Introduction: Continuation of the Previous Psalm - The Question of the Prosperous Wicked
The Malbim explains that Psalm 10 is a direct continuation of the previous psalm. After King David spoke there about the wicked, he arrives here and poses the profound question: Why do the wicked prosper? The wicked lives out his days in comfort and abundance, and this reality itself leads people to fail to see that there is a God, blinding them to Divine Providence in the world.
לָמָה יְהֹוָה תַּעֲמֹד בְּרָחוֹק תַּעְלִים לְעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה׃ - Why, Hashem, do You stand afar, concealing Yourself in times of distress?
The plea is twofold. In ordinary times: Why, Master of the Universe, do You consistently stand afar, as though You are not supervising what takes place here, as though Your eyes do not watch over the deeds of mankind? The proof of this apparent distance is that such an egregious evildoer persists in his wickedness and no one exacts retribution from him. And in a time of distress, when the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were draws near to the world to judge mankind for their evil deeds, even then David's mind is not at ease: for even when You do exact retribution from the wicked, You do not do so openly, but rather through the veil of nature. "You conceal Yourself" - You hide, and You do not reveal that it is Your hand at work.
And this is precisely reality. If people are asked how Hitler met his end, they will say he committed suicide, that the Allies won, and the like. True, he paid a price - but in what manner? Through natural means. David longs that when the wicked is stricken, there should be something supernatural about it, an overt miracle, so that everyone will proclaim: Behold, he has paid his reckoning; behold, justice has been served!
The Alshich's Interpretation: "Afar" - The Letters of the Divine Name
There is a wonderful explanation here by the holy Alshich. The Holy One, blessed be He, swore that neither His Name nor His throne will be complete until vengeance is taken upon Amalek, as it is written: "For a hand is raised upon the throne (kes) of Yah: Hashem maintains a war against Amalek from generation to generation" - it is written Y-H without the continuation of V-H. According to this, the Alshich explains: "Why, Hashem, do You stand afar" - why do the letters of the Divine Name stand afar, with the Y-H separated from the V-H? And the answer is: because the Name is not yet whole, for as long as Amalek exists in the world, the Name is not complete.
The Alshich further analyzed the wording: Why does the verse say "le'itot batzarah" (for the appointed times in distress) rather than "be'itot tzarah" (in times of distress)? Our Sages taught that there are two potential endpoints for redemption: "If they merit it - I will hasten it; if they do not merit it - in its due time (be'itah)," and likewise two potential times for vengeance against Amalek. And this is the plea: Is it on account of those future appointed times that You close Your eyes to the current distress? The Jewish people are enduring anguish - why do You not redeem them now? Simply because we must wait until that appointed time when the name of Amalek will be wiped out?
"Through the Arrogance of the Wicked, the Poor Is Persecuted" - When the Rod Conceals the Striker
בְּגַאֲוַת רָשָׁע יִדְלַק עָנִי יִתָּפְשׂוּ בִּמְזִמּוֹת זוּ חָשָׁבוּ׃ - Through the arrogance of the wicked, the poor is hotly pursued; may they be caught in the schemes they devised.
The Malbim explains: It appears as though the evildoer pursues the poor man out of his own pride, of his own accord, and it is not apparent that the matter is in Hashem's hands. Yet it is obvious that even the wicked man's deeds do not originate from him alone: when the wicked perpetrates evil, that affliction was already decreed upon the poor man; otherwise, Heaven forbid, we would have to say that something can happen outside of Divine Providence. The wicked, therefore, is merely the rod of Hashem's wrath, the staff used by the Creator. But this very dynamic causes David pain, because it makes everything appear to unfold according to the laws of nature.
What does the afflicted person think? "Who is persecuting me? The wicked man." If You, Master of the Universe, were to send him the suffering directly, he would instantly recognize what is demanded of him and mend his ways. But now he imagines that we have a problem with the Palestinians, a developing crisis in Syria, the Iranians entrenching themselves there, Assad raising his head, and Hezbollah arming themselves. The moment the affliction appears natural, we seek natural solutions. We, who are supposed to receive the distress and draw the proper spiritual conclusions from it, fail to do so. A person sees a conflict with this enemy or that adversary and ponders how to eliminate them, failing to perceive that the matter is between himself and the Holy One, blessed be He, and that he must repent and rectify his ways.
