Psalms 10:12

10:12 Rise up, Lord! 1 

O God, strike him down! 2 

Do not forget the oppressed!

Psalms 10:17

10:17 Lord, you have heard 3  the request 4  of the oppressed;

you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer. 5 

1 sn Rise up, O Lord! The psalmist’s mood changes from lament to petition and confidence.

2 tn Heb “lift up your hand.” Usually the expression “lifting the hand” refers to praying (Pss 28:2; 134:2) or making an oath (Ps 106:26), but here it probably refers to “striking a blow” (see 2 Sam 18:28; 20:21). Note v. 15, where the psalmist asks the Lord to “break the arm of the wicked.” A less likely option is that the psalmist is requesting that the Lord declare by oath his intention to intervene.

3 sn You have heard. The psalmist is confident that God has responded positively to his earlier petitions for divine intervention. The psalmist apparently prayed the words of vv. 16-18 after the reception of an oracle of deliverance (given in response to the confident petition of vv. 12-15) or after the Lord actually delivered him from his enemies.

4 tn Heb “desire.”

5 tn Heb “you make firm their heart, you cause your ear to listen.”