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Psalm 17:10
They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly.
8Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings,
9from the wicked who oppress me, my deadly enemies, who surround me.
10They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly.
11They have now surrounded us in our steps. They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.
12He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
Notice
Closed hearts and proud mouths make the surrounding threat more chilling: the speaker faces enemies whose words show no hint of concern for him.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What words, if any, have made you feel that someone was closing their heart to you?
Write on thisHow does the plea for shelter in verse 8 shape your reading of these closed hearts?
Write on thisConnect
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
James 3:5So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest!Both passages name boastful speech; James develops its danger through the picture of a small fire spreading through a forest.
Psalm 119:70Their heart is as callous as the fat, but I delight in your law.Both describe callous hearts; Psalm 119 contrasts that callousness with the speaker’s delight in God’s law.
Job 15:27because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs.The connection is loose in this wording: Job describes bodily fatness, while Psalm 17 describes a callous heart.
1 Samuel 2:3“Don’t keep talking so exceedingly proudly. Don’t let arrogance come out of your mouth, for the LORD is a God of knowledge. By him actions are weighed.Both name pride expressed through the mouth; Samuel’s passage forbids such speech because God knows and weighs actions.
Psalm 31:18Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.Both describe proud speech from hostile people; Psalm 31 asks for lips marked by lies and contempt to fall silent.
Isaiah 6:10Both describe an unresponsive heart, though Isaiah speaks of dulled understanding and Psalm 17 pairs callousness with proud speech.
Psalm 123:4Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.Both describe the proud from the receiving end of their speech; Psalm 123 names scoffing and contempt.
Psalm 73:8They scoff and speak with malice. In arrogance, they threaten oppression.Both connect arrogance with speech; Psalm 73 makes the threat explicit through words of malice and oppression.
Jude 1:16These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts—and their mouth speaks proud things—showing respect of persons to gain advantage.Both describe mouths speaking proud things; Jude also describes people showing favoritism to gain an advantage.
Job 21:7“Why do the wicked live, become old, yes, and grow mighty in power?Both concern the wicked, though Job questions their long life and power while Psalm 17 describes their callousness and speech.
Matthew 13:15for this people’s heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their …Both name callous hearts; Matthew also describes dull hearing and closed eyes that hinder understanding.
Revelation 13:5–6A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him.Both feature a mouth speaking great or proud things; Revelation also names blasphemy and authority to wage war.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger. work conflict. church hurt.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The speaker brings callousness and proud speech into his prayer for protection. You do not have to soften the account of harm when asking God for help.
Now put it in your words.
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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).