And this is "Through the arrogance of the wicked, the poor is hotly pursued": the wicked in his arrogance pursues the poor, and the poor is harmed because of his lack of emunah, for he fails to see the Holy One, blessed be He. "They are caught in the schemes they devised" - people mistakenly think that the wicked person acts on his own, and thereby lose their emunah, and as a result they are delivered into his hands. For the wicked person is meant to awaken us, but since one does not see the hand of Hashem in him, but rather the hand of a villain, he seeks physical ways to contend with him - and has lost his emunah. Thus, the mistaken thought - that my problem is with the wicked man - is itself what causes me to fall into the hands of the wicked: I did not do what was required, I did not repent, and therefore the wicked person indeed succeeds in harming the poor. "In the schemes they devised" - in these thoughts they are trapped, as they believe the wicked person possesses independent power, and therefore they battle him instead of turning to Hashem.
The Malbim offers another explanation: the word "hide" (ta'alim) from the previous verse also applies to our verse - "You hide in the arrogance of the wicked." In a time of distress, You conceal Yourself beneath the arrogance of the wicked man who pursues the poor; Your power, which is the true driving force, is hidden, and it appears as if the wicked person does so of his own haughtiness. Certainly the wicked person is evil - do not misunderstand - but we must all realize that the wicked person is merely a stick. We must not be like "the face of the generation is like the face of a dog," like a dog that, when struck with a stick, tries to bite the stick. And about this David questions: Why do You conceal the stick, to the point that we do not know to repent and return to You?
The Radak offers an interesting explanation here: "They are caught in the schemes they devised" is a prayer uttered by David. May it be Your will that the wicked be ensnared by the very same plot they planned to trap the poor with.
"For the wicked boasts" - When Attainment Exceeds Desire
כִּי־הִלֵּל רָשָׁע עַל־תַּאֲוַת נַפְשׁוֹ וּבֹצֵעַ בֵּרֵךְ נִאֵץ יְהֹוָה׃ - For the wicked boasts of his soul's desire, and the robber blesses himself, yet blasphemes Hashem.
The Malbim explains: The wicked person praises and glorifies himself over his desires. Note that for most people, their desires exceed their capacity to attain them. Our wants and ambitions are greater than what we actually achieve. No person achieves all his desires: he who has one hundred wants two hundred. Desire is always greater than attainment; a person always craves more than what he acquires.
Except for the wicked man. With him, the proportion is reversed: he attains more than he desires. He has more money than he could ever spend on food and drink, all his lusts have already been sated, and nothing excites him anymore. Therefore, a wicked person who reaches such a state often ends his own life, for he has lost all taste for living - when there is nothing left to strive for, and he has no God, why continue living? This is "For the wicked boasts over his soul's desire": he glories in attaining even more than he had craved.
"And the robber blesses, blaspheming Hashem" - "the robber" (botzea) refers to one who steals. Whoever blesses and praises the wicked robber, envying him, thereby blasphemes Hashem and provokes His wrath. And this is what we said: thoughts are what bring a person down. A person observes and sees: look how successful the wicked man is, look how good he has it, he has already satisfied all his cravings and is still looking for more - perhaps it is worthwhile to be wicked? Thus, once again, the persecuted brings the evil upon himself, because he praises the wicked, marvels at his deeds, and envies him, and because of this, strict Heavenly judgment is aroused against him.
"The Wicked, in the Haughtiness of His Countenance" - Why Do You Not Seek to Punish Him?
רָשָׁע כְּגֹבַהּ אַפּוֹ בַּל־יִדְרֹשׁ אֵין אֱלֹהִים כׇּל־מְזִמּוֹתָיו׃ - The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek; "There is no God," are all his thoughts.
On this, David asks: Why does Hashem not seek to punish the wicked? After all, he acts "in the haughtiness of his countenance," with haughtiness of heart and towering arrogance, turning up his nose, and completely denying the reality of the Creator - "There is no God" are all his thoughts; this is all he thinks. And if Hashem punishes the victim who schemes mistakenly, who fails to see the hand of Hashem and therefore does not repent, all the more so would it be fitting to punish the pursuer who is an absolute heretic! The Malbim explains that the verse is read as if to say: "Will You not seek [to punish] the wicked for the haughtiness of his countenance?" - even though all his thoughts are that there is no God, and even though he acts with haughtiness, You do not seek to punish him.
Rashi, however, explains differently: "'He will not seek; there is no God' are all his thoughts" - the wicked person says in his thoughts that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not examine his deeds, does not keep track of them, and will not exact retribution from him. Thus, according to the Malbim, "He does not seek" refers to Hashem, Who does not seek to punish him, whereas according to Rashi, it refers to the words of the wicked person in his heart.
"His ways prosper at all times" - Unnatural Success
יָחִילוּ דְרָכָו בְּכׇל־עֵת מָרוֹם מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ מִנֶּגְדּוֹ כׇּל־צוֹרְרָיו יָפִיחַ בָּהֶם׃ - "His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are far above him; as for all his adversaries, he traps them."
The Malbim explains that yachilu is related to chayil, meaning success and strength, as in "he achieved success" (asah chayil). A person seeking natural success does not succeed in every path or at every time. There are many paths, and only if he chooses the right one will he succeed; there are various times, and only if he chooses the right time will he prosper. Someone who opens a business during a recession has likely chosen the wrong time. But for the wicked man, "his ways prosper at all times" - whatever path he chooses he prospers, and at whatever time he goes he thrives. For him, there is no time that is more or less favorable, and no path more or less successful. Whichever way he rolls the dice, it lands on six. This is already supernatural, for in nature some paths are more successful than others, and some times are more opportune than others.
"Your judgments are far above him" - even when You execute judgment in the world and afflictions come, such as pestilence and famine, Your judgments soar above him and do not affect him. Not only that, but "as for all his adversaries, he traps them" - he uses those very troubles as a snare for his foes. For instance, when a famine strikes, which under normal circumstances should harm him as well, he becomes the head of the mafia controlling the grain warehouses, making a massive profit from the famine on the backs of the poor and destitute who perish from hunger. Thus, the calamity not only leaves him unscathed, but actually serves as a catalyst for his success: he exploits the judgments and tribulations in the world to snare his adversaries, ensuring that the judgments fall upon them while he remains untouched.
The Malbim offers an additional interpretation: yachilu is akin to yachulu - his ways take effect and endure at all times. The Radak brings yet another explanation: yachilu derives from trembling, as in "travail like that of a woman in childbirth" (chil keyoledah) - he casts terror upon the poor at all times, and anyone who sees him is seized with fear and trembling. Similarly, the Radak interprets "Your judgments are far above him" differently from the Malbim, reading it as an outcry to Hashem: Exalted One! Master of the Universe on high, see how the judgments do not harm him and do nothing to him, which is why he dares to do as he does.
"He said in his heart, I shall not be moved" - Fearless Wickedness
אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ בַּל־אֶמּוֹט לְדֹר וָדֹר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־בְרָע׃ - "He said in his heart: 'I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall never be in adversity.'"
One might suggest: while he does enjoy success, it is only external, for inside he is plagued by constant dread that he will be caught and that evil will befall him for his deeds. This was the argument Eliphaz presented to Iyov, as we learned in Sefer Iyov: You claim the wicked prospers? That is not true success, for he lives in perpetual fear of stumbling and falling; he fears punishment, and he fears the punishment will strike his children, knowing well the injustices he has committed. To this David replies: do not think the wicked man I am speaking of feels fear. His heart is not filled with dread; he is confident in his success and says to himself, "I shall not be moved" - I will never collapse; misfortune will never strike me.
Some may recall how, years ago, when people spoke about Sharon, he would always say that his grandmother lived to such and such an age, his mother to such an age, his aunt to such an age - in short, we come from hearty stock that endures for many years. At the time of the Disengagement, when Rav Ovadia Yosef was deeply pained by the matter, he said: May Hashem strike him with a single stroke in his head so that he lies down and does not rise. People close to Sharon, terrified of the curse, came to the Rav asking him to retract it. The Rav told them: Do not worry, he will live a long life. And both things were fulfilled: he "lay down and did not rise," and he also lived a long life - lying in bed for years in a vegetative state, in a coma, breathing on his own. Thus, a person can commit wickedness and say in his heart, "I shall not be moved," nothing will happen to me, our family endures for years, confident in his heart that no evil will ever overtake him.
Moreover, he is confident that no harm will come to his children either: "Throughout all generations" - even the generations that follow him will not be harmed. He has no fear or dread of future evil befalling him, as though he were entirely above it: "I shall never be in adversity" - all the evil in the world has nothing to do with him; in his realm, evil does not exist.
"His mouth is full of curses" - The Outer Mouth and the Inner Tongue
אָלָה פִּיהוּ מָלֵא וּמִרְמוֹת וָתֹךְ תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ עָמָל וָאָוֶן׃ - "His mouth is full of curses, deceit, and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity."
"Alah" refers to an oath, as in "and heard the voice of an oath" (vesham'ah kol alah). The wicked person constantly presents himself as God-fearing, swears in the Name of Hashem, and his mouth is full of outward words of faith. But "deceit and fraud" (mirmot vatokh) - on the inside lies deceit. The Malbim explains: "mirmah" is overt deceit, while "tokh" is hidden deception, that which is kept within.
We have already learned several times in Mishlei the distinction between "mouth" (peh) and "tongue" (lashon): the mouth represents external speech, whereas the tongue represents inner speech. Outwardly, "his mouth is full of oaths" - he swears and puts on a display of faith, but it is all mouth and external show. If you wish to know what lies within - "under his tongue is mischief and iniquity." The tongue reflects the interior, and he conceals within himself that his goals and schemes are always directed toward evil. This demonstrates the magnitude of his wickedness: he seeks to captivate people with his words and present himself as a righteous man, as one who holds the honor of Heaven before his eyes - while beneath his tongue lies pure evil.
The Wicked and the Lion: Three Stages of Life
יֵשֵׁב בְּמַאְרַב חֲצֵרִים בַּמִּסְתָּרִים יַהֲרֹג נָקִי עֵינָיו לְחֵלְכָה יִצְפֹּנוּ׃ - He sits in the ambush of the courtyards; in secret places he kills the innocent; his eyes watch secretly for the helpless.
יֶאֱרֹב בַּמִּסְתָּר כְּאַרְיֵה בְסֻכֹּה יֶאֱרֹב לַחֲטוֹף עָנִי יַחְטֹף עָנִי בְּמׇשְׁכוֹ בְרִשְׁתּוֹ׃ - He lies in ambush in a secret place, like a lion in his lair; he lies in ambush to seize the poor; he catches the poor man, dragging him into his net.
The Malbim compares the wicked to a lion, the fiercest of beasts and a predator of prey. Yet this is not an exact parallel, for throughout the stages of life, the wicked man differs from the lion. A mature lion typically ventures out of its den to chase after beasts, seize prey, and sustain itself; but when it is young, a cub (kefir), it lacks the daring to go out and pursue, so it hides in its den and waits for an animal to pass nearby, pounces on it, kills it, and drags it inside. With the wicked, it is the reverse: in his youth, he ventures out and pursues like a mature lion, but as he matures, he sits in his lair and preys upon whoever comes to him without going out.
So too in old age: when a lion grows old, it weakens, and "the old lion perishes for lack of prey" - it has no strength left to hunt. The wicked man, however, is different; even in his old age, he persists in his wickedness and devours his prey.
