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Psalm 10
"Why standest thou afar off, O LORD?"
End of Psalm 10 in the 9th-century Elzevir Bible
Other name	Psalm 9b "Ut quid Domine recessisti"
Text	by David
Language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 10 is the tenth psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?" In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it is not an individual psalm but the second part of psalm 9, "Ut quid Domine recessisti". These two consecutive psalms have the form of a single acrostic Hebrew poem. Compared to Psalm 9, Psalm 10 is focused more on the individual than the collective human condition.

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies.

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

King James Version

1. Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
2. The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
3. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
4. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
5. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
6. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
7. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
8. He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
9. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
10. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
11. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
12. Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
13. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
14. Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
15. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
16. The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
17. LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
18. To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

Context

Psalm 8 reflects on man's special place in creation. In contrast, both psalms 9 and 10 will end with statements setting mankind in a more negative light in the final verses of each. Psalm 9 closes with the phase "Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men, selah" Psalm 9:20 and Psalm 10:18 closes Psalm 10 with "...that the man of the earth may no more oppress." Some speculate that the final word of Psalm 9, selah, possibly meaning "a pause", might link the two psalms 9 and 10 together.

Taken together, Psalms 9 and 10 comprise a continuous acrostic psalm in the Hebrew alphabet. Some texts, such as the Septuagint, combine them. They also contrast as Psalm 9 is more victorious and 10 more of a lament.

Uses

Judaism

• This psalm is recited during the Ten Days of Repentance in some traditions.
• Verse 16 forms parts of the eighth and ninth verses of Yehi Kivod in Pesukei Dezimra, part of Baruch Hashem L'Olam in Maariv, and part of the Bedtime Shema.
• Verse 17 is found in the repetition of the Amidah during Rosh Hashanah.

New Testament

• Verses 7 is quoted in Romans 3:14

Catholic Church

According to the Rule of St. Benedict (530 AD), Psalm 1 to Psalm 20 were mainly reserved for the Office of Prime. Psalm 9 is sung in the Latin version translated from the Greek Septuagint, and therefore includes Psalm 10, as noted above. Benedict had divided this Psalm 9/10 in two parts, one sung to the end of the Office of Prime Tuesday (Psalm 9: 1–19) and the other (Psalm 9: 20–21 and Psalm 10: 1–18) is the first of the three readings on Wednesday. In other words, the first verses of Psalm 9 until "Quoniam non in finem erit oblivio pauperis: patientia pauperum non peribit in finem," formed the third and final Prime Psalm from Tuesday, the second part of the Psalm (Vulgate according to his view) was recited as the first psalm of the Office of Prime Wednesday.

Traditionally Psalms 9 and 10 were recited as the seventh Psalms of Sunday Matins.

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the second day of the month.

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 10 in German, "Wie meinst du's doch, ach Herr, mein Gott", SWV 106, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628.

References

1. "Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 9". Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
2. The Artscroll Tehillim page 16
3. "Psalms – Chapter 10". Mechon Mamre.
4. "Psalms 10 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
5. "Bible Gateway passage: Psalm 9 - King James Version".
6. "Bible Gateway passage: Psalm 10 - King James Version".
7. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, 5542: selah, accessed 15 July 2020
8. The Artscroll Tehillim, page 329
9. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 67
10. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 267
11. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 293
12. The Complete Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah, page 345
13. Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 838. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
14. Traduction par Prosper Guéranger, Règle de saint Benoît, (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, réimpression 2007)p46.
15. The main cycle of liturgical prayers takes place over four weeks.
16. Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 201-202

External links

• Pieces with text from Psalm 10: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Psalm 10: Free scores at the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Text of Psalm 10 according to the 1928 Psalter
• Psalms Chapter 10 text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
• Why, LORD, do you stand afar and pay no heed in times of trouble? text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Psalm 10:1 introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
• Psalm 10 – From Times of Trouble to Calm Confidence enduringword.com
• Psalm 10 / Refrain: You, Lord, have never failed those who seek you. Church of England
• Psalm 10 at biblegateway.com
• Hymns for Psalm 10 hymnary.org

• Psalms