7 His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.
8 He lies in wait near the villages. From ambushes, he murders the innocent. His eyes are secretly set against the helpless.
9 He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless when he draws him in his net.
10 The helpless are crushed. They collapse. They fall under his strength.
KJVKing James Version
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
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JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.
8 He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages; in secret places doth he slay the innocent; his eyes are on the watch for the helpless.
9 He lieth in wait in a secret place as a lion in his lair, he lieth in wait to catch the poor; he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him up in his net.
10 He croucheth, he boweth down, and the helpless fall into his mighty claws.
Psalms 17:12(v9)He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
Psalms 7:14(v7)Behold, he travails with iniquity. Yes, he has conceived mischief, and brought out falsehood.
1 Samuel 18:21-26(v10)Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul…
Psalms 59:3(v9)For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin,…
Habakkuk 3:14(vv8–9)You pierced the heads of his warriors with their own spears. They came as a whirlwind to scatter me, gloating as if to devour the wretched…
Show all 66 cross-references
1 Samuel 23:21-22(v10)Saul said, “You are blessed by Yahweh; for you have had compassion on me. Please go make yet more sure, and know and see his place where…
Psalms 140:9(v7)As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
Micah 7:2(v9)The godly man has perished out of the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his…
1 Samuel 2:36(v10)It will happen that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will…
1 Samuel 22:18(v8)The king said to Doeg, “Turn and attack the priests!” Doeg the Edomite turned, and he attacked the priests, and he killed on that day…
2 Samuel 15:5(v10)It was so, that when any man came near to bow down to him, he stretched out his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him.
Job 20:12(v7)“Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue,
Psalms 35:10(v9)All my bones shall say, “Yahweh, who is like you, who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him; yes, the poor and the needy…
Psalms 36:3(v7)The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
Psalms 52:4(v7)You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue.
Psalms 59:12(v7)For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride, for the curses and lies which they utter.
Psalms 64:3(v7)who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words,
Psalms 73:8(v7)They scoff and speak with malice. In arrogance, they threaten oppression.
Psalms 140:3(v7)They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper’s poison is under their lips.
Psalms 144:11(v7)Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hands of foreigners, whose mouths speak deceit, whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
Jeremiah 9:3(v7)“They bend their tongue, as their bow, for falsehood. They have grown strong in the land, but not for truth; for they proceed from evil to…
Jeremiah 22:17(v8)But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, for oppression, and for doing violence.”
James 3:6-8(v7)And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course…
1 Samuel 23:23(v8)See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides himself, and come again to me with certainty, and I will go with…
2 Kings 21:16(v8)Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; in addition to his sin with which…
Job 5:15-16(v9)But he saves from the sword of their mouth, even the needy from the hand of the mighty. So the poor has hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.
Job 15:35(v7)They conceive mischief, and produce iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit.”
Psalms 5:9(v7)For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their heart is destruction. Their throat is an open tomb. They flatter with their tongue.
Psalms 12:2(v7)Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.
Psalms 12:5(v9)“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says Yahweh; “I will set him in safety…
Psalms 17:11(v8)They have now surrounded us in our steps. They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.
Psalms 41:6(v7)If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood. His heart gathers iniquity to itself. When he goes abroad, he tells it.
Psalms 55:21(v7)His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
Psalms 58:3(v7)The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
Psalms 62:4(v7)They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place. They delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly.
Psalms 94:6(v8)They kill the widow and the alien, and murder the fatherless.
Psalms 140:5(v9)The proud have hidden a snare for me, they have spread the cords of a net by the path. They have set traps for me.
Psalms 144:8(v7)whose mouths speak deceit, whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
Proverbs 1:11-12(v8)If they say, “Come with us. Let’s lay in wait for blood. Let’s lurk secretly for the innocent without cause. Let’s swallow them up alive…
Proverbs 6:12-13(v8)A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth, who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who…
Proverbs 14:31(v9)He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for his Maker, but he who is kind to the needy honors him.
Proverbs 21:6(v7)Getting treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.
Proverbs 22:16(v9)Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty.
Proverbs 28:15(v9)As a roaring lion or a charging bear, so is a wicked ruler over helpless people.
Proverbs 30:8(v7)Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me,
Isaiah 3:15(v9)What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor?” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.
Isaiah 32:7(v9)The ways of the scoundrel are evil. He devises wicked plans to destroy the humble with lying words, even when the needy speaks right.
Isaiah 59:4(v7)No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth. They trust in vanity, and speak lies. They conceive mischief, and give birth to…
Jeremiah 9:6(v7)Your habitation is in the middle of deceit. Through deceit, they refuse to know me,” says Yahweh.
Lamentations 3:10(v9)He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
Ezekiel 22:29(v9)The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery. Yes, they have troubled the poor and needy, and have oppressed the…
Amos 2:6-7(v9)Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have sold the righteous…
Amos 3:4(v9)Will a lion roar in the thicket, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
Amos 5:11-12(v9)Therefore, because you trample on the poor, and take taxes from him of wheat: You have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in…
Nahum 2:11-12(v9)Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion’s cubs, and no one…
Zechariah 11:3(v9)A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! For their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! For the pride of the Jordan…
Matthew 12:34(v7)You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Luke 8:1(v8)Soon afterwards, he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of God’s Kingdom. With him were the twelve,
John 10:12(v9)He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches…
Romans 3:13-14(v7)“Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit.” “The poison of vipers is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full…
Psalms 37:14(v9)The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright on the path.
Jeremiah 5:26(v9)For wicked men are found among my people. They watch, as fowlers lie in wait. They set a trap. They catch men.
Ezekiel 19:3-6(v9)She brought up one of her cubs. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men. The nations also heard of him. He…
Habakkuk 1:15(v9)He takes up all of them with the hook. He catches them in his net, and gathers them in his dragnet. Therefore he rejoices and is glad.
Luke 10:1(v8)Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place where he…
Acts 23:21(v9)Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor…
66 distinct cross-references across this passage (67 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
John Calvin1540 · Public DomainOn vv7–107. His mouth is full of cursing. The scope…
7. His mouth is full of cursing. The scope of these four verses is this: If God intends to succor his servants, it is now a proper time for doing so, inasmuch as the lawlessness of the ungodly has burst forth to the utmost possible excess. In the first place, he complains that their tongues are full of perjuries and deceits, and that they carry or hide mischief and wrongs, it being impossible to have any dealings with them in any matter without loss and damage. The word אלה, alah, which some render cursing, does not signify the execrations which they throw out against others, but rather those which they call down upon their own heads: for they do not scruple to utter the most awful imprecations against themselves, that thereby they may the better succeed in deceiving others. It is, therefore, not improperly rendered by some, perjury, for this word ought to be joined to the other two, deceit and malice. Thus the wicked are described as cursing or swearing falsely, so far as it contributes to forward their purposes of deceiving and doing injury. Hence follow mischief and injustice, because it is impossible for the simple, without suffering detriment, to escape their snares, which are woven of deceits, perjuries, and malice.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv8, 10He showeth that the wicked have many means to…
He showeth that the wicked have many means to hide their cruelty, and therefore ought more to be feared.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv7–10Psa 10:7 His mouth is full of cursing and…
Psa 10:7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue [is] mischief and vanity.
Ver. 7. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit] Such cursing men are cursed men; and for such slippery and deceitful persons the Lord is the avenger of all such, 1Th 4:8.
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Under his tongue is mischief] That is, in his heart, which is by nature placed beneath the tongue, making its use of it for much mischief, Mat 12:34 Jas 3:8. The word Toch, here rendered fraud, signifieth, properly, the middle of anything, Quoniam fraus in medio cordis est, saith R. David, because fraud is in the middle of the heart, and therehence sent into the mouth.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv7–10Of cursing; either,
Of cursing; either,
1. Of oaths and blasphemies against God. Or,
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2. Of reviling and execration of other men, especially those that are good; or those that stand in his way, and hinder his wicked designs. Or rather,
3. Of oaths and imprecations against himself, of which this word is used, Num 5:21; Deu 29:12,21; Ne 10:29; by which he endeavours to gain credit, and to make his neighbours secure, and so to make way for the
deceit and fraud which here follows. For this wretched man is represented both here, and in the succeeding verses, as one that doth not act with open violence and hostility, but with subtle and secret artifices, using all cunning insinuations, and flatteries, and lies, and, among others, oaths, of which an atheistical politician said, that men were to be deceived with oaths, and children with rattles or toys.
Deceit and fraud; two words signifying the same thing, to note the greatness and frequency of his deceits. Or one word may signify the deceit lurking in his heart, and the other the manifestation of it in external frauds and stratagems.
Under his tongue; either,
1. In his heart, which is under the tongue. Or rather,
2. Under his fair and plausible speeches the
mischief here following is hid and covered. Withal he seems to allude to serpents, whose poison lies hidden under the tongue or within their teeth.
Mischief and vanity; or rather, iniquity, as this word is oft rendered, or injury, the vexation or oppression of other men, which he covers with these fair pretences.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv7–10His mouth is full of cursing,.... Or, "he has…
His mouth is full of cursing,.... Or, "he has filled his mouth with cursing" (e) God and good men, his superiors, himself and others. The word signifies "an oath"; and may design either a profane oath, taking the name of God in vain; or an oath on a civil account, a false oath, taken with a design to defraud and deceive others, as follows, and intends perjury; and this, as applicable to antichrist, regards his mouth speaking great things and blasphemies against God, and uttering curses and anathemas against the saints, Rev 13:5;
and deceit and fraud; such as flattery and lying, which are both used by him with an intention to impose upon and deceive. The apostle, in Rom 3:14; renders both these words by one, "bitterness"; which may be said of sin in general, which is a very bitter thing; though it is rolled as a sweet morsel in the mouth of a wicked man, yet in the issue it is bitterness to him: and it is applicable to sinful words, which are bitter in their effects to those against whom they are spoken, or who are deceived and imposed upon by them: and, as they refer to antichrist, may have respect to the lies in hypocrisy spoken by him, and to the deceitfulness of unrighteousness, by which he works upon those that perish, Ti1 4:2;
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under his tongue is mischief and vanity; alluding to serpents, who have little bags of poison under their teeth; see Psa 140:3; Kimchi and Ben Melech observe, that the heart is under the tongue, being lower than it, and so denotes the wickedness which that is full of, and devises continually, and is latent in it until discovered; and is mischievous iniquity, injurious to God, and the honour of his law, and to fellow creatures; and especially to the saints, whose persons, characters, and estates, are aimed at; but in the issue it is all vanity, and a fruitless attempt, being blasted by God, and overruled for good to him; see Isa 54:17;
(e) .
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv7, 8, 10Tongue - Under his fair and plausible speeches, mischief…
Tongue - Under his fair and plausible speeches, mischief is hid and covered. Vanity - Or, injury, the vexation or oppression of other men.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv7, 8, 10Verse 7. His mouth is full of cursing, and…
Verse 7. His mouth is full of cursing, and deceit, and fraud] What a finished character! A blasphemer, a deceitful man, and a knave!
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv7, 8, 10Psa 10:7. His mouth is full of cursing —…
Psa 10:7. His mouth is full of cursing — Of oaths and blasphemies against God; of reviling and execration of other men, especially of those that are good, and those that stand in his way, and hinder his wicked designs; and, perhaps, also of oaths and imprecations against himself, by which he endeavours to gain credit, and to make his neighbours secure, and so to make way for the deceit and fraud here next mentioned. He sticks at nothing that may serve his ends: for he makes no conscience of calling for one curse after another upon himself to confirm those promises which he never intends to keep, or to swear that which he knows is false, that by these impious means he may deceive those who rely on his word or oath. Under his tongue — Under his fair and plausible speeches; is mischief — Mischievous wickedness lies hid, and vanity, or iniquity, as the word און, aven, is often rendered, or injury; the vexation or oppression of other men, which he covers with these fair pretences.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv7–10His mouth is full of cursing - Profaneness; blasphemy…
His mouth is full of cursing - Profaneness; blasphemy against God. In the former verse the writer had described the feelings of the “heart;” he now proceeds to specify the open acts of the wicked. The meaning is, that the wicked man, as here described, was one who was full of imprecation, swearing, execration; a “profane” man; a man who, whatever was his belief about God, would constantly call upon his name, and imprecate his wrath on himself or others. An atheist, strange as it may seem, is as likely to make a frequent use of the name of God, and to call upon Him, as other people; just as profane people, who have no belief in the Saviour, swear by Jesus Christ. This passage seems to be referred to by the apostle Paul in Rom 3:14, not as a direct quotation, as if the psalmist referred to the point which he was arguing, but as language which expressed the idea that the apostle wished to convey. See the note at that passage.
And deceit - Margin, as in Hebrew, “deceits.” The meaning is, that he was false and treacherous; and perhaps also that his treachery and fraud were accompanied with the solemn sanction of an oath, or an appeal to God, as is likely to be the case among fraudulent and dishonest people.
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And fraud - The word used here - תך tôk - is now commonly supposed to mean rather “oppression or violence.” See Gesenius’ Lexicon. When this is attributed to his mouth, it means that what he says - what he requires - what he commands, is unjust, unreasonable, and oppressive.
Under his tongue - Perhaps alluding to the serpent, whose poison is concealed at the root of the fang or tooth, and therefore under the tongue. The meaning is, that beneath what the wicked say, though it seems to be harmless, as the tongue of the serpent does, yet there lies mischief and iniquity, as the poison is hidden beneath the serpent’s tongue.
Is mischief - The word used here means properly labor, toil; then trouble, vexation, sorrow. The meaning here seems to be that there lies under the tongue that which gives or causes distress; to wit, wrong-doing; injustice to others.
And vanity - Margin, iniquity. This expresses the idea in the original word. Whatever he says is evil, and is fitted to produce trouble and sorrow, as the concealed poison in the mouth of the serpent causes pain and death.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv7, 8, 10The malignity and deceit (Psa 140:3) of such are…
The malignity and deceit (Psa 140:3) of such are followed by acts combining cunning, fraud, and violence (compare Pro 1:11, Pro 1:18), aptly illustrated by the habits of the lion, and of hunters taking their prey. "Poor," in Psa 10:8, Psa 10:10, Psa 10:14, represents a word peculiar to this Psalm, meaning the sad or sorrowful; in Psa 10:9, as usual, it means the pious or meek sufferer.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv7–107. Cursing… deceit… fraud—The word “cursing” may be rendered…
7. Cursing… deceit… fraud—The word “cursing” may be rendered false swearing, as in Hos_10:4; connected with lying, (Hos_4:2, Psa_59:12,) or execration, invoking a curse upon others; or it may mean an oath with a curse or imprecation added to sanction the statement, as in Num_5:21-22. The first seems to be the true sense. “Deceit,” Hebrew, deceits; the plural for intensity. This applies to the external false show and promise of his words. “Fraud;” the internal guile, the falsity of his intentions.
Under his tongue—Words under the tongue are words concealed, as yet unspoken, but ready for an occasion. Some suppose an allusion is here made to the poison sac of the serpent, which lies at the root of the fang tooth. See Job_20:12-13.
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Mischief and vanity—Literally, labour and iniquity, as if he were in restless toil of secreting and fashioning wicked and deceitful words.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv7–107. His sins of tongue; cursing,—which may include both…
7. His sins of tongue; cursing,—which may include both malicious imprecation (Job_31:30, R.V.) and perjury (Psa_59:12 : Hos_4:2): deceits, the plural, as in Psa_38:12, expressing their abundance and variety: oppression (Psa_55:11, Psa_72:14), which he advocates, or abets by false witness (Psa_27:12, Psa_35:11; Exo_23:1).
Under his tongue, ready for immediate use, is a store of mischief and iniquity (Psa_7:14). This is the usual interpretation; but it seems strange to regard ‘under the tongue’ as synonymous with ‘upon the tongue,’ and the use of the phrase in Job_20:12 suggests another explanation. Wickedness is there spoken of as a delicious morsel which is kept in the mouth to be enjoyed. (See Prof. Davidson’s note.) And similarly here the mention of the mouth as the organ of speech leads up to the thought of the tongue as the organ of taste. Mischief and iniquity are thoroughly to the wicked man’s taste. Cp. Pro_19:28, which speaks of iniquity as the wicked man’s favourite food: and Job_15:16.
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The first half of the verse (according to the LXX) is woven by St Paul into his description of human corruption in Rom_3:14.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv7–10(7) Cursing and deceit.—From the connection of cursing with…
(7) Cursing and deceit.—From the connection of cursing with deceit (comp. Hos_4:2, “swearing and lying “), we must understand perjury.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv7–10His mouth is full of cursing. (On the prevalence…
His mouth is full of cursing. (On the prevalence of this evil habit among the powerful in David"s time, see Psa_59:12 Psa_109:17, 18 2Sa_16:5) And deceit and fraud; or, guile and extortion (Kay); comp. Psa_36:3 Psa_55:11. Under his tongue is mischief and vanity; rather, as in the margin, mischief and iniquity. These are stored "under his tongue," ready for utterance whenever he finds a fit occasion.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon1885 · Public DomainOn vv7–10Ver. 7. Let us now hear the witnesses in…
Ver. 7. Let us now hear the witnesses in court. Let the wretch speak for himself, for out of his own mouth he will be condemned.
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud. There is not only a little evil there, but his mouth is full of it. A three headed serpent hath stowed away its coils and venom within the den of its black mouth. There is
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cursing which he spits against both God and men,
deceit with which he entraps the unwary, and
fraud by which, even in his common dealings, he robs his neighbours. Beware of such a man: have no sort of dealing with him: none but the silliest of geese would go to the fox's sermon, and none but the most foolish will put themselves into the society of knaves. But we must proceed. Let us look under this man's tongue as well as in his mouth;
under his tongue is mischief and vanity. Deep in his throat are the unborn words which shall come forth as mischief and iniquity.
