whole texture of his thoughts is, i.e., proceeds from and tends towards the thought, that he (viz., Jahve, whom he does not like to name) will punish with nothing ( the strongest form of subjective negation), that in fact there is no God at all. This second follows from the first; for to deny the existence of a living, acting, all-punishing (in one word: a personal) God, is equivalent to denying the existence of any real and true God whatever (Ewald).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
3. For the ungodly praiseth himself. This verse is variously explained. Literally the reading is, For praiseth the wicked or ungodly; and it is therefore necessary to supply some word, but what word is disputed. (196) Some translate the words, ungodly and violent man, in the accusative case, thus: He praiseth the ungodly, and blesseth the violent man; because they think it strange that after “praiseth” the sentence should end abruptly, without any thing being said of who or what was praised. But since it is quite common in Hebrew, when the agent and the subject are one and the same person, to express the word only once, while we repeat it in order to complete the sense, the interpretation which I have followed appears to me the most proper, namely, that the ungodly man praises himself, and boasts of the desire of his soul, and blesses himself. Now, it may be asked, What is this desire of soul? It is usually understood in this sense, (197) that the ungodly flatter and applaud themselves, while fortune smiles on them, and they obtain their wishes, and enjoy whatever they desire; just as David adds, a little after, that they abuse their prosperity, in attempting whatever comes into their fancy. But, in my opinion, desire of soul here denotes rather lust, and the intemperate gratification of passion and appetite; and thus the meaning is, that they indulge themselves with delight in their depraved desires, and, despising the judgment of God, fearlessly absolve themselves from all guilt, maintain their innocence, (198) and justify their impiety. Moses uses a similar form of expression in Deu 29:19,
“
I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart.”
David, indeed, says a little after, that the ungodly abuse their prosperity, by flattering themselves; but here, in my judgment, he expresses something more weighty, namely, that they acquire praise from their presumptuousness, and glory in their wickedness; and this foolish confidence, or bold assurance, is the cause of their throwing off all restraint and breaking forth into every kind of excess. Accordingly, I interpret the words praise and bless as having the same meaning, just as the words, ungodly and violent man, are synonymous in this place, although they differ from each other as genus and species. With these statements agrees what is immediately added in the end of the verse that these ungodly persons despise God. To translate the verb, to blaspheme, as has been done by some, or to provoke to anger, as has been done by others, is too remote from the scope of the passage. David rather teaches, that the cause of their careless indulgence in the gratification of their lusts, is their base contempt of God. He who duly reflects that God will be his judge is so much alarmed by this reflection, that he dares not bless his soul while his conscience accuses him of guilt and of being given to the practice of sin. (199)
(196) “ Il y a mot en mot, Car louis le meschant et il y faut, suppleer quelque petit mot: or, cela on y besongne diversement.” — Fr.
(197) “ On la repete pour patnaire le sense.” — Fr.
(198) “ Es s’osent bien absoudre et tenir pour innocens.” — Fr.
(199) “ Cependant qu’il se sent coulpable et adonne k mM faire.” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) Afar off.Comp. Psa. 22:1-2; Psa. 22:19; Psa. 35:22, &c
Hidest.Isa. 1:15 supplies the ellipsis, thine eyes, used of a judge bribed to wink at offence 1Sa. 12:3; comp. Lev. 20:4), of indifference to suffering (Pro. 28:27); LXX. and Vulg. to overlook.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
(3) For the wicked boasteth.Literally, for the wicked speaketh praise to the lust of his soul, which has been understood either as in the Authorised Version, prides himself upon his evil desires; or prides himself in or according to his sinful wish, as LXX., Vulg., Syriac, and Chaldee. The former of these follows most naturally on Psa. 10:2. His wiles, so successful in snaring his victim, are a cause of self-gratulation. The representation of the villain addressing his own evil passions in laudatory terms is highly poetic. So the rich fool in the parable congratulates his soul on his greed.
And blesseth.Rather, curseth by a common euphemism. (Comp. 1Ki. 21:23; Job. 1:5.)
