Psalms 10:17

17 The Lord hath heard the desire of poor men; thine ear hath heard the making ready of their heart. (The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor; yea, thy ears have heard the desires of their hearts.)

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.

Psalms 10:17 In-Context

15 All-break thou the arm of the sinner, and evil-willed; his sin shall be sought, and it shall not be found. (Break thou the arm, or the power, of the sinner, and those who be evil-willed; let their sins be sought out until no more be found.)
16 The Lord shall reign [into] without end, and into the world of world; folks, ye shall perish from the land of him. (The Lord shall reign forever and ever; and all the nations have vanished from his land/and all the peoples shall vanish from his land.)
17 The Lord hath heard the desire of poor men; thine ear hath heard the making ready of their heart. (The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor; yea, thy ears have heard the desires of their hearts.)
18 To deem for the motherless and meek; that a man presume no more to make himself great on earth. (And thou shalt judge in favour of the motherless, and the fatherless, and the humble; so that no longer shall anyone presume to make themselves great upon the earth.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.