Ver. 7. Under his tongue is mischief and vanity. The striking allusion of this expression is to certain venomous reptiles, which are said to carry bags of poison under their teeth, and, with great subtlety to inflict the most deadly injuries upon those who come within their reach. How affectingly does this represent the sad havoc which minds tainted with infidelity inflict on the community! By their perversions of truth, and by their immoral sentiments and practices, they are as injurious to the mind as the deadliest poison can be to the body. John Morison.
Ver. 7. Cursing men are cursed men. John Trapp.
Ver. 7,9. In Anne Askew's account of her examination by Bishop Bonner, we have an instance of the cruel craft of persecutors: "On the morrow after, my lord of London sent for me at one of the clock, his hour being appointed at three. And as I came before him, he said he was very sorry of my trouble, and desired to know my opinion in such matters as were laid against me. He required me also boldly in any wise to utter the secrets of my heart; bidding me not to fear in any point, for whatsoever I did say within his house, no man should hurt me for it. I answered, `For so much as your lordship hath appointed three of the clock, and my friends shall not come till that hour, I desire you to pardon me of giving answer till they come.'"Upon this Bale remarks: "`In this preventing of the hour may the diligent perceive the greediness of this Babylon bishop, or bloodthirsty wolf, concerning his prey. `Swift are their feet, 'saith David, `in the effusion of innocent blood, which have fraud in their tongues, venom in their lips, and most cruel vengeance in their mouths.' David much marvels in the spirit that, taking upon them the spiritual governance of the people, they can fall into such frenzy or forgetfulness of themselves, as to believe it lawful thus to oppress the faithful, and to devour them with as little compassion as he that greedily devoureth a piece of bread. If such have read anything of God, they have little minded their true duty therein. `More swift, 'saith Jeremy, `are our cruel persecutors than the eagles of the air. They follow upon us over the mountains, and lay privy wait for us in the wilderness.' He that will know the crafty hawking of bishops to bring in their prey, let them learn it here. Judas, I think, had never the tenth part of their cunning workmanship.'" John Bale, D.D., Bishop of Ossory, 1495-1563, in "Examination of Anne Askew." Parker Society's Publications.
None.
Ver. 7,9. See Psalms on "Ps 10:7" for further information.
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn v7His mouth is full of cursing.
Psa_10:7-18
His mouth is full of cursing.
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Black arts
A missionary from Polynesia brought home a soul trap. It was a series of rings twisted in cocoanut fibre. If a native should commit a great offence, or offend a sorcerer, he proceeds to make a new ring in his chain, so as to form a trap to catch the poor mans spirit. Soon the sorcerer asserts that the soul of the culprit, assuming this form, has passed into the trap. It is immediately known throughout the tribe that a certain man has lost his soul. As a matter of fact, it invariably happens that the soulless man shortly afterwards dies, of course through sheer mental distress at having had his soul thus entrapped. We smile at such traps, but we are all familiar with soul traps of a far more subtle and dangerous character. In the verses before us the Psalmist vividly pictures the crafty schemes of the wicked in order to entrap their victims. They seek by most subtle arts to entangle and destroy.
I. It is thus that selfish men set wraps for the young and inexperienced. With lies and enticements the covetous seek to entrap and destroy the young. Soul traps for the young! How numerous they are! How cleverly contrived! The utmost artifice and plausibility. How successful they are (Psa_10:10). Crouching down as low as possible, he lies on the watch, and the feeble and defenceless fall into his strong ones, i.e. claws.--Delitzsch. How many thus fall! Our cities are full of fallen young men and women. We have thousands of heartless men in society answering to the vile robber pictured in these verses. For the sake of gain they set traps in which the health, honour, happiness, soul of the youthful perish. The whole civilised world was shocked the other day by the discovery that, by means of an infernal machine, a villain sent ships and their crews to the bottom of the sea for the sake of the insurance money; but thousands of atheistical, covetous men, for the sake of gain, are ingeniously seeking to sink the souls of the people in the gulf of hell.
II. It is thus that the world contrives traps for the godly. The world does not like the godly, and in various subtle methods it seeks to worst them.
1. It has traps for their reputation. His mouth is full of perjury and deceit. He sets a net of cunningly devised speech, that he may be able to bring their good name into discredit.
2. It has traps for their fortune. It will privily seek to damage their circumstances. It will adroitly circulate reports, frame laws, to bring them into financial trouble.
3. It has traps for their character. They know the natural weaknesses of a Christian, and they bait their hook, set their net, accordingly. He is short tempered, and they contrive to put in his way occasions of auger; he is given to levity, and they provoke his mirth; he has strong appetites, and they put drink to his lips; he is feeble in faith, and they press him with scepticisms. The world hates the righteous, and when it cannot injure them openly it will secretly. The devil is a wily destroyer, and his children imitate his tactics and seek to murder the innocent.
III. It is thus that Satan sets traps for us all. He is the great bandit pictured in the text; he is the great sorcerer whose soul traps beset us at every turn. What a clever fowler is he! what a politic huntsman! what a subtle angler! The devil hides himself, he disguises his movements, and in an evil hour men are drawn into the net. Here he betrays by pleasure. Bates tells us of a spider in South America which looks like a blossom, and insects alighting on it for sweetness find death. So the great foe, under the aspect of pleasure, betrays thousands. Here he betrays by honour. One of the Roman emperors used to fish with a net of purple and gold; the devil has used this net largely and taken great prey. And by many other devices does he destroy the unwary. Beware! Beware of those soul traps made of flowers, called pleasure; of those purple-lined ones called greatness; of those gay-painted ones called fashion; of those scientific ones called philosophy; of those jewelled ones called honour; of those golden ones called wealth; of those most plausible ones called morality. Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. The devil will lie, fawn, flatter, and do this patiently for years to ruin us.
