Psalm 9:38 — “Prepare Their Heart”

Psalm 9:38 is one of the most quoted lines from the Septuagint Psalter on the subject of prayer. The verse declares that God hears the poor — not because of the loudness of their voice, but because their heart is prepared. The phrase “the preparation of their heart” is the part many readers search for: it points to an inner readiness that God Himself sees and inclines toward.

Why is this verse numbered Psalm 9:38 in the Orthodox Bible?

If you are looking up this passage and your Bible ends Psalm 9 at verse 20 or 21, you are reading the Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. The Orthodox Bible — including the Greek Septuagint that the Orthodox Church has used liturgically for nearly two millennia — treats Psalms 9 and 10 of the Masoretic text as one continuous Psalm. That is why the verse most translations call Psalm 10:17 appears in the Orthodox Psalter as Psalm 9:38.

This numbering carries through the rest of the Psalter: from Psalm 10 (Masoretic) through Psalm 147 (Masoretic), the Orthodox numbering is offset by one. Bibles that follow Septuagint numbering — including The Orthodox Study Bible (Thomas Nelson) — place this verse at 9:38.

Comparing the two numbering systems

Both readings preserve the same spiritual sense: God listens to the humble and poor, and He Himself is at work in preparing their inner disposition. The Septuagint phrasing — “thine ear has inclined to the preparation of their heart” — gives a slightly different emphasis: it is the readiness of the heart that draws the ear of God.

What does “prepare their heart” mean?

The Greek of the Septuagint here is tēn hetoimasian tēs kardias autōn — literally “the preparation/readying of their heart.” The Church Fathers read this in two complementary ways:

• God prepares the heart. The work of readiness is itself a gift. The humble cannot even cry out unless grace first softens and forms the inner person. This is the sense the Hebrew text highlights: “thou wilt prepare their heart.”
• The heart is prepared, and God inclines to it. When a person turns away from pride, empties themselves before God, and waits in dependence, that prepared disposition is what God hears — before any words are spoken.

In Orthodox spiritual writing, this verse is often paired with the call to nepsis — a sober, attentive watchfulness of the heart — and with the prayer of the publican (Luke 18:13), who is poor in spirit, has nothing to offer but a prepared heart, and is justified.

Reading Psalm 9:38 in context

The verse sits at the close of Psalm 9 in the Orthodox numbering, a Psalm that moves from thanksgiving for deliverance (verses 2–13) to a lament over the wicked (verses 22–36), and finally to the quiet confidence that God will not forget the poor.

Verse 39 carries the same thought to its conclusion: God hears the prepared heart of the poor so that He can act on behalf of the orphan and the afflicted, and so that human boasting is silenced. Prayer that comes from a prepared heart is never merely private — it draws God’s justice into the world.

Related passages

• Psalm 50:19 (LXX): “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humbled heart God will not despise.”
• 1 Samuel 16:7: “The Lord looks on the heart.”
• Proverbs 16:1: “The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.”
• Luke 18:13: The publican’s prayer — the prepared heart of one who has nothing to offer but humility.

Frequently asked questions

Is Psalm 9:38 the same as Psalm 10:17?

Yes. In the Orthodox / Septuagint Psalter, Psalms 9 and 10 of the Hebrew Bible are joined into a single Psalm 9. The verse called Psalm 10:17 in KJV, NIV, ESV, and other Masoretic-based translations is the same verse called Psalm 9:38 in the Orthodox Bible and in The Orthodox Study Bible.

Where can I read the full chapter?

Read the complete chapter here: Psalms Chapter 9 (Orthodox Bible).

Does the Orthodox Bible have an audio reading of this Psalm?

Yes — the Orthodox Bible App includes professional audio narration of every chapter, including Psalm 9.