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For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
Psalms 10:3 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings. He blesses the greedy, and condemns Yahweh.
  • BSB For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
  • ESV For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.
  • NKJV For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.
  • NASB ¶For the wicked boasts of his soul’s desire, And the greedy person curses and shows disrespect to the Lord.
  • NLT For they brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

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 wicked boasts of his cravings and blesses the greedy while spurning Yahweh. Sin glories in self and despises God.

Overview

This verse exposes the heart of wickedness: pride in one's desires, approval of the greedy, and contempt for the Lord. The wicked invert true values, praising what God condemns and rejecting God Himself. It diagnoses the root rebellion that the gospel addresses by giving a new heart.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 37

  • Ps 94:4How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
  • Luke 12:19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
  • Zech 11:5–8Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.
  • Mic 6:10–12Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
  • Job 31:24If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
  • Prov 28:4They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.
  • Ps 49:6They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
  • Ps 5:6Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
  • Deut 29:19And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
  • Ps 49:11–13Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
  • Isa 37:23Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
  • Ps 35:21Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
  • Exod 15:9The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
  • Eph 5:5For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
  • Isa 57:17For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.
  • Lev 26:30And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
  • 1 Sam 23:21And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me.
  • Hab 2:9Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
  • Isa 10:7–11Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.
  • Rom 1:32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
  • Deut 32:19And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.
  • Hos 12:7–8He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
  • Ps 49:18Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
  • Luke 16:14–15And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
  • 2 Tim 3:2–4For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
  • 1 Tim 6:9–10But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
  • Rom 1:29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
  • Matt 26:15–16And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
  • Luke 12:15And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
  • Col 3:5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
  • Ps 73:8–9They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
  • Jas 4:13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
  • 1 Cor 6:10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
  • Ps 52:1Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
  • 1 Jn 2:15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
  • Jer 22:17But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.
  • Jas 4:16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 10:3YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 10:3 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.