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Psalm 10:18

to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.

16The LORD is King forever and ever! The nations will perish out of his land.
17LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear,
18to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.
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Notice

The words “terrify no more” express a longing for justice that reaches beyond a verdict to the end of the fear imposed on the vulnerable.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

Whose situation comes to mind when you read “the fatherless and the oppressed”?

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What would “terrify no more” look like for someone whose safety concerns you?

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How does calling the one who terrifies “of the earth” shape your view of their power?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 12:5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in safety from those who …Both passages connect God’s response to oppression with safety for people who have been threatened or harmed.
Psalm 82:3“Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.Both name the fatherless and oppressed as people whose cause requires justice and defense.
Psalm 9:9The LORD will also be a high tower for the oppressed; a high tower in times of trouble.Both passages look to the LORD for protection of the oppressed amid danger.
Psalm 68:5A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.Both name the fatherless as recipients of God’s care, describing him as father or judge on their behalf.
Isaiah 11:4but he will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with …Both passages connect judgment on behalf of vulnerable people with an end to the power of those who harm them.
1 Corinthians 15:47–48The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven.Both describe man as “of the earth,” though Paul contrasts the first man with the Lord from heaven rather than discussing oppression.
Luke 18:7–8Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them?Both connect cries heard by God with his action to bring justice for those who seek him.
Exodus 21:26“If a man strikes his servant’s eye, or his maid’s eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.Both texts concern protection from harm: the psalm seeks an end to terror, while Exodus requires freedom for a servant whose eye is destroyed.
Leviticus 25:14“‘If you sell anything to your neighbor, or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.Both oppose harm done to others, though Leviticus addresses fair dealings in trade rather than deliverance from terror.
2 Samuel 18:19Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me now run and carry the king news, how the LORD has avenged him of his enemies.”Both attribute justice to the LORD, though Ahimaaz speaks of the king’s enemies and the psalm names the fatherless and oppressed.
Job 20:19For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor. He has violently taken away a house, and he will not build it up.Both name oppression of vulnerable people; the Job passage describes dispossession, while the psalm seeks judgment that ends terror.
Luke 16:25“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted …Both concern relief from suffering, though Luke describes Lazarus receiving comfort after death while the psalm seeks an end to human terror.
Where this verse fits

Injustice and anger. fear for the future.

What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about fear →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Ask God to defend those living under threats

prayeroncelight
Encouragement

The terror named here is real, and the prayer seeks its end. Those who cause it are of the earth; YHWH is King forever and ever.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 10:18. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 10 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).