Psalm 10 Introduction

Psalms 9–10 as One Psalm

Psalm 9 has a superscription but Psalm 10 does not. This fact and the acrostic nature of the two psalms (lines start with consecutive letters of the alphabet) has led many scholars to believe these two psalms may have originally been written as one psalm. The analysis of the structure of these psalms presented here will assume that. It is recommended that you follow the versification and chapter structure of other Bibles you are familiar with.

Structure and Formatting

The outlines for psalms 9 and 10 are combined here and in the introduction to psalm 10 because they were probably originally one psalm. Your translation will probably be best if you translate them together. 1. Psalm 9:1–10 Praise of the King 2. Psalm 9:11–20 Petition the King 3. Psalm 10:1–11 Persecution of the poor 4. Psalm 10:12–18 Proclamation of the King

Translation Issues in This Psalm

Order and chaos

The first letter of many of the lines of these two psalms follows an acrostic (alphabetic) pattern. In some places, however, this orderly pattern is interrupted. The places where it is interrupted are places where the wicked are mentioned or acting. It is as if the presence of the wicked disrupts the orderliness over even the poetry, but it is restored and kept by Yahweh. If your language has a poetic style which can indicate order and chaos, you may wish to translate: 1. 9:1–4 in an orderly style 2. 9:5–6 in a slightly chaotic style 3. 9:7–15 in an orderly style 4. 9:16–17 in a slightly chaotic style 5. 9:18 in neither 6. 9:19–20 in an orderly style 7. 10:1 in an orderly style 8. 10:2–11 in a very chaotic style 9. 10:12–18 in an orderly style

The fortress and the pit

There are two chiasms in psalm 9. In the first half, Yahweh is compared to a fortress (9) and, poetically, his judgment forms a barrier between the enemies and the psalmist and the oppressed. 1. People trust Yahweh (1–2) 2. Yahweh is a judge (3–4) 3. The enemy (5–6) 4. Yahweh is a king and judge (7–8) 5. People trust Yahweh (9–10)In the second half, people’s prayers poetically encircle the wicked, causing them to fall into their own pit. 1. People pray to Yahweh for help (especially verse 13) (11–14) 2. The wicked are destroyed by their own pit (15–18) 3. People pray to Yahweh for help (19–20)As you translate this psalm, you will probably have a structure that matches this which may or may not be meaningful in your language. You could also consider if there is a way to poetically “surround” the wicked with the prayers of Yahweh’s people and with Yahweh as judge, in the two sections.

Adjectives used as generic nouns:

The adjectives “wicked, afflicted, innocent”, and “oppressed” are nominal adjectives used as generic nouns in these psalms. See figs-nominaladj and figs-genericnoun.See: writing-poetry

CCBYSA

Portions of the ULT, UST, and TNs for this psalm are derivative from “Psalms, Layer by Layer” ([https://psalms.cdbr.org/w/Welcome](https://psalms.cdbr.org/w/Welcome)), “Psalm 10” ([https://psalms.cdbr.org/w/Psalm_10](https://psalms.cdbr.org/w/Psalm_10)) by Cambridge Digital Bible Research, Katie Frost, Meaghan Smith, Nikki Mustin et al, used under [CC BY](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)See their overview video ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRQZ1eytMJ8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRQZ1eytMJ8)) and top three exegetical issues in Psalm 10 video ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4w8G32hfyI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4w8G32hfyI)) and their top three poetic features of Psalms 9–10 video ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moXvQUAMudo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moXvQUAMudo)) on YouTube.