The covetousproperly, robbermay either be subject or object, as also may Jehovah; or being a participle, may be adverbial (as Ewald). Hence we get, besides the Authorised Version and the margin, either, the robber curses (and) despises Jehovah, or, he greedily (literally, robbing) curses, despises Jehovah; the last makes a better echo to the first clause. The LXX. and Vulg. read, The wicked is praised; the sinner has irritated the Lord, getting the second subject from the next verse.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth Literally, he blesseth the covetous, and blasphemeth Jehovah. This preserves the antithesis. “Covetous,” here, is not only the man of evil desire, but the man that robs and commits violence to gratify it.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘For the unrighteous man boasts of his heart’s desire,
And the man who is greedy for gain renounces, yes, passes judgment on YHWH.
The wicked, in the pride of his demeanour, says, He will not require it.
All his thoughts are, There is no God.
His ways are fixed at all times;
Your judgments are far above out of his sight.
As for all his adversaries, he puffs at them.
He says in his heart, I will not be moved;
To all generations I will not be in adversity.
With deep insight the psalmist recognises that the behaviour of the unrighteous reveals their true attitude to God, whatever their outward protestations. What a man thinks in his heart, that is what he is (Pro 23:7). So here he sees these unrighteous men as actually stating by their behaviour that they take no heed to YHWH’s judgments, and do not believe that He will call them to account for their failure to observe them. In fact basically they are saying in their hearts, ‘There is no God’.
The arrogance of the modern day is vividly portrayed here. Boasting, greedy, ignoring God’s word, fixed in their own ways, closing their hearts against God’s requirements, puffing at those who contend with them, and declaring that nothing can stop them in their ways. It is God’s photograph of society. But in the final analysis they will be proved wrong, for in the end righteousness will triumph (Psa 10:15-18).
‘The unrighteous man boasts of his heart’s desire.’ Godless men set their hearts and thoughts on what they want, and not on what God wants, and openly boast about it. There is no submissiveness to God, but a determination to get what they want in any way they can. This is the competitive society with a vengeance, but the point is that they do it without regard for others, and without regard to God, except possibly by a passing reference as a sop to the godly.
‘And the man who is greedy for gain renounces, yes, passes judgment on YHWH.’ The deceitfulness of riches chokes the word and it becomes unfruitful (Mar 4:19). Those seized by a desire to possess and to be rich, or even ‘well off’, put God’s will to one side in their pursuit. The desire for gain and wealth possesses them. Thus in effect they renounce YHWH and His requirements, and the Instruction He has given man in His Law, and declare that God’s ways are wrong, and thrust Him away, and even pass judgment on Him and His ways, whatever the outward appearance of piety.
We can, however, equally translate as – ‘For the unrighteous praises his heart’s desire, and blesses the covetous whom YHWH despises.’ The basic idea is the same but brings out more their hypocrisy. They make out that evil is good, and that their greed is right. Compare Isa 5:20.
‘The wicked man, in the pride of his demeanour, says, “He will not require it.” All his thoughts are, “There is no God.” His ways are fixed at all times. Your judgments are far above out of his sight.’ Those who take little notice of God’s requirements are really declaring that they do not believe that He will call them to account. They are really saying that God is not there (Psa 14:1). So they are set in their own ways and blind to His judgments for He is in Heaven and they are on the earth. Thus His judgments are far above them and beyond them. For all practical purposes they are atheists. To them the idea of retribution is far away.
‘As for all his adversaries, he puffs (sniffs) at them. He says in his heart, I will not be moved. To all generations I will not be in adversity.’ His attitude towards God continues through into his attitude towards his fellow-man. He treats his competitors and opponents lightly and with a certain contempt. He is confident that he is so firmly established that he can cope with them and that nothing can halt his future plans, or the prosperity of his descendants. He has no fears at all for the future. The remainder of the Old Testament only reveals his folly.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Psa 10:3. The wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire For the wicked applaudeth himself upon the desire of his soul, and the greedy of gain blesseth himself. Mudge. Others read the latter clause, And the covetous blasphemeth, and contemneth the Lord.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, [whom] the LORD abhorreth.
