John Calvin Commentary Psalms 10:3

"For the wicked boasteth of his heart`s desire, And the covetous renounceth, [yea], contemneth Jehovah." — Psalms 10:3 (ASV)

For the ungodly praiseth himself. This verse is explained in various ways. Literally, the reading is, For praiseth the wicked or ungodly; therefore, it is necessary to supply some word, but which word is disputed. Some translate the words, ungodly and violent man, in the accusative case, as: He praiseth the ungodly, and blesseth the violent man; because they think it strange that after "praiseth" the sentence should end abruptly, without anything being said of who or what was praised.

However, it is quite common in Hebrew for the word to be expressed only once when the agent and the subject are the same person, while we repeat it to complete the sense. Therefore, the interpretation I have followed seems most proper to me: that the ungodly man praises himself, boasts of the desire of his soul, and blesses himself.

Now, it may be asked, what is this desire of soul? It is usually understood in this sense: that the ungodly flatter and applaud themselves while fortune smiles on them, they obtain their wishes, and enjoy whatever they desire. This is just as David adds a little later, that they abuse their prosperity by attempting whatever comes into their fancy.

But, in my opinion, desire of soul here denotes rather lust, and the intemperate gratification of passion and appetite. Thus, the meaning is that they indulge themselves with delight in their depraved desires. Despising the judgment of God, they fearlessly absolve themselves from all guilt, maintain their innocence, and justify their impiety. Moses uses a similar form of expression in Deuteronomy 29:19:

I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart.

David, indeed, says a little later that the ungodly abuse their prosperity by flattering themselves. But here, in my judgment, he expresses something more weighty: namely, that they acquire praise from their presumptuousness and glory in their wickedness. This foolish confidence, or bold assurance, is the cause of their throwing off all restraint and breaking forth into every kind of excess.

Accordingly, I interpret the words praise and bless as having the same meaning, just as the words, ungodly and violent man, are synonymous in this place, although they differ from each other as genus and species. What is immediately added at the end of the verse—that these ungodly persons despise God—agrees with these statements.

To translate the verb as to blaspheme, as some have done, or to provoke to anger, as others have done, is too remote from the scope of the passage. David rather teaches that the cause of their careless indulgence in the gratification of their lusts is their base contempt of God.

He who duly reflects that God will be his judge is so alarmed by this reflection that he dares not bless his soul while his conscience accuses him of guilt and of being given to the practice of sin.