The Meaning of Psalms 10:3 Explained

Psalms 10:3

KJV: For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

YLT: Because the wicked hath boasted Of the desire of his soul, And a dishonest gainer he hath blessed, He hath despised Jehovah.

Darby: For the wicked boasteth of his soul's desire, and he blesseth the covetous; he contemneth Jehovah.

ASV: For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, And the covetous renounceth, yea , contemneth Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For the wicked  boasteth  of his heart's  desire,  and blesseth  the covetous,  [whom] the LORD  abhorreth. 

What does Psalms 10:3 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 10:3 mean?

For boasts the wicked of desire of his heart and the greedy He blesses [and] renounces Yahweh
כִּֽי־ הִלֵּ֣ל רָ֭שָׁע עַל־ תַּאֲוַ֣ת נַפְשׁ֑וֹ וּבֹצֵ֥עַ בֵּ֝רֵ֗ךְ נִ֘אֵ֥ץ ׀ יְהוָֽה

הִלֵּ֣ל  boasts 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַל 
Sense: to shine.
רָ֭שָׁע  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
תַּאֲוַ֣ת  desire 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תַּאֲוָה  
Sense: desire.
נַפְשׁ֑וֹ  of  his  heart 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
וּבֹצֵ֥עַ  and  the  greedy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בָּצַע  
Sense: to cut off, break off, gain by unrighteous violence, get, finish, be covetous, be greedy.
בֵּ֝רֵ֗ךְ  He  blesses 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
נִ֘אֵ֥ץ ׀  [and]  renounces 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָאַץ  
Sense: to spurn, contemn, despise, abhor.
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.