1. Let the innocent put their trust in God, and walk circumspectly. The afflicted committeth himself unto Thee; Thou art the helper of the fatherless (Psa_10:14). Alas for us if we attempt to stand in our own strength, and take our defence into our own hands! He that takes himself out of Gods hands into his own, by and by will not know what to do with himself.--Whichcote. And in our darkest hours of temptation and trial we may have the fullest, assurance that God has not forgotten us. The wicked say, God will never see it (Psa_10:11). But the Psalmist replies, Thou hast seen it; for Thou beholdest mischief and spite to requite it with Thy hand (Psa_10:14). The Psalmist means to say, so far from the assertion of the wicked man being true, that God is forgetful of the poor, He is, on the contrary, observant of their trouble and vexation; and in order not to forget their calamities He places a memorial of them on His hands (Isa_49:26).
2. Let the wicked be assured that Gods eye is upon them, and that justice must overtake them (Psa_10:15). Because the Lord continues to spare them, therefore they go on to provoke Him. As He adds to their lives, so they add to their lusts. Because justice seems to wink, men suppose her blind; because she delays punishment, they imagine she denies to punish them; because she does not always reprove them for their sins, they suppose she always approves of their sins. But let such know that the silent arrow can destroy as well as the roaring cannon. Though the patience of God be lasting, yet it is not everlasting.--Spurgeon. (W. L. Watkinson.)
Oppression
turns princes into roaring lions, and judges into ravening wolves. It is an unnatural sin, against the light of nature. No creatures do oppress them of their own kind. Look upon the birds of prey as upon eagles, vultures, hawks, and you shall never find them preying upon their own kind. Look upon the beasts of the forest as upon the lion, the tiger, the wolf, the bear, and you shall ever find them favourable to their own kind; and yet men unnaturally prey upon one another, like the fish in the sea, the great swallowing up the small. (Thomas Brooks.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v8He waits in ambush
He waits in ambush
The word "he" refers to the wicked man.
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his eyes look for some helpless victim
The eyes represent him. AT: "he looks for some helpless victim" (See: Synecdoche)
He lurks in secret like a lion in the thicket
This speaks of the wicked person as if he were a lion. AT: "He hides while he waits for the weak to walk near him, the same way a lion quietly waits in the bush for the animal it wants to attack" (See: Simile)
lurks
This means to hide or wait with intent to harm or kill.
he lies in wait
"lies down waiting" or "he hides and waits"
He catches the oppressed when he pulls in his net
The writer speaks of the wicked person catching people as if he were a hunter using a net to catch animals. AT: "He catches the oppressed like a hunter that catches an animal in a net and drags it away" (See: Metaphor)
they fall into his strong nets
The writer continues to speak of the wicked person catching people as if he were a hunter, his plans were nets, and the people were animals that fall into his net. AT: "his victims are caught by his plans like animals that fall into a hunter's strong nets" (See: Metaphor)
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv7–10 7. His mouth is full of cursing. The scope…
7. His mouth is full of cursing. The scope of these four verses is this: If God intends to succor his servants, it is now a proper time for doing so, inasmuch as the lawlessness of the ungodly has burst forth to the utmost possible excess. In the first place, he complains that their tongues are full of perjuries and deceits, and that they carry or hide mischief and wrongs, it being impossible to have any dealings with them in any matter without loss and damage. The word אלה, alah, which some render cursing, does not signify the execrations which they throw out against others, but rather those which they call down upon their own heads: for they do not scruple to utter the most awful imprecations against themselves, that thereby they may the better succeed in deceiving others. It is, therefore, not improperly rendered by some, perjury, for this word ought to be joined to the other two, deceit and malice. Thus the wicked are described as cursing or swearing falsely, so far as it contributes to forward their purposes of deceiving and doing injury. Hence follow mischief and injustice, because it is impossible for the simple, without suffering detriment, to escape their snares, which are woven of deceits, perjuries, and malice.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv8, 10 He showeth that the wicked have many means to…
He showeth that the wicked have many means to hide their cruelty, and therefore ought more to be feared.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv7–10 Psa 10:7 His mouth is full of cursing and…
Psa 10:7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue [is] mischief and vanity.
Ver. 7. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit] Such cursing men are cursed men; and for such slippery and deceitful persons the Lord is the avenger of all such, 1Th 4:8.
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Under his tongue is mischief] That is, in his heart, which is by nature placed beneath the tongue, making its use of it for much mischief, Mat 12:34 Jas 3:8. The word Toch, here rendered fraud, signifieth, properly, the middle of anything, Quoniam fraus in medio cordis est, saith R. David, because fraud is in the middle of the heart, and therehence sent into the mouth.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv7–10 Of cursing; either,
Of cursing; either,
1. Of oaths and blasphemies against God. Or,
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2. Of reviling and execration of other men, especially those that are good; or those that stand in his way, and hinder his wicked designs. Or rather,
3. Of oaths and imprecations against himself, of which this word is used, Num 5:21; Deu 29:12,21; Ne 10:29; by which he endeavours to gain credit, and to make his neighbours secure, and so to make way for the
deceit and fraud which here follows. For this wretched man is represented both here, and in the succeeding verses, as one that doth not act with open violence and hostility, but with subtle and secret artifices, using all cunning insinuations, and flatteries, and lies, and, among others, oaths, of which an atheistical politician said, that men were to be deceived with oaths, and children with rattles or toys.
Deceit and fraud; two words signifying the same thing, to note the greatness and frequency of his deceits. Or one word may signify the deceit lurking in his heart, and the other the manifestation of it in external frauds and stratagems.
Under his tongue; either,
1. In his heart, which is under the tongue. Or rather,
2. Under his fair and plausible speeches the
mischief here following is hid and covered. Withal he seems to allude to serpents, whose poison lies hidden under the tongue or within their teeth.
