The Meaning of Psalms 10:15 Explained

Psalms 10:15

KJV: Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

YLT: Break the arm of the wicked and the evil, Seek out his wickedness, find none;

Darby: Break thou the arm of the wicked, and as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

ASV: Break thou the arm of the wicked; And as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Break  thou the arm  of the wicked  and the evil  [man]: seek out  his wickedness  [till] thou find  none. 

What does Psalms 10:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 10:1-18 - God Will Not Forget The Lowly
The malice of our foes, and especially of Satan, is powerfully described, Psalms 10:1-11. Now it is the venom beneath the serpent's tongue, Psalms 10:7; now the bandit in ambush, Psalms 10:8; now the lion in his den, and again the hunter snaring his unsuspecting prey, Psalms 10:9. And all the while God is so quiet that it seems as if He has abdicated His throne.
Then the oppressed begin to pray, committing themselves to Him, Psalms 10:12-15. May we not rise above the spirit of the Old Covenant and ask that the venomous evil which is in the heart of our foes may be exterminated, so that it leave no vestiges? And such prayer must be answered. Compare Psalms 9:19 with Psalms 10:16-17. True prayer begins with God and returns to Him. When He prepares the heart, Psalms 9:17, He prepares the answer, which exceeds all, 1 Corinthians 2:9. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 10

1  David complains of the wicked
12  He prays for remedy
16  He professes his confidence

What do the individual words in Psalms 10:15 mean?

Break the arm of the wicked and the evil [man] Seek out his wickedness none [until] You find
שְׁ֭בֹר זְר֣וֹעַ רָשָׁ֑ע וָ֝רָ֗ע תִּֽדְרוֹשׁ־ רִשְׁע֥וֹ בַל־ תִּמְצָֽא

שְׁ֭בֹר  Break 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
זְר֣וֹעַ  the  arm 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: זְרֹועַ  
Sense: arm, forearm, shoulder, strength.
רָשָׁ֑ע  of  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
וָ֝רָ֗ע  and  the  evil  [man] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
תִּֽדְרוֹשׁ־  Seek  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דַּרְיׄושׁ 
Sense: to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require.
רִשְׁע֥וֹ  his  wickedness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רֶשַׁע  
Sense: wrong, wickedness, guilt.
בַל־  none 
Parse: Adverb
Root: בַּל 
Sense: not, hardly, else.
תִּמְצָֽא  [until]  You  find 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.