Psalms 17:10
Contextthey speak arrogantly. 2
Psalms 17:14
Context17:14 Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, 3
from the murderers of this world! 4
They enjoy prosperity; 5
you overwhelm them with the riches they desire. 6
They have many children,
and leave their wealth to their offspring. 7
1 tn Heb “their fat they close.” The Hebrew term חֵלֶב (khelev, “fat”) appears to stand by metonymy for their calloused hearts. They attack the psalmist without feeling any pity or remorse. Some propose emending the text to חֵלֶב לִבָּמוֹ (khelev libbamo, “fat of their heart[s]; cf. Ps 119:70, “their heart is insensitive like fat”). This assumes haplography of the לב (lamed-bet) consonantal sequence.
2 tn Heb “[with] their mouth they speak with arrogance.”
3 tc Heb “from men [by] your hand,
4 tn Heb “from men, from [the] world.” On the emendation of “men” to “murderers,” see the preceding note on the word “murderers.”
5 tn Heb “their portion, in life.”
6 tn Heb “and [with] your treasures you fill their belly.”
sn You overwhelm them with the riches they desire. The psalmist is not accusing God of being unjust; he is simply observing that the wicked often prosper and that God is the ultimate source of all blessings that human beings enjoy (see Matt 5:45). When the wicked are ungrateful for God’s blessings, they become even more culpable and deserving of judgment. So this description of the wicked actually supports the psalmist’s appeal for deliverance. God should rescue him because he is innocent (see vv. 3-5) and because the wicked, though blessed abundantly by God, still have the audacity to attack God’s people.
7 tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] sons and leave their abundance to their children.”