Mischief and vanity; or rather, iniquity, as this word is oft rendered, or injury, the vexation or oppression of other men, which he covers with these fair pretences.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv7–10 His mouth is full of cursing,.... Or, "he has…
His mouth is full of cursing,.... Or, "he has filled his mouth with cursing" (e) God and good men, his superiors, himself and others. The word signifies "an oath"; and may design either a profane oath, taking the name of God in vain; or an oath on a civil account, a false oath, taken with a design to defraud and deceive others, as follows, and intends perjury; and this, as applicable to antichrist, regards his mouth speaking great things and blasphemies against God, and uttering curses and anathemas against the saints, Rev 13:5;
and deceit and fraud; such as flattery and lying, which are both used by him with an intention to impose upon and deceive. The apostle, in Rom 3:14; renders both these words by one, "bitterness"; which may be said of sin in general, which is a very bitter thing; though it is rolled as a sweet morsel in the mouth of a wicked man, yet in the issue it is bitterness to him: and it is applicable to sinful words, which are bitter in their effects to those against whom they are spoken, or who are deceived and imposed upon by them: and, as they refer to antichrist, may have respect to the lies in hypocrisy spoken by him, and to the deceitfulness of unrighteousness, by which he works upon those that perish, Ti1 4:2;
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under his tongue is mischief and vanity; alluding to serpents, who have little bags of poison under their teeth; see Psa 140:3; Kimchi and Ben Melech observe, that the heart is under the tongue, being lower than it, and so denotes the wickedness which that is full of, and devises continually, and is latent in it until discovered; and is mischievous iniquity, injurious to God, and the honour of his law, and to fellow creatures; and especially to the saints, whose persons, characters, and estates, are aimed at; but in the issue it is all vanity, and a fruitless attempt, being blasted by God, and overruled for good to him; see Isa 54:17;
(e) .
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 10 Tongue - Under his fair and plausible speeches, mischief…
Tongue - Under his fair and plausible speeches, mischief is hid and covered. Vanity - Or, injury, the vexation or oppression of other men.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 10 Verse 7. His mouth is full of cursing, and…
Verse 7. His mouth is full of cursing, and deceit, and fraud] What a finished character! A blasphemer, a deceitful man, and a knave!
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Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 10 Psa 10:7. His mouth is full of cursing —…
Psa 10:7. His mouth is full of cursing — Of oaths and blasphemies against God; of reviling and execration of other men, especially of those that are good, and those that stand in his way, and hinder his wicked designs; and, perhaps, also of oaths and imprecations against himself, by which he endeavours to gain credit, and to make his neighbours secure, and so to make way for the deceit and fraud here next mentioned. He sticks at nothing that may serve his ends: for he makes no conscience of calling for one curse after another upon himself to confirm those promises which he never intends to keep, or to swear that which he knows is false, that by these impious means he may deceive those who rely on his word or oath. Under his tongue — Under his fair and plausible speeches; is mischief — Mischievous wickedness lies hid, and vanity, or iniquity, as the word און, aven, is often rendered, or injury; the vexation or oppression of other men, which he covers with these fair pretences.
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Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv7–10 His mouth is full of cursing - Profaneness; blasphemy…
His mouth is full of cursing - Profaneness; blasphemy against God. In the former verse the writer had described the feelings of the “heart;” he now proceeds to specify the open acts of the wicked. The meaning is, that the wicked man, as here described, was one who was full of imprecation, swearing, execration; a “profane” man; a man who, whatever was his belief about God, would constantly call upon his name, and imprecate his wrath on himself or others. An atheist, strange as it may seem, is as likely to make a frequent use of the name of God, and to call upon Him, as other people; just as profane people, who have no belief in the Saviour, swear by Jesus Christ. This passage seems to be referred to by the apostle Paul in Rom 3:14, not as a direct quotation, as if the psalmist referred to the point which he was arguing, but as language which expressed the idea that the apostle wished to convey. See the note at that passage.
And deceit - Margin, as in Hebrew, “deceits.” The meaning is, that he was false and treacherous; and perhaps also that his treachery and fraud were accompanied with the solemn sanction of an oath, or an appeal to God, as is likely to be the case among fraudulent and dishonest people.
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And fraud - The word used here - תך tôk - is now commonly supposed to mean rather “oppression or violence.” See Gesenius’ Lexicon. When this is attributed to his mouth, it means that what he says - what he requires - what he commands, is unjust, unreasonable, and oppressive.
Under his tongue - Perhaps alluding to the serpent, whose poison is concealed at the root of the fang or tooth, and therefore under the tongue. The meaning is, that beneath what the wicked say, though it seems to be harmless, as the tongue of the serpent does, yet there lies mischief and iniquity, as the poison is hidden beneath the serpent’s tongue.
Is mischief - The word used here means properly labor, toil; then trouble, vexation, sorrow. The meaning here seems to be that there lies under the tongue that which gives or causes distress; to wit, wrong-doing; injustice to others.
And vanity - Margin, iniquity. This expresses the idea in the original word. Whatever he says is evil, and is fitted to produce trouble and sorrow, as the concealed poison in the mouth of the serpent causes pain and death.
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Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv7, 8, 10 The malignity and deceit (Psa 140:3) of such are…
The malignity and deceit (Psa 140:3) of such are followed by acts combining cunning, fraud, and violence (compare Pro 1:11, Pro 1:18), aptly illustrated by the habits of the lion, and of hunters taking their prey. "Poor," in Psa 10:8, Psa 10:10, Psa 10:14, represents a word peculiar to this Psalm, meaning the sad or sorrowful; in Psa 10:9, as usual, it means the pious or meek sufferer.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv7–10 7. Cursing… deceit… fraud—The word “cursing” may be rendered…
7. Cursing… deceit… fraud—The word “cursing” may be rendered false swearing, as in Hos_10:4; connected with lying, (Hos_4:2, Psa_59:12,) or execration, invoking a curse upon others; or it may mean an oath with a curse or imprecation added to sanction the statement, as in Num_5:21-22. The first seems to be the true sense. “Deceit,” Hebrew, deceits; the plural for intensity. This applies to the external false show and promise of his words. “Fraud;” the internal guile, the falsity of his intentions.
