Mazmur 10:3

10:3 Yes, ¹  the wicked man ²  boasts because he gets what he wants; ³ 

the one who robs others ⁴  curses ⁵  and ⁶  rejects the Lord. ⁷ 

Mazmur 10:8-9

10:8 He waits in ambush near the villages; ⁸ 

in hidden places he kills the innocent.

His eyes look for some unfortunate victim. ⁹ 

10:9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; ¹⁰ 

he lies in ambush, waiting to catch ¹¹  the oppressed;

he catches the oppressed ¹²  by pulling in his net. ¹³ 

Mazmur 10:16-17

10:16 The Lord rules forever! ¹⁴ 

The nations are driven out of his land. ¹⁵ 

10:17 Lord, you have heard ¹⁶  the request ¹⁷  of the oppressed;

you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 115:1

Psalm 115 ¹⁹ 

115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us!

But to your name bring honor, ²⁰ 

for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness. ²¹ 

Mazmur 147:18

147:18 He then orders it all to melt; ²² 

he breathes on it, ²³  and the water flows.

[10:3]  ¹ tn The translation assumes כִּי (ki) is asseverative: “indeed, certainly.” Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 3 as giving the reason why the wicked so arrogantly seek to destroy the helpless (so NASB, NRSV).

[10:3]  ² tn The representative or typical evildoer is described in vv. 3-11, 13, 15. Since the singular form predominates in these verses, it has been retained in the translation.

[10:3]  ³ tn Heb “the wicked [one] boasts on account of the desire of his appetite.” The translation assumes that the preposition עַל (’al) introduces the reason why the wicked boasts (cf. this use of עַל with הָלַל (halal) in Ps 119:164 and Ezra 3:11). In this case, the “desire of his appetite” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired.

[10:3]  ⁴ tn The translation assumes the active participle is substantival, referring to the wicked man mentioned in the preceding line. The substantival participle is then understood as the subject of the following verbs. For other examples of the participle of בָּצַע (batsar) used of those who desire and/or acquire wealth through dishonest and/or violent means, see Prov 1:19; 15:27; Jer 6:13; 8:10; Hab 2:9.

[10:3]  ⁵ tn The verb בָּרַךְ (barakh) normally means “to bless,” but in a few cases it exhibits the polarized meaning “to curse” (1 Kgs 21:10, 13; Job 1:5-11; 2:5-9). (Some regard this use of בָּרַךְ as a mere euphemism.) The verb refers to the act of pronouncing or calling down a formal curse upon the object of one’s anger.

[10:3]  ⁶ tn The conjunction “and” is supplied in the translation; it does not appear in the Hebrew text.

[10:3]  ⁷ tn Another option is to translate, “he blesses one who robs others, [but] he curses the Lord.” In this case the subject of the verbs is “the wicked man” mentioned in the previous line, and “the one who robs others” is the object of the verb בָּרַךְ (barakh), which is understood in its usual sense of “bless.”

[10:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “he sits in the ambush of the villages.”

[10:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “his eyes for an unfortunate person lie hidden.” The language may picture a lion (see v. 9) peering out from its hiding place in anticipation that an unsuspecting victim will soon come strolling along.

[10:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “in its den.”

[10:9]  ¹¹ tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.

[10:9]  ¹² tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.

[10:9]  ¹³ tn Or “when he [i.e., the wicked man] pulls in his net.”

[10:9]  sn The background of the imagery is hunting, where the hunter uses a net to entrap an unsuspecting bird or wild animal.

[10:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the Lord is king forever and ever.”

[10:16]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the nations perish from his land.” The perfect verb form may express what is typical or it may express rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude that God’s deliverance is “as good as done.”

[10:16]  sn The nations may be the underlying reality behind the psalmist’s references to the “wicked” in the earlier verses. This reference to the nations may have motivated the combining of Ps 10 with Ps 9 (see Ps 9:5, 15, 19).

[10:17]  ¹⁶ sn You have heard. The psalmist is confident that God has responded positively to his earlier petitions for divine intervention. The psalmist apparently prayed the words of vv. 16-18 after the reception of an oracle of deliverance (given in response to the confident petition of vv. 12-15) or after the Lord actually delivered him from his enemies.

[10:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “desire.”

[10:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “you make firm their heart, you cause your ear to listen.”

[115:1]  ¹⁹ sn Psalm 115. The psalmist affirms that Israel’s God is superior to pagan idols and urges Israel to place their confidence in him.

[115:1]  ²⁰ tn Or “give glory.”

[115:1]  ²¹ sn The psalmist asks the Lord to demonstrate his loyal love and faithfulness, not simply so Israel may benefit, but primarily so that the Lord will receive honor among the nations, who will recognize, contrary to their present view (see v. 2), that Israel’s God is committed to his people.

[147:18]  ²² tn Heb “he sends his word and melts them.”

[147:18]  ²³ tn Heb “he blows his breath.”