According to this: "He sits in the ambush of the courtyards" - in his youth, he sits in ambush and ventures out against his prey, lying in wait and charging toward them; "in secret places he kills the innocent." "His eyes watch secretly for chelekha" - that innocent victim lifts his eyes to You, waiting for Your army (heilekha), for Your strength to help him. Although "chelekha" is spelled with the letter heh, the commentators have already noted that this is one of the places where a heh stands in place of a final chaf, as if it said "heilcha" - Your strength. Some do not accept this explanation, since it should have been written "heilcha" with a yud, whereas here it is written "chelkhah" without a yud; nevertheless, most commentators explain that it refers to Your army and Your power. At that very moment, the wicked man kills the poor man, even as his eyes secretly and deep in his heart yearn for Your salvation. He lies in ambush in the courtyard in secret places, leaps upon his prey, pursues him, and kills the innocent man who awaits Hashem's salvation - and where is Your salvation, Master of the Universe? Why do You not save him?
"He lies in ambush in a secret place, like a lion in his lair" - when he matures and becomes established, he is like the young lion who sits in his lair awaiting prey: in a single moment, he pounces, catches it, and drags it into his den. Yet if the lion does not succeed on the first leap, it gives up. One can see this in nature films: a lion attempts to chase a gazelle, and if it fails in the first few strides, it abandons the attempt and slinks back with its tail between its legs. Sometimes, when it thinks it can, it continues pursuing for a while; but when it leaves the lair in its youth, it emerges only to pounce and does not conduct lengthy chases. The wicked man is worse than this: "he catches the poor man, dragging him into his net" - he snatches and pulls into his net in such a manner that nothing is hidden from his wrath, and no one manages to escape him clean; in the end, he casts his net over him and overtakes him.
יִדְכֶּה יָשֹׁחַ וְנָפַל בַּעֲצוּמָיו חֵל כָּאִים׃ - He is crushed, he crouches, and the helpless fall into his mighty claws.
When a lion grows old, it lacks the strength to pursue or even venture out of its den. But the wicked man is worse: even when "he is crushed and crouches," even when he is elderly and walks stooped with advanced age - "the helpless fall into his mighty claws." "Heil ka'im" is akin to a company of the downtrodden, and "ka'im" means stricken, broken, related to "a broken spirit" (nekheh ru'ach). And "numerous (atzumim) are all his victims." Thus, he harms people across all three stages of his life: in his youth, in his maturity, and in his old age.
Three Stages in the Deterioration of Heresy
אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ שָׁכַח אֵל הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו בַּל־רָאָה לָנֶצַח׃ - He says in his heart, "God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see."
Notice the deterioration. At first, the wicked man says in his heart, "God has forgotten" - one only forgets something that was previously remembered. That is to say, it is true that Hashem sees and watches over the world, but sometimes He forgets to punish immediately, as it says, "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily" - things slip through the cracks. In the next stage, he becomes even more licentious: "He has hidden His face" - Hashem does not watch over the world at all; His glory is in the heavens, and He does not look at what happens down here. And in the third stage, his heresy deepens further: "He will never see" - seeing and knowing are, as it were, not part of God's nature; He has no ability to see at all what occurs here. As the Rambam cites in the third part of Moreh Nevuchim regarding the opinion of the philosophers who completely denied God's knowledge, as if He neither sees nor knows anything taking place here, and as it says, "Yah does not see, and the God of Yaakov does not understand." We see, then, that the three periods in the wicked man's life are also three stages in the deterioration of his faith.
"Arise, Hashem" - David's Plea
קוּמָה יְהֹוָה אֵל נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח עֲנָוִים׃ - Arise, Hashem! O God, lift up Your hand; do not forget the humble.
Here David pleads: Master of the Universe, arise in Your mercy to save us; "lift up Your hand" - raise Your hand to display Your might. And this is truly fitting, for "do not forget the humble" - do not forget these oppressed people who have no comforter and no rescuer. And "humble" (anavim) here has the connotation of the downtrodden.
עַל־מֶה נִאֵץ רָשָׁע אֱלֹהִים אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ לֹא תִדְרֹשׁ׃ - Why does the wicked man blaspheme God, saying in his heart, "You will not demand an accounting"?
