Psalm 10 is the tenth psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?" In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it is not an individual psalm but the second part of psalm 9, "Ut quid Domine recessisti".[1] These two consecutive psalms have the form of a single acrostic Hebrew poem. Compared to Psalm 9, Psalm 10 is focused more on the individual than the collective human condition.[2]
The following table shows the Hebrew text[3][4] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
Hebrew text of Psalm 10:4-13a. Sēfer tehillîm published by Julius Otto: Hamburg 1614.
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.
Thou hast seen; for Thou beholdest trouble and vexation, to requite them with Thy hand; Unto Thee the helpless committeth himself; Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.
To right the fatherless and the oppressed, That man who is of the earth may be terrible no more.
King James Version
Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
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.
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.
He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.
Context
Psalm 8 reflects on man's special place in creation. In contrast, both psalms 9 and 10 will end with statements setting mankind in a more negative light in the final verses of each. Psalm 9 closes with the phase "Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men, selah" Psalm 9:20 [5] and Psalm 10:18 closes Psalm 10 with "...that the man of the earth may no more oppress."[6] Some speculate that the final word of Psalm 9, selah, possibly meaning "a pause",[7] might link the two psalms 9 and 10 together.[citation needed]
Taken together, Psalms 9 and 10 comprise a continuous acrostic psalm in the Hebrew alphabet. Some texts, such as the Septuagint, combine them. They also contrast as Psalm 9 is more victorious and 10 more of a lament.[citation needed]
According to the Rule of St. Benedict (530 AD), Psalm 1 to Psalm 20 were mainly reserved for the Office of Prime. Psalm 9 is sung in the Latin version translated from the GreekSeptuagint, and therefore includes Psalm 10, as noted above. Benedict had divided this Psalm 9/10 in two parts, one sung to the end of the Office of Prime Tuesday (Psalm 9: 1–19) and the other (Psalm 9: 20–21 and Psalm 10: 1–18) is the first of the three readings on Wednesday. In other words, the first verses of Psalm 9 until "Quoniam non in finem erit oblivio pauperis: patientia pauperum non peribit in finem," formed the third and final Prime Psalm from Tuesday, the second part of the Psalm (Vulgate according to his view) was recited as the first psalm of the Office of Prime Wednesday.[14][15]
Traditionally Psalms 9 and 10 were recited as the seventh Psalms of Sunday Matins.
Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 10 in German, "Wie meinst du's doch, ach Herr, mein Gott", SWV 106, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628.
