Psalms 10:17

17 You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

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Psalms 10:17 in Other Translations

KJV

17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

ESV

17 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

NLT

17 LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.

MSG

17 The victim's faint pulse picks up; the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood as you put your ear to their lips.

CSB

17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully,

Psalms 10:17 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 10:17

Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble
See ( Psalms 10:12 ) ( Psalms 9:12 ) ; for the coming of Christ's kingdom, and that the kingdoms of this world may become his; for the destruction of antichrist, and for the avenging the blood of the saints. The prayers of God's people sometimes lie in inward and secret desires of the soul, and are not expressed in words; and these desires are all before the Lord, and are well known unto him; yea, such prayers of the heart, and which come from it, are principally regarded by him; they being his own preparation, as is suggested in the next clause, and the breathings of his Spirit; and especially the desires of humble souls are regarded, whose prayers he never despises, nor sends them away empty, but fills with his good things;

thou wilt prepare their heart;
for prayer, by pouring a spirit of grace and supplication on them, impressing their minds with a sense of things to be prayed for, and drawing out the desires of their souls unto them, and making intercession for them with groanings according to the will of God, and so helping their infirmities; and it is God's work to prepare the heart for prayer, as well as to put words into the mouth, ( Proverbs 16:1 ) ; or "thou wilt direct their heart" ^F14; to the object of prayer, himself, and to the things to be prayed for, for they know not what to pray for, nor how as they should; and to what may encourage to it, as the love of God, the covenant of grace, the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ: or "confirm" or "establish their heart" ^F15; strengthen and fix them, that they be not wavering and doubtful, but certain and assured of success, believing that their desires will be fulfilled in God's own time;

thou wilt cause thine ear to hear;
God has an ear to hear the prayers of his people, nor is his ear heavy that it cannot hear; his ears are open to the cries of righteous ones; nor will he ever turn a deaf ear to them, but will give an answer in his own time and way; which is an instance of his sovereign grace and goodness. These words express the faith of the psalmist in God being a God hearing and answering prayer, particularly in things relating to the ruin of antichrist and his followers, and to the kingdom and glory of his son Jesus Christ.

FOOTNOTES:

F14 (Mbl Nykt) "dirigis", Vatablus; "diriges", Tigurine version.
F15 "Confirmas", Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; "confirmes", Cocceius; "confirma", Junius & Tremellius.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible