The Meaning of Psalms 10:8 Explained

Psalms 10:8

KJV: He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.

YLT: He doth sit in an ambush of the villages, In secret places he doth slay the innocent. His eyes for the afflicted watch secretly,

Darby: He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages; in the secret places doth he slay the innocent: his eyes watch for the wretched.

ASV: He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages; In the secret places doth he murder the innocent; His eyes are privily set against the helpless.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He sitteth  in the lurking places  of the villages:  in the secret places  doth he murder  the innocent:  his eyes  are privily set  against the poor. 

What does Psalms 10:8 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 10:8 mean?

He sits in the lurking places of the villages in the secret places he murders the innocent His eyes on the helpless are secretly fixed
יֵשֵׁ֤ב ׀ בְּמַאְרַ֬ב חֲצֵרִ֗ים בַּֽ֭מִּסְתָּרִים יַהֲרֹ֣ג נָקִ֑י עֵ֝ינָ֗יו לְֽחֵלְכָ֥ה יִצְפֹּֽנוּ

יֵשֵׁ֤ב ׀  He  sits 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בְּמַאְרַ֬ב  in  the  lurking  places 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַאֲרָב  
Sense: ambush, (hunter’s) blind.
חֲצֵרִ֗ים  of  the  villages 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: חָצֵר 
Sense: court, enclosure.
בַּֽ֭מִּסְתָּרִים  in  the  secret  places 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מִסְתָּר  
Sense: secret place, hiding place.
יַהֲרֹ֣ג  he  murders 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
נָקִ֑י  the  innocent 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: נָקִי 
Sense: clean, free from, exempt, clear, innocent.
עֵ֝ינָ֗יו  His  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, third person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
לְֽחֵלְכָ֥ה  on  the  helpless 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֵלְכָה 
Sense: hapless, poor, unfortunate person.
יִצְפֹּֽנוּ  are  secretly  fixed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: צָפַן 
Sense: to hide, treasure, treasure or store up.