Psalms 10:9

He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket; he lurks to seize the oppressed; he catches the lowly in his net.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The psalmist addresses God while cataloging the predatory behavior of a wicked man who stalks the vulnerable near villages. The words — יֶאֱרֹב (ye.'e.ro) translates literally as "he lies in wait," and עָנִי ('a.Ni) means "the afflicted." These terms establish the oppressor's deliberate ambush and his specific target. The thread — The imagery of lurking and lying in wait recurs in Psalms 17:12, Psalms 59:3, and Micah 7:2 to describe similar predatory hostility. Why it lands — The text demands recognition of systematic injustice against the vulnerable and calls for divine attention to concealed violence.

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

יֶאֱרֹ֬בye.'e.Rohe lies in wait בַּמִּסְתָּ֨ר׀ba./mis.Tarin <the>/ hiding place כְּאַרְיֵ֬הke./'ar.Yehlike/ a lion בְסֻכֹּ֗הve./su.Ko/hin/ lair/ its יֶ֭אֱרֹבye.'e.rohe lies in wait לַחֲט֣וֹףla./cha.Tofto/ seize עָנִ֑י'a.Ni[the] afflicted יַחְטֹ֥ףyach.Tofhe seizes עָ֝נִ֗י'a.Ni[the] afflicted בְּמָשְׁכ֥וֹbe./ma.she.Kh/owhen/ drags [him] away/ he בְרִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃ve./rish.T/oin/ net/ his

King James Version

He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

Cross-references

Psalms 17:12 like a lion greedy for prey, like a young lion lurking in ambush.
Psalms 59:3 See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.
Micah 7:2 The godly man has perished from the earth; there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt one another with a net.
Psalms 35:10 All my bones will exclaim, “Who is like You, O LORD, who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor, the poor and needy from the robber?”
Job 5:15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful.
Psalms 12:5 “For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”
Psalms 140:5 The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah
Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.
Proverbs 22:16 Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.
Proverbs 28:15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.