Psalms 9 and 10 were originally one Psalm. It is an acrostic Psalm, that is to say verse 1 started with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the second verse with the second letter, until the end of the alphabet.

Thus it is an artificial gathering together of thoughts around a particular theme, namely that God destroys the wicked and saves the humble. However, we experience reality as somewhat different from that. Hence the writer complains to God about the apparent injustices of life. The Psalm echoes the complaint of Jeremiah [Jer 12:1] and the theology of the book of Job: Why do wicked men prosper and the innocent suffer?

Psalm 10 is one of the "Psalms of Complaint." In human terms, complaining is not a very nice or acceptable attitude. Yet, in the Bible we find complaints addressed to God. It is consoling to know that we may complain to God! Jeremiah 12:1 teaches an important point: complaints made to God in prayer must be made within the context of respect and reverence. Thus Psalm 10 acknowledges that God does watch over us in times of misery and sorrow, for God is the helper of the fatherless.