“His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 10:5 Mean?
"His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them." The wicked person lives in three ways: their paths are always painful to others (grievous), God's judgments are invisible to them (far above out of his sight), and they dismiss all opponents with contempt (puffing at enemies). The portrait is of someone who causes harm, ignores God, and disrespects everyone.
The phrase "always grievous" (yachilu — they writhe, cause pain, are stable in evil) means the wicked person's ways consistently produce suffering: not occasionally harmful but ALWAYS grievous. The consistency is the character. The harm isn't an aberration. It's a pattern.
The "thy judgments are far above out of his sight" (marom mishpateka minnegdo — your judgments are too high, beyond his perception) means the wicked person can't see God's justice: it's above his line of sight. He looks at the world and sees no divine standard. The judgments exist but are invisible to him — not because they're hidden but because he's looking in the wrong direction.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which of these three — causing harm, ignoring God's standards, dismissing people — is creeping into your life?
- 2.What does 'always grievous' teach about the difference between occasional mistakes and consistent character?
- 3.How does God's judgments being 'far above out of his sight' describe the blindness cultivated by persistent sin?
- 4.Who are you 'puffing at' — dismissing with contempt — and what does that reveal?
Devotional
Always grievous. God's judgments invisible. Enemies dismissed with a puff. Three characteristics of the wicked — and they're all connected: the person who causes constant harm does so because they can't see God's justice, and the person who can't see God's justice naturally dismisses everyone else as irrelevant.
The 'always grievous' means this isn't about bad days or temporary failures. The wicked person's ways are ALWAYS painful to others. The harm is consistent. The pattern never breaks. If someone's effect on the people around them is reliably painful, the problem isn't circumstance. It's character.
The 'thy judgments are far above out of his sight' explains the mechanism: the wicked person can't see divine accountability. God's judgments exist — they're real, they're operating — but they're beyond the wicked person's perception. Like a person who can't see ultraviolet light, the wicked person lives in a world where God's standards simply don't register. The blindness isn't imposed. It's cultivated. They've looked away so long that looking back is impossible.
The 'puffeth at them' — blowing dismissively at enemies — is the arrogance that follows the blindness: when you can't see God's judgments, you lose respect for everyone else too. The puff is contempt made breath — a snort, a dismissal, a 'you're nothing to me' exhaled at every opponent. The person who doesn't fear God doesn't respect anyone.
Which of these three — causing harm, ignoring God's standards, dismissing people — is present in your life?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
His ways are always grievous,.... To God and to his people; or, "his ways cause terror" (a), so Aben Ezra; make men…
His ways are always grievous - His paths; his manner of life; his conduct toward God; his dealings with men. The word…
David, in these verses, discovers,
I. A very great affection to God and his favour; for, in the time of trouble, that…
Cross References
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