Commentaire sur Les Psaumes 10:3

For the wicked man boasts This refers to “O Lord, why do You stand from afar,” for now the wicked man boasts that he achieves all the desire of his soul.

For the wicked doth congratulate himself: – because he congratulates himself

and the robber congratulates himself for having blasphemed the Lord And the robber praises himself, saying that he has blasphemed the Lord, yet he will have peace.

upon his soul's desire: – When he does it and none denies him, Thou shalt shew him that there is One supreme over him, and he shall be caught in what he proposes to do.

congratulates Heb. בֵּרֵך, like בֵּרַך, an expression of the past tense. You should know [that this is so,] for if it were a noun, the accent would be on the first letter and it would be vowelized with a “pattah” [meaning a “seggol” under the “resh”], but this one is vowelized with a small “kamatz” [i.e., with a “tzereh”] and it is accented below on the “resh.” Do not wonder about בֵּרֵך, that he did not say: בֵּרַך, because many words spelled with a “resh” are vowelized in this manner, e.g. (below 74:18), “an enemy blasphemed (חֵרֵף) the Lord,” and it does not say חֵרַף.

And blesses the robber, him who despises the Lord: – The wicked blesses and praises the robber and him who holds on his way and despises God, and says that He is powerless to deliver the oppressed out of his hand, or that there is none who pays regard to him, as it says (5:13), He says in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

blasphemed Heb. נאץ, like חֵרֵף and Menachem interpreted every expression of נאוץ in this manner.