What does Psalm 10:8 mean?
What an indictment David levels against the wicked man here! Earlier verses depicted a wicked man preying on the poor and weak for his own gain (Psalm 10:2–3). This verse continues that sense of predatory evil. The wicked man makes deliberate effort to surprise and attack; hiding until he finds someone to murder, watching carefully to prey on someone weak enough to easily overcome. The depravity of this action is highlighted through the term rendered "helpless" in translations such as the ESV. The Hebrew root word hē'lekāh refers to someone to be pitied, often one who is poor. In poetic language, such a person is a "poor wretch."The wicked man is like the proverbial robbers on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. They ambushed a man, robbed him, stripped him, beat him, and left him half dead (Luke 10:30). Crimes against the poor were especially common in Bible times. Robbers were known to hide from their intended victims until they could safely pounce upon them, rob them, and harm them. The wicked man David writes about here not only robbed his victims but also murdered them. He violated the Lord's commands: "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13), "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15), and "You shall not covet …" (Exodus 20:17).