How long will the wicked man continue to blaspheme God and claim that You lack the power? And why should he say in his heart, "You will not demand an accounting," denying Your providence and claiming that You do not know, do not supervise, and do not hold the evildoer to account to punish him?
רָאִתָה כִּי־אַתָּה עָמָל וָכַעַס תַּבִּיט לָתֵת בְּיָדֶךָ עָלֶיךָ יַעֲזֹב חֵלֵכָה יָתוֹם אַתָּה הָיִיתָ עוֹזֵר׃ - You have seen, for You look upon mischief and grief, to take it into Your hand; the unfortunate leaves his cause to You; You have been the helper of the orphan.
After all, You watch and see the deeds of the wicked, and not only his deeds, but also his thoughts. A human being can only see what his fellow does externally, but the Holy One, blessed be He, sees the inner workings of his thoughts as well. "Mischief" (amal) refers to the evil thought, and "grief" (ka'as) refers to the intent to provoke anger - You gaze upon both of them. Therefore, You certainly have the power "to take it into Your hand" - he is placed in Your hand, and it is within Your power to repay him.
And do not say, Master of the Universe, that You leave his retribution to nature. What is punishment within the framework of nature? That he suddenly gets into a traffic accident because he did not look while crossing the street; an onlooker thinks something natural occurred, when in truth Hashem punished him, only in a natural guise. Against this, David argues: Why should You bring about a situation where he is harmed only through natural means?
"The unfortunate leaves his cause to You; You have been the helper of the orphan" - the Malbim explains: the orphan whom You have always helped, whom You have aided from time immemorial because He is "a Father of orphans," with special providence above the laws of nature - nature leaves him to You. It is as if nature says: Why should I strike the wicked man? After all, there is Hashem, and He always helps the poor. To what can this be compared? To a king's son, or an orphan whom the king raised and whose needs the king provides for personally. When he lacks anything, the king's legion (chayil) and servants see no need to attend to him, for the king himself cares for him. So too, Your army (chayil) - which is nature - leaves him to You: as it were, it does not intervene, since "You have been the helper of the orphan," and You will save him and You will punish the wicked. And Rashi cites the interpretation of Menachem, that chelecha is not derived from chayil (might or army), but from chelka'im, the downtrodden: "the unfortunate leaves his cause to You" - the destitute and oppressed rely on You, and for You they wait.
שְׁבֹר זְרוֹעַ רָשָׁע וָרָע תִּדְרוֹשׁ־רִשְׁעוֹ בַל־תִּמְצָא׃ - Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; seek out his wickedness until You find none.
Please, Hashem, break the arm of the wicked Yourself, and search out the wickedness of the evil person - and the ultimate goal: "until You find none," that evil will no longer be found in the world, that sin will cease and the wicked will repent.
"Hashem is King forever and ever" - A King Not Dependent on a Nation
יְהֹוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד אָבְדוּ גוֹיִם מֵאַרְצוֹ׃ - Hashem is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His land.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, is not like a flesh-and-blood king. If the entire country sins against a mortal king, what can he do - destroy them all? True, there are such kings, but there are also more reasonable kings. A king is limited, for there is no king without a nation, and if he destroys them all, what will become of his kingdom? But with the Holy One, Blessed be He, this dilemma does not exist, for He is the "Master of the universe Who reigned before any creature was created," and He has no constraint stemming from a fear that He might have no nation. Therefore, You are an eternal King, not dependent on them, and Your sovereignty does not change - and even if "nations have perished from His land," even if all the inhabitants of the world perish, Hashem reigns forever.
"You have heard the desire of the humble" - Hearing and Attentive Listening
תַּאֲוַת עֲנָוִים שָׁמַעְתָּ יְהֹוָה תָּכִין לִבָּם תַּקְשִׁיב אׇזְנֶךָ׃ - You have heard the desire of the humble, Hashem; You prepare their heart, Your ear listens attentively.