Ver. 3. For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire] Though the soul of the wicked desire evil, Pro 21:10 , yet he glorieth in it, as did that thrasonical Lamech, Gen 4:23-24 , and that pyrgopolynices Nebuchadnezzar, Isa 10:9-12 Dan 4:30-31 . See Psa 52:1 Phi 3:19 . This the just and jealous God cannot bear, as neither that which followeth.
And blesseth the covetous
Whom the Lord abhorreth
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 10:3-4
3For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire,
And the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord.
4The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him.
All his thoughts are, There is no God.
Psa 10:3-4 This strophe further describes (1) pagans, (2) atheists, or at least (3) the practical atheism of the psalmist’s enemies (i.e., other Israelites).
1. curses the Lord but a few times in the sense of curse, (lit. bless, BDB 138, KB 159, Piel perfect, cf. 1Ki 21:10; 1Ki 21:13; Job 1:5; Job 2:9)
2. spurns the Lord BDB 610, KB 658, Piel perfect
3. does not seek the Lord BDB 205, KB 233, Qal imperfect
4. assumes there is no God no, BDB 34 II, God, BDB 43 (phrase has no verb), cf. Psa 10:5 a,11; Psa 14:1; Psa 53:1; this is not a philosophical issue but a practical issue. Everyone in the ANE believed in a spiritual realm. JPSOA translates the phrase as God does not care.
Psa 10:3 a The Fall of Genesis 3 has turned the heart of the creature away from the Creator and onto himself/herself. Our lives are spent seeking selfish things, positions, and power. Augustine put it well when he wrote about every human being created with a God-shaped hole. Nothing but God can fill that need but fallen humanity tries to fill it with temporal/earthly things.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
heart’s = soul’s. Hebrew. nephesh. .
blesseth, &c. One of the emendations of the Sopherim (see App-33). The primitive text of this line read, “the covetous man (or robber) blasphemeth, yea, abhorreth Jehovah”. Compare 1Ki 21:10, 1Ki 21:13. Job 1:5, Job 1:11; Job 2:5, Job 2:9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 10:3-4
Psa 10:3-4
“For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire,
And the covetous renounceth, yea, contemneth Jehovah.
The wicked in the pride of his countenance, saith, he will not require it.
All his thoughts are, There is no God.”
Note the recurrence of the word “pride” in Psa 10:4. The pride, conceit and stubbornness of man are vital elements of his unredeemed carnal nature, and the fountainhead of many of his troubles.
“The wicked boasteth.” These verses describe the character of the wicked oppressors, the thing cited here being the boastfulness of evil men. “He vaunts himself, or makes an ostentatious display of something upon which he prides himself, such as wealth, strength, beauty, talent, etc.
The second line is more understandable if the marginal rendition is followed, as follows: “He (the wicked) blesses the covetous, and revileth Jehovah.” His ideals are exactly the opposite of those found in the hearts of the righteous. An apostle has warned us that “covetousness is idolatry” (Col 3:5). Christ himself said that a man cannot serve God and Mammon; and any person whose god is money is a practical atheist.
His thoughts are, There is no God. The wicked man depicted here may not have been an avowed atheist, but he was a practical atheist. He ordered his life, planned all of his deeds, and laid out all of his objectives as if there was no God whatever. We should note that, “David does not here speak of the words, but of the innermost thoughts of the wicked, their practical or their half-conscious atheism.
There are many kinds of atheists: (1) There is the conceited fool who thinks he is an intellectual (Psa 14:1; Psa 53:1). (2) There is the proud but deceived sinner who has somehow adopted the falsehood that supposes atheism to have been derived from superior knowledge or learning. On the contrary atheism did not begin in a university, but in the vulgar, reprobate village of Nazareth. (See my dissertation on this in Vol. 1 of my New Testament Series, pp. 209-211, where there is noted that atheism is essentially: (1) unworthiness; (2) egotism; (3) mental laziness; (4) illogical; (5) moral cowardice; (6) the opiate of the people; and (7) a form of self-pity.)
