1
לָמָה יְהֹוָה תַּעֲמֹד בְּרָחוֹק
תַּעְלִים לְעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה
תַּעֲמֹד
ta-a-MOD
do You stand
בְּרָחוֹק
be-ra-CHOK
far off
Why, O LORD, do You stand far off,
תַּעְלִים
ta'-LIM
do You hide
לְעִתּוֹת
le-i-TOT
in times
בַּצָּרָה
ba-tza-RA
of trouble
hiding Yourself in times of trouble?
The opening cry of the whole psalm. Lamah ("why") is not a request for information but a protest. God is pictured not as hostile but as distant, standing far off (בְּרָחוֹק) and hiding (תַּעְלִים, lit. "You conceal") at the very moment of trouble.
2
בְּגַאֲוַת רָשָׁע יִדְלַק עָנִי
יִתָּפְשׂוּ בִּמְזִמּוֹת זוּ חָשָׁבוּ
בְּגַאֲוַת
be-ga-a-VAT
in the arrogance of
יִדְלַק
yid-LAK
he hotly pursues
In his arrogance the wicked hotly pursues the lowly
יִתָּפְשׂוּ
yi-ta-fe-SU
may they be caught
בִּמְזִמּוֹת
bim-zi-MOT
in the schemes
חָשָׁבוּ
cha-SHA-vu
they devised
may they be caught in the schemes they have devised.
The verb יִדְלַק (yidlak) means literally "burns / hotly pursues", the same root as kindling a fire (Genesis 31:36). The wicked does not merely oppress the poor; he chases him down like a flame. The second line is a wish: may the schemers be caught in their own schemes (מְזִמּוֹת).
3
כִּי הִלֵּל רָשָׁע עַל תַּאֲוַת נַפְשׁוֹ
וּבֹצֵעַ בֵּרֵךְ נִאֵץ יְהֹוָה
הִלֵּל
hi-LEL
praises / boasts
תַּאֲוַת
ta-a-VAT
the desire of
For the wicked boasts of the craving of his soul
וּבֹצֵעַ
u-vo-TZE-a
and the grasping man
בֵּרֵךְ
be-REKH
blesses [himself]
and the grasping man blesses himself, spurning the LORD.
The wicked "praises" (הִלֵּל) his own greed, the verb of Hallelujah turned inside out: worship pointed at appetite. The grasping man (בֹּצֵעַ, one who cuts a profit) "blesses" what he plunders and so spurns (נִאֵץ) the LORD. The same verb נִאֵץ returns at v.13, it frames his whole posture.
4
רָשָׁע כְּגֹבַהּ אַפּוֹ בַּל יִדְרֹשׁ
אֵין אֱלֹהִים כׇּל מְזִמּוֹתָיו
כְּגֹבַהּ
ke-GO-vah
in the haughtiness of
אַפּוֹ
a-PO
his nose (= pride)
יִדְרֹשׁ
yid-ROSH
seek / call to account
The wicked, in his haughty pride, [thinks God] does not call to account;
מְזִמּוֹתָיו
me-zi-mo-TAV
his schemes
"there is no God" is the whole of his scheming.
The center of the wicked's creed. "In the height of his nose" (כְּגֹבַהּ אַפּוֹ) is a Hebrew idiom for haughtiness, the lifted nostril of contempt. His conclusion: אֵין אֱלֹהִים (ein Elohim) = "there is no God." Not philosophy but practical atheism: God will not call to account (בַּל יִדְרֹשׁ), so the field is clear for all his schemes.
5
יָחִילוּ דְרָכָו בְּכׇל עֵת
מָרוֹם מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ מִנֶּגְדּוֹ
כׇּל צוֹרְרָיו יָפִיחַ בָּהֶם
יָחִילוּ
ya-CHI-lu
they endure / prosper
דְרָכָו
de-ra-KHAV
his ways
His ways prosper at all times;
מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ
mish-pa-TE-kha
Your judgments
מִנֶּגְדּוֹ
mi-neg-DO
[are] out of his sight
Your judgments are too high, out of his sight;
צוֹרְרָיו
tzo-re-RAV
his foes
יָפִיחַ
ya-FI-ach
he puffs / snorts
at all his foes he snorts in contempt.
The scandal of prosperity. His ways "endure" (יָחִילוּ) at all times, evil seems to work. God's judgments are too high (מָרוֹם), out of his sight (מִנֶּגְדּוֹ): not refuted, simply ignored, beyond his horizon. He puffs (יָפִיחַ) at all his foes, a snort of contempt.
6
אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ בַּל אֶמּוֹט
לְדֹר וָדֹר אֲשֶׁר לֹא בְרָע
בְּלִבּוֹ
be-li-BO
in his heart
He says in his heart, "I shall not be moved;
לְדֹר
le-DOR
from generation
from generation to generation I shall never be in trouble."