Under his tongue—Words under the tongue are words concealed, as yet unspoken, but ready for an occasion. Some suppose an allusion is here made to the poison sac of the serpent, which lies at the root of the fang tooth. See Job_20:12-13.
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Mischief and vanity—Literally, labour and iniquity, as if he were in restless toil of secreting and fashioning wicked and deceitful words.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv7–10 7. His sins of tongue; cursing,—which may include both…
7. His sins of tongue; cursing,—which may include both malicious imprecation (Job_31:30, R.V.) and perjury (Psa_59:12 : Hos_4:2): deceits, the plural, as in Psa_38:12, expressing their abundance and variety: oppression (Psa_55:11, Psa_72:14), which he advocates, or abets by false witness (Psa_27:12, Psa_35:11; Exo_23:1).
Under his tongue, ready for immediate use, is a store of mischief and iniquity (Psa_7:14). This is the usual interpretation; but it seems strange to regard ‘under the tongue’ as synonymous with ‘upon the tongue,’ and the use of the phrase in Job_20:12 suggests another explanation. Wickedness is there spoken of as a delicious morsel which is kept in the mouth to be enjoyed. (See Prof. Davidson’s note.) And similarly here the mention of the mouth as the organ of speech leads up to the thought of the tongue as the organ of taste. Mischief and iniquity are thoroughly to the wicked man’s taste. Cp. Pro_19:28, which speaks of iniquity as the wicked man’s favourite food: and Job_15:16.
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The first half of the verse (according to the LXX) is woven by St Paul into his description of human corruption in Rom_3:14.
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Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv7–10 (7) Cursing and deceit.—From the connection of cursing with…
(7) Cursing and deceit.—From the connection of cursing with deceit (comp. Hos_4:2, “swearing and lying “), we must understand perjury.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv7–10 His mouth is full of cursing. (On the prevalence…
His mouth is full of cursing. (On the prevalence of this evil habit among the powerful in David"s time, see Psa_59:12 Psa_109:17, 18 2Sa_16:5) And deceit and fraud; or, guile and extortion (Kay); comp. Psa_36:3 Psa_55:11. Under his tongue is mischief and vanity; rather, as in the margin, mischief and iniquity. These are stored "under his tongue," ready for utterance whenever he finds a fit occasion.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv7–10 Ver. 7. Let us now hear the witnesses in…
Ver. 7. Let us now hear the witnesses in court. Let the wretch speak for himself, for out of his own mouth he will be condemned.
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud. There is not only a little evil there, but his mouth is full of it. A three headed serpent hath stowed away its coils and venom within the den of its black mouth. There is
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cursing which he spits against both God and men,
deceit with which he entraps the unwary, and
fraud by which, even in his common dealings, he robs his neighbours. Beware of such a man: have no sort of dealing with him: none but the silliest of geese would go to the fox's sermon, and none but the most foolish will put themselves into the society of knaves. But we must proceed. Let us look under this man's tongue as well as in his mouth;
under his tongue is mischief and vanity. Deep in his throat are the unborn words which shall come forth as mischief and iniquity.
Ver. 7. Under his tongue is mischief and vanity. The striking allusion of this expression is to certain venomous reptiles, which are said to carry bags of poison under their teeth, and, with great subtlety to inflict the most deadly injuries upon those who come within their reach. How affectingly does this represent the sad havoc which minds tainted with infidelity inflict on the community! By their perversions of truth, and by their immoral sentiments and practices, they are as injurious to the mind as the deadliest poison can be to the body. John Morison.
Ver. 7. Cursing men are cursed men. John Trapp.
Ver. 7,9. In Anne Askew's account of her examination by Bishop Bonner, we have an instance of the cruel craft of persecutors: "On the morrow after, my lord of London sent for me at one of the clock, his hour being appointed at three. And as I came before him, he said he was very sorry of my trouble, and desired to know my opinion in such matters as were laid against me. He required me also boldly in any wise to utter the secrets of my heart; bidding me not to fear in any point, for whatsoever I did say within his house, no man should hurt me for it. I answered, `For so much as your lordship hath appointed three of the clock, and my friends shall not come till that hour, I desire you to pardon me of giving answer till they come.'"Upon this Bale remarks: "`In this preventing of the hour may the diligent perceive the greediness of this Babylon bishop, or bloodthirsty wolf, concerning his prey. `Swift are their feet, 'saith David, `in the effusion of innocent blood, which have fraud in their tongues, venom in their lips, and most cruel vengeance in their mouths.' David much marvels in the spirit that, taking upon them the spiritual governance of the people, they can fall into such frenzy or forgetfulness of themselves, as to believe it lawful thus to oppress the faithful, and to devour them with as little compassion as he that greedily devoureth a piece of bread. If such have read anything of God, they have little minded their true duty therein. `More swift, 'saith Jeremy, `are our cruel persecutors than the eagles of the air. They follow upon us over the mountains, and lay privy wait for us in the wilderness.' He that will know the crafty hawking of bishops to bring in their prey, let them learn it here. Judas, I think, had never the tenth part of their cunning workmanship.'" John Bale, D.D., Bishop of Ossory, 1495-1563, in "Examination of Anne Askew." Parker Society's Publications.
None.
Ver. 7,9. See Psalms on "Ps 10:7" for further information.
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v7 His mouth is full of cursing.
Psa_10:7-18
His mouth is full of cursing.
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Black arts
A missionary from Polynesia brought home a soul trap. It was a series of rings twisted in cocoanut fibre. If a native should commit a great offence, or offend a sorcerer, he proceeds to make a new ring in his chain, so as to form a trap to catch the poor mans spirit. Soon the sorcerer asserts that the soul of the culprit, assuming this form, has passed into the trap. It is immediately known throughout the tribe that a certain man has lost his soul. As a matter of fact, it invariably happens that the soulless man shortly afterwards dies, of course through sheer mental distress at having had his soul thus entrapped. We smile at such traps, but we are all familiar with soul traps of a far more subtle and dangerous character. In the verses before us the Psalmist vividly pictures the crafty schemes of the wicked in order to entrap their victims. They seek by most subtle arts to entangle and destroy.