Here David concludes his plea: Please Hashem, hear the longing of the humble. And not only should You hear when they speak and express it with their mouth and cry out to You, but also "prepare their heart" - at the moment the heart is only beginning to prepare, merely yearning to ask, just beginning to think and desire, before having even uttered it from the heart - even then, let "Your ear listen attentively" to fulfill their desire.
Seemingly, the phrasing is imprecise: "tachin libam" sounds as if You will prepare their heart, so it should have said "yachin libam" [in the masculine]. The Malbim senses this, and in his linguistic commentary (Biur HaMilot), he notes that "tachin" is in the third-person feminine - it [the desire] will prepare: the desire will prepare their heart so that Your ear will listen. The very act of yearning already prepares the heart, and the plea is that Your ear listen to this.
And what is the difference between "listening" (takshev) and "hearing" (shamata)? The Malbim has already explained in several places that attentive listening surpasses mere hearing: one who listens attentively (makshiv) tunes in even from afar, whereas one who hears (shome'a) hears only from nearby. Therefore, the plea is: "Prepare their heart, Your ear listens attentively" - even to what the yearning prepares within the heart, to a desire that has not yet been spoken aloud, to that as well, listen attentively.
"To judge the orphan and the oppressed" - That There Be No Single Tyrant Over All the Earth
לִשְׁפֹּט יָתוֹם וָדָךְ בַּל־יוֹסִיף עוֹד לַעֲרֹץ אֱנוֹשׁ מִן־הָאָרֶץ׃ - To bring justice to the orphan and the oppressed, so that man from the earth will no longer terrify.
There are two requests here. The first: that You render justice for the orphan and the downtrodden against the tyrants who oppress them. And the second: "so that man from the earth will no longer terrify" - that mortal man should not continue to grow strong in tyranny. The letter mem in the phrase "min ha'aretz" is a comparative mem, like "greater than his brothers" (gadol me'echav): do not allow any single mortal man to become more tyrannical than the rest of the land, stronger than everyone else, for then he could do whatever he pleases and perpetrate the wicked deeds of which David speaks here. Let no mortal man grow so tyrannical as to dominate over all and possess power greater than all.
Rather, let judgment belong to the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself: if a person has done evil - let the punishment not come through a tyrant. Do not bring us a Nebuchadnezzar who brings affliction upon the entire world; rather, let the affliction come directly from Hashem. Through this, people will recognize that the hand of Hashem has done this, outside the ordinary course of nature, and the sinner will repent. But when one thinks that the trouble comes from the tyrant, and that tyrant is mighty, exalted, and afflicts many, the Jewish people do not realize that their reckoning is with the Holy One, Blessed be He. Instead, they tell themselves: Nebuchadnezzar conquered many kingdoms, so now he has reached here as well. And because that mortal man is so elevated above the earth and a tyrant over the entire land, we fail to realize that this is the hand of Hashem. Please, Hashem, let the punishment come through Your own individual Divine Providence directly from You upon the sinners, so that through this they will return to You in teshuvah, and the calamity will depart from them.
In summary:
Psalm 10 is David's cry over the concealment of the Divine face: not only over the success of the wicked, but primarily over the fact that even when the Holy One, Blessed be He, exacts retribution, it occurs through natural means, and the hand of Hashem is not readily apparent. The Malbim guides us through the stages of the wicked man's persona - his boasting in his lust, his success on every path and at all times, his absolute confidence that "I shall not be moved," his mouth full of oaths and his tongue full of mischief, his preying upon victims across the three periods of his life, and the three stages of his denial: "God has forgotten," "He has hidden His face," "He will never see." The message for us is clear: the wicked oppressor is merely a stick, and we must not be like the dog that bites the stick. When we attribute our troubles to flesh and blood, we lose our faith and fall into his hands; but when we see the hand of Hashem, we return in teshuvah. Therefore, David concludes with the plea that judgment come from the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself through open, individual Divine Providence, and not through a tyrant whose power looms over the entire earth - for then, all will recognize that the hand of Hashem is at work, they will return in teshuvah, and the evil will be removed.