The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

PSALMS 10:2KJV
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Psalms 10:2 (KJV)

What does Psalms 10:2 mean?

Psalms 10:2 describes how arrogant, wicked people oppress those who are poor or vulnerable, and asks that these wicked people be caught by the very schemes they have plotted. The verse highlights a desire for justice, where those who harm others are trapped by their own harmful plans.

The psalm is voiced by someone crying out to God about the unfairness they see: proud and wicked people are taking advantage of the poor. The speaker wants God to let the wicked fall into their own traps, turning their evil intentions back on themselves. This verse sets up the larger theme of the psalm, which deals with the suffering of the innocent and the apparent success of the wicked.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 10:2

  • "wicked" (רָשָׁע, rasha): This word refers to someone who acts with moral wrongness or evil intent, not just someone who breaks the law but who is actively harmful to others.
  • "pride" (גַּאֲוָה, ga'avah): This word often means arrogance or haughtiness, suggesting that the wrongdoers act out of a sense of superiority.
  • "persecute" (דָּלַק, dalak): This verb can mean to pursue or chase down, emphasizing the active, aggressive nature of the oppression.
  • "devices" (מְזִמָּה, mezimmah): This word means plans, schemes, or plots, often with a negative or sneaky connotation, highlighting that the wicked are not just acting impulsively but are deliberately plotting harm.

Why Psalms 10:2 matters

  • The verse clarifies that the problem is not just poverty or suffering, but the intentional actions of the wicked against the vulnerable, focusing on deliberate injustice.
  • By asking that the wicked be caught in their own schemes, the verse expresses a hope for poetic justice, where evil rebounds on the evildoer.
  • This verse introduces a key theme of the psalm: questioning why God allows the wicked to seem successful, and calling for God to act on behalf of the oppressed.

Where else these words appear

“persecute” Hebrew H1814 · used in 9 verses

  • Genesis 31:36 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
  • Psalms 7:13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
  • Lamentations 4:19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

“that” Hebrew H2098 · used in 15 verses

  • Exodus 15:13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
  • Psalms 17:9 From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
  • Psalms 142:3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.

“pride” Hebrew H1346 · used in 19 verses

  • Deuteronomy 33:26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
  • Psalms 46:3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
  • Isaiah 13:3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.

“devices” Hebrew H4209 · used in 19 verses

  • Job 21:27 Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.
  • Proverbs 1:4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
  • Proverbs 14:17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.