Psalms 10:1

Psalm 10¹

10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble?²

Psalms 33:8

33:8 Let the whole earth fear³ the Lord!

Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him!

Psalms 38:11

38:11 Because of my condition,⁴ even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance;⁵

my neighbors stand far away.⁶

Psalms 78:13

78:13 He divided the sea and led them across it;

he made the water stand in a heap.

Psalms 94:16

94:16 Who will rise up to defend me⁷ against the wicked?

Who will stand up for me against the evildoers?⁸

Psalms 130:3

130:3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of⁹ sins,

O Lord, who could stand before you?¹⁰

¹sn Psalm 10. Many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version (LXX) combine Psalms 9 and 10 into a single psalm. Taken in isolation, Psalm 10 is a petition for help in which the psalmist urges the Lord to deliver him from his dangerous enemies, whom he describes in vivid and terrifying detail. The psalmist concludes with confidence; he is certain that God’s justice will prevail.

²tn Heb “you hide for times in trouble.” The interrogative “why” is understood by ellipsis; note the preceding line. The Hiphil verbal form “hide” has no expressed object. Some supply “your eyes” by ellipsis (see BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם Hiph and HALOT 835 s.v. I עלם hif) or emend the form to a Niphal (“you hide yourself,” see BHS, note c; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

³tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.”

⁴tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”

⁵tn Heb “stand [aloof].”

⁶tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”

⁷tn Heb “for me.”

⁸sn Who will stand up for me…? The questions anticipate the answer, “No one except God” (see v. 17).

⁹tn Heb “observe.”

¹⁰tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”