First of three "he says in his heart" (אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ), the wicked's interior monologue, repeated at v.11 and v.13. Here his fantasy of permanence: בַּל אֶמּוֹט = "I shall not be moved", the very phrase the righteous uses of God's stability (Ps 16:8), here stolen for the self. He thinks himself untouchable "from generation to generation."
7
אָלָה פִּיהוּ מָלֵא וּמִרְמוֹת וָתֹךְ
תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ עָמָל וָאָוֶן
וּמִרְמוֹת
u-mir-MOT
and deceit
וָתֹךְ
va-TOKH
and oppression
His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression;
לְשׁוֹנוֹ
le-sho-NO
his tongue
וָאָוֶן
va-A-ven
and iniquity
under his tongue are trouble and iniquity.
The mouth and the tongue as weapons. His mouth is "full" (מָלֵא) of three things: cursing (אָלָה), deceit (מִרְמוֹת), oppression (תֹּךְ). Under his tongue (תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ) hide trouble (עָמָל) and iniquity (אָוֶן), quoted by Paul in Romans 3:14. The image: poison held ready beneath the tongue, like a snake.
8
יֵשֵׁב בְּמַאְרַב חֲצֵרִים
בַּמִּסְתָּרִים יַהֲרֹג נָקִי
עֵינָיו לְחֵלְכָה יִצְפֹּנוּ
יֵשֵׁב
ye-SHEV
he sits / lurks
בְּמַאְרַב
be-ma'-RAV
in ambush of
חֲצֵרִים
cha-tze-RIM
the villages
He lurks in ambush near the villages;
בַּמִּסְתָּרִים
ba-mis-ta-RIM
in hiding places
from hiding he slays the innocent;
לְחֵלְכָה
le-chel-KHA
for the hapless
יִצְפֹּנוּ
yitz-PO-nu
lie in wait
his eyes lie in wait for the hapless.
The wicked as ambusher. He "sits" (יֵשֵׁב) in ambush near the villages, killing the innocent (נָקִי) from hiding (בַּמִּסְתָּרִים). The rare word חֵלְכָה (chelkhah), "the hapless, the wretched", appears almost only in this psalm (v.8, 14): the defenceless poor his eyes "hoard" (יִצְפֹּנוּ) as prey.
9
יֶאֱרֹב בַּמִּסְתָּר כְּאַרְיֵה בְסֻכֹּה
יֶאֱרֹב לַחֲטוֹף עָנִי
יַחְטֹף עָנִי בְּמׇשְׁכוֹ בְרִשְׁתּוֹ
יֶאֱרֹב
ye-e-ROV
he lies in wait
בַּמִּסְתָּר
ba-mis-TAR
in a hiding place
כְּאַרְיֵה
ke-ar-YE
like a lion
בְסֻכֹּה
ve-su-KO
in his lair
He lies in wait in secret like a lion in his lair;
יֶאֱרֹב
ye-e-ROV
he lies in wait
לַחֲטוֹף
la-cha-TOF
to seize
he lies in wait to seize the lowly;
בְּמׇשְׁכוֹ
be-mosh-KHO
as he draws him
בְרִשְׁתּוֹ
ve-rish-TO
into his net
he seizes the lowly, dragging him into his net.
Two predator images fused: the lion (אַרְיֵה) in its thicket and the hunter with his net (רֶשֶׁת). The verb arav (יֶאֱרֹב, "to lie in wait") repeats like a heartbeat. The poor (עָנִי) is named twice, caught the moment the net is drawn (בְּמׇשְׁכוֹ), the snare closing in slow motion.
10
יִדְכֶּה יָשֹׁחַ
וְנָפַל בַּעֲצוּמָיו חֵל כָּאִים
יִדְכֶּה
yid-KE
he is crushed down / crouches
יָשֹׁחַ
ya-SHO-ach
he stoops
He crouches, he stoops low,
וְנָפַל
ve-na-FAL
and [they] fall
בַּעֲצוּמָיו
ba-a-tzu-MAV
by his might
and the hapless fall by his might.
A textually difficult verse (the qere/ketiv readings differ). The picture is the predator's crouch: he is crushed down (יִדְכֶּה) and stoops (יָשֹׁחַ), or the prey collapses, and the hapless (חֵל כָּאִים, the same root as chelkhah in v.8) fall by his "mighty ones" (בַּעֲצוּמָיו), his claws or his strength.
11
אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ שָׁכַח אֵל
הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו בַּל רָאָה לָנֶצַח
בְּלִבּוֹ
be-li-BO
in his heart
שָׁכַח
sha-KHACH
has forgotten
He says in his heart, "God has forgotten;
הִסְתִּיר
his-TIR
He has hidden
לָנֶצַח
la-NE-tzach
forever
He has hidden His face, He never sees."
The second "he says in his heart", the theological heart of the psalm. שָׁכַח אֵל (shakhach El) = "God has forgotten." The wicked does not deny God exists; he denies God attends. He builds his whole career on a hidden Face (הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו) and a God who "never sees" (בַּל רָאָה לָנֶצַח). V.14 will answer with the opposite verb: "You have seen."
12
קוּמָה יְהֹוָה אֵל נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ
אַל תִּשְׁכַּח עֲנָוִים
Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand;
תִּשְׁכַּח
tish-KACH
forget
עֲנָוִים
a-na-VIM
the lowly
do not forget the lowly.
The hinge of the psalm. After eleven verses of complaint and ambush, the prayer finally breaks out: קוּמָה (Kumah) = "Arise!", the cry that recalls the Ark setting out (Numbers 10:35). "Lift Your hand" (נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ) answers the wicked's lifted nose (v.4). And against "God has forgotten" (v.11), the direct plea: אַל תִּשְׁכַּח = "Do not forget the lowly."
13
עַל מֶה נִאֵץ רָשָׁע אֱלֹהִים
אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ לֹא תִדְרֹשׁ
Why does the wicked spurn God,
בְּלִבּוֹ
be-li-BO
in his heart
תִדְרֹשׁ
tid-ROSH
call to account
saying in his heart, "You will not call to account"?
The third "he says in his heart", closing the trio (v.6, 11, 13). The verb נִאֵץ (ni'etz, "spurn") returns from v.3, the frame is complete. The wicked's final assumption: לֹא תִדְרֹשׁ = "You will not call to account", the same root דרשׁ as v.4 and, by wordplay, v.15.
14
רָאִתָה כִּי אַתָּה עָמָל וָכַעַס תַּבִּיט לָתֵת בְּיָדֶךָ
עָלֶיךָ יַעֲזֹב חֵלֵכָה
יָתוֹם אַתָּה הָיִיתָ עוֹזֵר
רָאִתָה
ra-I-ta
You have seen
וָכַעַס
va-KHA-as
and grief
בְּיָדֶךָ
be-ya-DE-kha
into Your hand
You have seen it! For You behold trouble and grief, to take it into Your hand.
יַעֲזֹב
ya-a-ZOV
he leaves [himself]
חֵלֵכָה
che-le-KHA
the hapless
To You the hapless abandons himself;
יָתוֹם
ya-TOM
of the orphan
You have been the orphan's helper.
The great answer: רָאִתָה (ra'itah) = "You have seen!" The exact reversal of the wicked's "He never sees" (v.11). God does look upon trouble (עָמָל) and grief (כַעַס), taking it into His hand. The hapless (חֵלֵכָה) entrusts himself to God, who is named here by His tenderest title: the orphan's helper (יָתוֹם … עוֹזֵר).
15
שְׁבֹר זְרוֹעַ רָשָׁע וָרָע
תִּדְרוֹשׁ רִשְׁעוֹ בַל תִּמְצָא
וָרָע
va-RA
and the evildoer
Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer;
תִּדְרוֹשׁ
tid-ROSH
seek out
רִשְׁעוֹ
rish-O
his wickedness
seek out his wickedness till You find it no more.
The petition turns active: "break the arm (זְרוֹעַ, the symbol of strength) of the wicked." Then a wordplay: תִּדְרוֹשׁ (tidrosh) here means "seek out" his wickedness to judge it, the same root דרשׁ the wicked mocked at v.4 and v.13 ("He does not call to account"). God will seek until there is nothing left to find (בַל תִּמְצָא): the evil erased.
16
יְהֹוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד
אָבְדוּ גוֹיִם מֵאַרְצוֹ
The LORD is king forever and ever;
אָבְדוּ
av-DU
have perished
מֵאַרְצוֹ
me-ar-TZO
from His land
the nations have perished from His land.
The answer to v.1's silence: God is king. יְהֹוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד = "The LORD is king forever and ever." The God who seemed to "stand far off" (v.1) is in fact enthroned over all time. The nations (גוֹיִם), the proud powers, "perish" (אָבְדוּ) from His land, the same verb תֹּאבֵד used of the wicked's way in Ps 1:6.
17
תַּאֲוַת עֲנָוִים שָׁמַעְתָּ יְהֹוָה
תָּכִין לִבָּם תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ
תַּאֲוַת
ta-a-VAT
the desire of
עֲנָוִים
a-na-VIM
the lowly
שָׁמַעְתָּ
sha-MA-ta
You have heard
You have heard the longing of the lowly, O LORD;
תָּכִין
ta-KHIN
You make firm
תַּקְשִׁיב
tak-SHIV
You incline
אָזְנֶךָ
oz-NE-kha
Your ear
You make their heart firm, You incline Your ear,
The reversal complete: the same word תַּאֲוַת (ta'avat, "desire") that named the wicked's greedy appetite in v.3 now names the longing of the lowly (עֲנָוִים) which God hears. He does not merely listen; He "prepares their heart" (תָּכִין לִבָּם) and "inclines His ear" (תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ), the hidden God of v.1 now bent close.
18
לִשְׁפֹּט יָתוֹם וָדָךְ
בַּל יוֹסִיף עוֹד לַעֲרֹץ אֱנוֹשׁ מִן הָאָרֶץ
לִשְׁפֹּט
lish-POT
to judge
וָדָךְ
va-DAKH
and the oppressed
to judge for the orphan and the oppressed,
לַעֲרֹץ
la-a-ROTZ
to terrify
הָאָרֶץ
ha-A-retz
the earth
that mortal man from the earth may terrify no more.
The close returns to the orphan (יָתוֹם, as in v.14): God's whole judgment is for the fatherless and the crushed (דָּךְ). The goal is precise: that enosh (אֱנוֹשׁ, frail mortal man, the same word that names humanity's smallness) may "no longer terrify" (בַּל יוֹסִיף … לַעֲרֹץ). The tyrant is reduced to dust of the earth (מִן הָאָרֶץ); the silence of v.1 ends in justice.
♦ PARDES analysis: פרדס
The four levels of Jewish reading of the sacred text: פשט Peshat (literal meaning), רמז Remez (symbolic allusion), דרש Drash (midrashic interpretation), סוד Sod (mystical meaning). The word פרדס means "orchard", each level is a fruit.
פשט · Peshat: literal meaning
The psalm opens with a raw question: V.1: "Why, O LORD, do You stand far off, hide in times of trouble?" V.2-11: a long portrait of the wicked, he hunts the poor (v.2), boasts of his appetite (v.3), and in his arrogance concludes "there is no God" (v.4); his ways prosper, he says "I shall not be moved" (v.6), his mouth is full of oaths and deceit (v.7); he lurks like a lion to seize the helpless (v.8-10), telling himself "God has forgotten" (v.11). V.12-15: the prayer turns, "Arise, O LORD" (v.12), "break the arm of the wicked" (v.15). V.16-18: the resolution, the LORD is king forever, the nations perish from His land, He hears the lowly and judges for the orphan, so that mortal man may terrify no more.
רמז · Remez: allusion
The psalm has no title because it continues the acrostic of Psalm 9: each section opens with the next Hebrew letter, and 10 picks up the alphabet (ל at v.1, ק at קוּמָה v.12) where 9 left off. The seam is the meaning: Psalm 9 praised the God who judges; Psalm 10 asks why that Judge is silent. Note the rare word חֵלְכָה (chelkhah, v.8, 14) and חֵל כָּאִים (chel ka'im, v.10), "the hapless / the wretched," a poetic term for the crushed poor that appears almost only here. And the wicked's verb נִאֵץ (ni'etz, v.3, 13), "to spurn," frames his whole inner life: he does not merely sin, he despises the One who calls to account.
דרש · Drash: interpretation
The heart of the psalm is the wicked's interior monologue: three times he "says in his heart" (אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ), "I shall not be moved" (v.6), "God has forgotten, He has hidden His face, He never sees" (v.11), "You will not call to account" (v.13). His theology is not denial of God's existence so much as denial of God's attention: שָׁכַח אֵל (shakhach El, v.11) = "God has forgotten." The psalmist answers him at v.14 with the exact opposite verb: רָאִתָה (ra'itah) = "You have seen." The wicked says God hides His eyes; the poet says God's eye is precisely on the trouble (עָמָל) and the grief (כַעַס). The whole drama is fought over a single question: does God look?
סוד · Sod: mystical meaning
The psalm names God by a tender title found almost nowhere else: אֲבִי יָתוֹם is the idea behind V.14, "You have been the orphan's helper," and v.18, "to judge the orphan and the oppressed." The God who seems far off (v.1) turns out to be the nearest of all, the One who stands in for the absent father. The structure mirrors this hiding and revealing: the hester panim (הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו, v.11, "He hid His face") that the wicked celebrates is answered by the God who, hidden, still sees. Mystically the silence of v.1 is not absence but tzimtzum, a withdrawal that makes room for the cry "Arise" (קוּמָה, v.12), the human word that draws the King back into His kingdom (v.16). To recite this psalm is to call the hidden Face back to the orphan.