Pronoun Perplexity

The wicked will see it and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish. Psalm 112:10 NASB

See it – What’s “it”? What will the wicked see? Will they see the revenge of the man of God, as might be suggested by adding a few words to verse 8? Will they see the prosperity of the righteous as if “horn” meant plenty? Will they see the honor God gives His elect servants and gnash their teeth over that? Probably none of these. Do the wicked really care what happens to the righteous? Are they really jealous about those who are obedient? Probably not. In my experience, the wicked could care less about what the righteous do or don’t do as long as it doesn’t interfere with them. Whatever this verse is about, it must be something that the wicked actually care about. What do you suppose that is?

The problem is, once again, an added word. The Hebrew reads, “The wicked will see and be vexed.” It isn’t that they will see something (an “it”). The verse simply says that the wicked will see (yireh). It doesn’t specify anything more. The root verb (ra’a) has a wide variety of meanings surrounding the idea of observation. “To see, look, mirror, appear, inspect, look at” and even, as we commonly use the term, “to understand.” TWOT suggests that there are five important extended meanings for this verb.

(1) rāʾâ designates the saving, understanding, believing acceptance of the Word of God as delivered by his accredited messengers.^[1]

(2) rāʾâ has the sense of the act of acceptance, especially on the part of God. God says to Noah, “Thee have I seen righteous” (Gen 7:1). Another example is Num 23:21.

(3) Another sense is “to provide,” usually of God’s provision: I Sam 16:1, Gen 22:8, 14 (as in English to see to something is to provide it).

(4) “To have respect to” is another, especially of God in acting with mercy (Isa 38:5; Ps 138:6).^[2]

(5) Of special importance is that rāʾâ is employed far more than any other word for the act of an authentic prophet in receiving oracles from God.^[3]

Let’s reread this verse with these distinctions in mind. What, then, do the wicked “see”? Can we suggest that the wicked “see” the man of God as God’s visible word of confrontation? The reason they gnash their teeth is because this encounter calls their lives into question. It isn’t one thing or another that bothers them. It is the presence of God in the life of this man. That’s what vexes them. It’s the irritant that they are out of alignment with the Creator. That they have missed the real point of life.

But notice this. The man of God does not have to tell them. It isn’t his words that give them heartburn. It’s the fact of his existence. This isn’t about verbal evangelism. This is about living. “What distinguished the righteous from the wicked? The wicked are trapped by material things that bring them pleasure; the righteous are enchanted by the mystery of the Divine inherent in things. Their wonder sustains their lives.”[4]

“The problem was not whether to trust God but whether to trust one’s acceptance of God. ‘For in much wisdom there is much pain, and he who increases knowledge increases pain’ (Ecclesiastes 1:18).”[5]

Topical Index: see, ra’a, wicked, Psalm 112:10

^[1] Culver, R. D. (1999). 2095 רָאָה. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 823). Chicago: Moody Press.

^[2] Ibid.

^[3] Ibid.

[4] Abraham Heschel, A Passion for Truth, p. 25.

[5] Ibid., p. 94.