Explore the Bible Online

Psalms 17:14

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

From men [which are] thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, [which have] their portion in [this] life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid [treasure]: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their [substance] to their babes.

Psalms 17:14 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Psalms 17:14

Theological / Devotional

Which are thy hand. The grammatical construction allows the translation “by the hand.”

In this life. Such men find the end of their existence in material gratification. Sensual enjoyment is the height of their ambition and their only hope of reward (see Luke 6:24 ; 16:25). Therefore they make everything subordinate to their present interests, and leave God entirely out of their reckoning.

Fillest with thy hid treasure. With respect to the object for which they live, the wicked are successful. They live only for this world, and are prosperous in the things of this world. The future life is not in their thinking. They have forfeited eternal satisfaction for merely temporal gratification. Herein lies a partial answer to one of the deepest questions of philosophy: “Why do the wicked prosper?” Their prosperity is but for the moment of this fleeting life; it is therefore inconsequential compared with the eternal prosperity of the righteous.

Children. The Oriental considered children a blessing—the greater the number, the greater the blessing (see Ps. 127:3–5). Contrariwise, there could be no greater misfortune than to have no children (see Gen. 30:1).

Rest of their substance. They have enough for themselves, and to leave as an inheritance for their children. For a picture of worldly prosperity, see Job 21:7–11.

By SdaBc