Psalm 10:17

LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Psalm 10:17-18. Thou hast heard the desire of the humble — And, therefore, wilt still hear it, being unchangeable, and the same for ever. Thou wilt prepare their heart — By kindling therein holy desires by thy Holy Spirit, strengthening their faith, collecting their thoughts, and raising their affections to things above, that they may so pray as that thou wilt hear: or, that they may be made fit to receive the mercies they desire, which, when they are, they shall have their prayers answered. Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear — In due time, though, for a season, thou seemest to turn a deaf ear to their requests. To judge the fatherless, &c. — That is, to defend them, and give sentence for them against their enemies. That the man of the earth — Earthly and mortal men, who, though great and powerful, are of no better origin than those whom they oppress, but are made of the dust, and must return to it; may no more oppress — Which they have wickedly done, and thereby have presumed, most audaciously, to contend with thee their Maker and Judge. Therefore it is time for thee to suppress such insolence, and to show how unable they are to stand before thee.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

10:12-18 The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto him for it. Let the poor, afflicted, persecuted, or tempted believer recollect, that Satan is the prince of this world, and that he is the father of all the ungodly. The children of God cannot expect kindness, truth, or justice from such persons as crucified the Lord of glory. But this once suffering Jesus, now reigns as King over all the earth, and of his dominion there shall be no end. Let us commit ourselves unto him, humbly trusting in his mercy. He will rescue the believer from every temptation, and break the arm of every wicked oppressor, and bruise Satan under our feet shortly. But in heaven alone will all sin and temptation be shut out, though in this life the believer has a foretaste of deliverance.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble - Their desire or their prayer that thou wouldst interpose in their behalf in the time of danger, and rescue them. Compare Psalm 6:8-9. The word "humble" here refers to those who were poor, downtrodden, oppressed; and the original reference is, doubtless, to the psalmist himself, and to his friends. He was so certain that God would interpose, he had such assurance that his prayer would he answered, that his mind was perfectly calm.

Thou will prepare their heart - Margin, "or, establish." The margin seems most accurately to express the meaning of the original word - תכין tākiyn. The idea is, that he would settle or confirm their heart; that is, that he would dispel their fears and allay their apprehensions by the assurances of his favor, and by his gracious interposition. They had been full of apprehension and alarm, but the assurances of the divine favor would establish their hearts and give them peace.

Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear - Another form of expressing assurance of the same thing. The idea is, that he would incline his ear, or make it attentive to the cry of his afflicted people.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

16-18. God reigns. The wicked, if for a time successful, shall be cut off. He hears and confirms the hearts of His suffering people (Ps 112:7), executes justice for the feeble, and represses the pride and violence of conceited, though frail, men (compare Ps 9:16).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Thou hast heard the desire of the humble; and therefore wilt still do it, being unchangeable and the same for ever.

Thou wilt prepare, or direct, or fit, by thy grace and good Spirit, either that they may so pray as thou wilt hear, or that they may be made fit to receive the mercies which they desire; which when they are, they shall have their prayers heard. Or, thou wilt confirm or stablish (as this verb is oft used) their heart, to bear their present pressures, and to wait upon and hope and trust in thee for deliverance, until thou seest fit to hear and help them:

Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear in due time, though for a season thou seemest to turn a deaf ear to them. But this and the foregoing verb may be taken as a prayer, future verbs being oft used imperatively; prepare or stablish their hearts, (by giving them support and assurance of help in the time of need, and then,) cause thine ear to hear.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble,.... See Psalm 10:12; for the coming of Christ's kingdom, and that the kingdoms of this world may become his; for the destruction of antichrist, and for the avenging the blood of the saints. The prayers of God's people sometimes lie in inward and secret desires of the soul, and are not expressed in words; and these desires are all before the Lord, and are well known unto him; yea, such prayers of the heart, and which come from it, are principally regarded by him; they being his own preparation, as is suggested in the next clause, and the breathings of his Spirit; and especially the desires of humble souls are regarded, whose prayers he never despises, nor sends them away empty, but fills with his good things;

thou wilt prepare their heart; for prayer, by pouring a spirit of grace and supplication on them, impressing their minds with a sense of things to be prayed for, and drawing out the desires of their souls unto them, and making intercession for them with groanings according to the will of God, and so helping their infirmities; and it is God's work to prepare the heart for prayer, as well as to put words into the mouth, Proverbs 16:1; or "thou wilt direct their heart" (n); to the object of prayer, himself, and to the things to be prayed for, for they know not what to pray for, nor how as they should; and to what may encourage to it, as the love of God, the covenant of grace, the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ: or "confirm" or "establish their heart" (o); strengthen and fix them, that they be not wavering and doubtful, but certain and assured of success, believing that their desires will be fulfilled in God's own time;

thou wilt cause thine ear to hear; God has an ear to hear the prayers of his people, nor is his ear heavy that it cannot hear; his ears are open to the cries of righteous ones; nor will he ever turn a deaf ear to them, but will give an answer in his own time and way; which is an instance of his sovereign grace and goodness. These words express the faith of the psalmist in God being a God hearing and answering prayer, particularly in things relating to the ruin of antichrist and his followers, and to the kingdom and glory of his son Jesus Christ.