(3) Another kind of atheist is one who acknowledges that there must indeed be a God, but who supposes him to be merely some kind of impersonal law, or vital force behind the whole creation; but as Delitzsch wrote, “But to deny the existence of a living, acting, all-punishing, in one word, a personal God, is equivalent to denying the existence of any real and true God whatever.
“Thoughts.” Kidner pointed out that the word here actually means “schemes.
Atheism is invariably the product, not of learning, nor of intelligence, nor of information, nor of any thought process whatever, but of wickedness. “God’s Word declares atheism to be the product of corruption.” Where is the scripture that states such a truth? Here it is, “Here is the condemnation that light has come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil” (Joh 3:19 KJV). This blunt reason behind all atheism does not cite super-knowledge, education, intelligence, or any special power of discernment as the cause of atheism, but simply wickedness. Atheism is invariably the product of a sinful heart.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 10:3. The desires of a wicked man would logically be favored by riches if improperly used. For that reason such a man would be friendly with an enterprise of covetousness. even though such would be abhorred by the Lord.
Psa 10:4. Countenance means the face in general, because that is the part of a man’s body where his thoughts are usually indicated. One of the most active emotions is pride and in order for a proud man to “save his face” in his wickedness, he will shun the presence of God.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
boasteth: Psa 35:21, Psa 49:6, Psa 52:1, Psa 73:8, Psa 73:9, Psa 94:4, Exo 15:9, Isa 10:7-11, Isa 37:23, Jam 4:13, Jam 4:16
heart’s: Heb. soul’s
and blesseth: etc. or, the covetous blesseth himself, he abhorreth the Lord, Psa 49:11-13, Psa 49:18, Deu 29:19, 1Sa 23:21, Job 31:24, Pro 28:4, Hos 12:7, Hos 12:8, Zec 11:5-8, Luk 12:19, Rom 1:29, Rom 1:32, 2Ti 3:2-4, 1Jo 2:15
whom: Isa 57:17, Jer 22:17, Mic 6:10-12, Hab 2:9, Mat 26:15, Mat 26:16, Luk 12:15, Luk 16:14, Luk 16:15, 1Co 6:10, Eph 5:5, Col 3:5, 1Ti 6:9, 1Ti 6:10
abhorreth: Psa 5:6, Lev 26:30, Deu 32:19
Reciprocal: Exo 20:17 – thy neighbour’s house Lev 11:29 – creeping things that creep Jdg 9:3 – spake Jdg 9:29 – would to God Jdg 17:2 – Blessed 1Sa 25:3 – was churlish 1Ki 20:25 – and surely 2Ki 5:20 – and take Psa 5:5 – thou Psa 11:5 – wicked Psa 36:2 – For he Psa 119:36 – and not to Pro 6:12 – walketh Zec 8:17 – things Mal 3:15 – we call Luk 18:24 – How Act 24:2 – Seeing Rom 1:30 – boasters 1Co 5:11 – or covetous 1Co 13:6 – Rejoiceth not Eph 5:3 – covetousness 1Th 1:5 – but 1Ti 6:17 – that they Heb 13:5 – conversation Jam 3:5 – so
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 10:3. The wicked boasteth himself of Hebrew, , hillel, glorieth, or, praiseth himself, upon, concerning, or, because of his hearts desire , naphsho taavath, the concupiscence, or, lust of his soul, which latter word is added to denote the vehemence and fervency of his desire. He glorieth in his very sins, which are his shame, and especially in the satisfaction of his desire, how wickedly soever he obtains it. And blesseth the covetous As he applaudeth himself, so he commends others that eagerly pursue and get abundance of gain, though it be by fraud and violence, accounting such the only happy men; whom the Lord abhorreth So his judgment, as well as practice, is contrary to God. But the latter part of this verse is differently rendered in some other versions, namely, The covetous blesseth himself in those things which the Lord abhorreth, namely, in his unjustly gotten riches. See also the margin.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
10:3 For the wicked {b} boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, [whom] the LORD abhorreth.
(b) The wicked man rejoices in his own lust he boasts when he has that he would; he brags of his wit and wealth and blesses himself and thus blasphemes the Lord.