I. It is thus that selfish men set wraps for the young and inexperienced. With lies and enticements the covetous seek to entrap and destroy the young. Soul traps for the young! How numerous they are! How cleverly contrived! The utmost artifice and plausibility. How successful they are (Psa_10:10). Crouching down as low as possible, he lies on the watch, and the feeble and defenceless fall into his strong ones, i.e. claws.--Delitzsch. How many thus fall! Our cities are full of fallen young men and women. We have thousands of heartless men in society answering to the vile robber pictured in these verses. For the sake of gain they set traps in which the health, honour, happiness, soul of the youthful perish. The whole civilised world was shocked the other day by the discovery that, by means of an infernal machine, a villain sent ships and their crews to the bottom of the sea for the sake of the insurance money; but thousands of atheistical, covetous men, for the sake of gain, are ingeniously seeking to sink the souls of the people in the gulf of hell.
II. It is thus that the world contrives traps for the godly. The world does not like the godly, and in various subtle methods it seeks to worst them.
1. It has traps for their reputation. His mouth is full of perjury and deceit. He sets a net of cunningly devised speech, that he may be able to bring their good name into discredit.
2. It has traps for their fortune. It will privily seek to damage their circumstances. It will adroitly circulate reports, frame laws, to bring them into financial trouble.
3. It has traps for their character. They know the natural weaknesses of a Christian, and they bait their hook, set their net, accordingly. He is short tempered, and they contrive to put in his way occasions of auger; he is given to levity, and they provoke his mirth; he has strong appetites, and they put drink to his lips; he is feeble in faith, and they press him with scepticisms. The world hates the righteous, and when it cannot injure them openly it will secretly. The devil is a wily destroyer, and his children imitate his tactics and seek to murder the innocent.
III. It is thus that Satan sets traps for us all. He is the great bandit pictured in the text; he is the great sorcerer whose soul traps beset us at every turn. What a clever fowler is he! what a politic huntsman! what a subtle angler! The devil hides himself, he disguises his movements, and in an evil hour men are drawn into the net. Here he betrays by pleasure. Bates tells us of a spider in South America which looks like a blossom, and insects alighting on it for sweetness find death. So the great foe, under the aspect of pleasure, betrays thousands. Here he betrays by honour. One of the Roman emperors used to fish with a net of purple and gold; the devil has used this net largely and taken great prey. And by many other devices does he destroy the unwary. Beware! Beware of those soul traps made of flowers, called pleasure; of those purple-lined ones called greatness; of those gay-painted ones called fashion; of those scientific ones called philosophy; of those jewelled ones called honour; of those golden ones called wealth; of those most plausible ones called morality. Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. The devil will lie, fawn, flatter, and do this patiently for years to ruin us.
1. Let the innocent put their trust in God, and walk circumspectly. The afflicted committeth himself unto Thee; Thou art the helper of the fatherless (Psa_10:14). Alas for us if we attempt to stand in our own strength, and take our defence into our own hands! He that takes himself out of Gods hands into his own, by and by will not know what to do with himself.--Whichcote. And in our darkest hours of temptation and trial we may have the fullest, assurance that God has not forgotten us. The wicked say, God will never see it (Psa_10:11). But the Psalmist replies, Thou hast seen it; for Thou beholdest mischief and spite to requite it with Thy hand (Psa_10:14). The Psalmist means to say, so far from the assertion of the wicked man being true, that God is forgetful of the poor, He is, on the contrary, observant of their trouble and vexation; and in order not to forget their calamities He places a memorial of them on His hands (Isa_49:26).
2. Let the wicked be assured that Gods eye is upon them, and that justice must overtake them (Psa_10:15). Because the Lord continues to spare them, therefore they go on to provoke Him. As He adds to their lives, so they add to their lusts. Because justice seems to wink, men suppose her blind; because she delays punishment, they imagine she denies to punish them; because she does not always reprove them for their sins, they suppose she always approves of their sins. But let such know that the silent arrow can destroy as well as the roaring cannon. Though the patience of God be lasting, yet it is not everlasting.--Spurgeon. (W. L. Watkinson.)
Oppression
turns princes into roaring lions, and judges into ravening wolves. It is an unnatural sin, against the light of nature. No creatures do oppress them of their own kind. Look upon the birds of prey as upon eagles, vultures, hawks, and you shall never find them preying upon their own kind. Look upon the beasts of the forest as upon the lion, the tiger, the wolf, the bear, and you shall ever find them favourable to their own kind; and yet men unnaturally prey upon one another, like the fish in the sea, the great swallowing up the small. (Thomas Brooks.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v8 He waits in ambush
He waits in ambush
The word "he" refers to the wicked man.
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his eyes look for some helpless victim
The eyes represent him. AT: "he looks for some helpless victim" (See: Synecdoche)
He lurks in secret like a lion in the thicket
This speaks of the wicked person as if he were a lion. AT: "He hides while he waits for the weak to walk near him, the same way a lion quietly waits in the bush for the animal it wants to attack" (See: Simile)
lurks
This means to hide or wait with intent to harm or kill.
he lies in wait
"lies down waiting" or "he hides and waits"
He catches the oppressed when he pulls in his net
The writer speaks of the wicked person catching people as if he were a hunter using a net to catch animals. AT: "He catches the oppressed like a hunter that catches an animal in a net and drags it away" (See: Metaphor)
they fall into his strong nets
The writer continues to speak of the wicked person catching people as if he were a hunter, his plans were nets, and the people were animals that fall into his net. AT: "his victims are caught by his plans like animals that fall into a hunter's strong nets" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
innocent
lions
oppress
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v8 10:8 The wicked rely on outright violence (11:5; 37:32)…
10:8 The wicked rely on outright violence (11:5; 37:32) and deception (Prov 12:6; 23:27-28).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.