(n) "dirigis", Vatablus; "diriges", Tigurine version. (o) "Confirmas", Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; "confirmes", Cocceius; "confirma", Junius & Tremellius.

Geneva Study Bible

LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

17. ‘The desire of the meek’ is contrasted with ‘the desire of the wicked’ (Psalm 10:3), which in spite of his boasting is doomed to end in disappointment (Psalm 112:10).

The second half of the verse may be taken as an explanatory parenthesis: thou didst prepare (or direct) their heart to pray (1 Samuel 7:3), thou didst cause thine ear to attend: or as expressing the further anticipation, thou wilt establish (encourage, comfort) their heart: thou wilt &c.

17, 18. Stanza of Tav. God has ‘seen’ (Psalm 10:14); He has also ‘heard’; the prayer of faith cannot remain unanswered.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 17. - Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble (comp. Psalm 9:12). It is not the psalmist's prayer alone that he regards as heard and answered. The oppressed have cried to God against their oppressors, and their cry has "come before him, and entered into his ears." Thou wilt prepare their heart; rather, thou dost establish (or, make firm) their heart. Through their conviction that thou art on their side, and art about to help them. Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear; or, thou causest. Psalm 10:17

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Still standing on this eminence from which he seems to behold the end, the poet basks in the realisation of that which has been obtained in answer to prayer. The ardent longing of the meek and lowly sufferers for the arising, the parusia of Jahve (Isaiah 26:8), has now been heard by Him, and that under circumstances which find expression in the following futt., which have a past signification: God has given and preserved to their hearts the right disposition towards Himself (הכין, as in Psalm 78:8; Job 11:13, Sir. 2:17 ἑτοιμάζειν καρδίας, post-biblical כּוּן

(Note: B. Berachoth 31a: the man who prays must direct his heart steadfastly towards God (יכוּן לבּו לשּׁמים).)

and to be understood according to 1 Samuel 7:3; 2 Chronicles 20:33, cf. לב נכון Psalm 51:12; Psalm 78:37; it is equivalent to "the single eye" in the language of the New Testament), just as, on the other hand, He has set His ear in the attitude of close attention to their prayer, and even to their most secret sighings (הקשׁיב with אזן, as in Proverbs 2:2; to stiffen the ear, from קשׁב, Arab. qasuba, root קש to be hard, rigid, firm from which we also have קשׁה, Arab. qsâ, קשׁה, Arab. qsh, qsn, cf. on Isaiah 21:7). It was a mutual relation, the design of which was finally and speedily to obtain justice for the fatherless and oppressed, yea crushed, few, in order that mortal man of the earth may no longer (בּל, as in Isaiah 14:21, and in post-biblical Hebrew בּל and לבל instead of פּן) terrify. From the parallel conclusion, Psalm 9:20-21, it is to be inferred that אנושׁ does not refer to the oppressed but to the oppressor, and is therefore intended as the subject; and then the phrase מן־הארץ also belongs to it, as in Psalm 17:14, people of the world, Psalm 80:14 boar of the woods, whereas in Proverbs 30:14 מארץ belongs to the verb (to devour from off the earth). It is only in this combination that מן־הארץ אנושׁ forms with לערץ a significant paronomasia, by contrasting the conduct of the tyrant with his true nature: a mortal of the earth, i.e., a being who, far removed from any possibility of vying with the God who is in heaven, has the earth as his birth-place. It is not מן־האדמה, for the earth is not referred to as the material out of which man is formed, but as his ancestral house, his home, his bound, just as in the expression of John ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, John 3:31 (Lat. ut non amplius terreat homo terrenus). A similar play of words was attempted before in Psalm 9:20 אנושׁ אל־יעז. The Hebrew verb ערץ signifies both to give way to fear, Deuteronomy 7:21, and to put in fear, Isaiah 2:19, Isaiah 2:21; Isaiah 47:12. It does mean "to defy, rebel against," although it might have this meaning according to the Arabic ‛rḍ (to come in the way, withstand, according to which Wetzstein explains ערוּץ Job 30:6, like Arab. ‛irḍ, "a valley that runs slantwise across a district, a gorge that blocks up the traveller's way"

(Note: Zeitschrift fr Allgem. Erdkunde xviii. (1865) 1, S. 30.)).

It is related to Arab. ‛rṣ, to vibrate, tremble (e.g., of lightning).