Bible Strands
Psalms 10:12
Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God! Do not forget the helpless.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly, countering the wicked man’s internal declaration that God hides His face and ignores the vulnerable (Psalm 10:11).
The words — The verse hinges on קוּמָה (ku.ma/h, "arise") and נְשִׂיא יָדֶךָ (ne.si' ya.dekha, "lift up Your hand"), issuing a direct command for God to act.
The thread — The call for God to rise and act parallels Psalm 94:2, which commands the Judge of the earth to render a reward to the proud, while aligning with Psalm 9:12’s statement that God remembers the afflicted and does not ignore their cry. The motif of a lifted hand also appears in Micah 5:9 as a symbol of judgment executed against enemies.
Why it lands — The text explicitly commands God to intervene and refuses to accept divine inaction, requiring readers to reject the assumption that God overlooks oppression and to expect His active intervention on behalf of the helpless.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
Cross-references
- Micah 5:9 Your hand will be lifted over your foes, and all your enemies will be cut off.
- Psalms 9:12 For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers; He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
- Psalms 94:2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud.
- Psalms 17:7 Show the wonders of Your loving devotion, You who save by Your right hand those who seek refuge from their foes.
- Isaiah 33:10 “Now I will arise,” says the LORD. “Now I will lift Myself up. Now I will be exalted.
- Psalms 3:7 Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
- Psalms 7:6 Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up against the fury of my enemies. Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.
- Psalms 9:19 Rise up, O LORD, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence.
- Psalms 77:9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah
- Isaiah 26:11 O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!