Fathers

Psalms 10

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Why do you stand far off, Yahweh? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught in the schemes that they devise. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings. He blesses the greedy and condemns Yahweh. The wicked, in the pride of his face, has no room in his thoughts for God. His ways are prosperous at all times. He is arrogant, and your laws are far from his sight. As for all his adversaries, he sneers at them. He says in his heart, “I shall not be shaken. For generations I shall have no trouble.” His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity. He lies in wait near the villages. From ambushes, he murders the innocent. His eyes are secretly set against the helpless. He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless when he draws him in his net. The helpless are crushed. They collapse. They fall under his strength. He says in his heart, “God has forgotten. He hides his face. He will never see it.” Arise, Yahweh! God, lift up your hand! Don’t forget the helpless. Why does the wicked person condemn God, and say in his heart, “God won’t call me into account?” But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none. Yahweh is King forever and ever! The nations will perish out of his land. Yahweh, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear, to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.

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What the Fathers say

Psalms 10:8

Western Saints

Augustine of Hippo

"He lies in ambush with the rich" [Psalm 10:8]. What rich, but those whom he will load with this world's gifts? And he is therefore said to lie in ambush with them, because he will display their false happiness to deceive men; who, when with a perverted will they desire to be such as they, and seek not the good things eternal, will fall into his snares. "That in the dark he may kill the innocent." "In the dark," I suppose, is said, where it is not easily understood what should be sought, or what avoided. …

Exposition on Psalm 10 ↗

Jerome

And lastly, against the devil: 'God is not before his eyes, he sits in ambush with the rich.' Unhappy the rich, with whom the devil sits. Finally, see what is said of the devil: 'He sits in ambush with the rich.' For whoever is rich, unless he has stripped the poor man, cannot be rich: for this reason he said, 'He sits in ambush with the rich.' Whenever the rich persecute Christians, let us say: 'The devil sits in ambush with the rich.' He lies in wait to seize the poor man, to seize the poor man while he draws him in: 'in his snare …

Homily 4, on Psalm 9 ↗

Thomas Aquinas

Here he shows the progress of the wicked as regards the body; and regarding this he does two things. First, he sets forth their progress. Second, the end of the progress, "in the snare." Regarding the first, he does three things. First, he sets forth with whom he lies in ambush, at "with the rich." Second, against whom: "to kill the innocent." Third, how he lies in ambush, "he lies in ambush in secret." He says therefore: The wicked, not content with speech, labor to accomplish their deeds; hence "he sits in ambush," thinking how to …

Exposition on the Psalms of David ↗