Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call him to account for his wickedness until none is left to be found.
Parallel translations
- WEB Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.
- KJV Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
- ESV Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.
- NKJV Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
- NASB Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
- NLT Break the arms of these wicked, evil people! Go after them until the last one is destroyed.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The psalmist prays God to break the arm of the wicked and call evil fully to account. He asks God to end oppression by judging it completely.
Overview
To 'break the arm' is to shatter the power of the oppressor so he can harm no more. The plea that God seek out wickedness 'until none is found' asks for thorough and final justice. Such prayers leave vengeance to God rather than to human hands, trusting His righteous judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 37:17For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
- Job 38:15Light is withheld from the wicked, and their upraised arm is broken.
- Zeph 1:12And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’
- Ps 7:9Put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.
- Ezek 30:21–22“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.
- Zech 11:17Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered and his right eye utterly blinded!”
- Jer 2:34Moreover, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor, though you did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things
- Ps 3:7Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
- Ezek 23:48So I will put an end to indecency in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your behavior.
- 2 Kgs 21:12–15this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that the news will reverberate in the ears of all who hear it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 10:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.