He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages. These "lurking-places" must not be supposed to have been inside the villages, but outside of them They were retired spots at no great distance, where brigands or others might lie in ambush, ready to seize on such of the villagers as might show themselves.
In the secret places doth he murder the innocent (comp. Job 24:14). The usual object would be, not murder, but robbery. Still, there would be cases where it would be convenient to remove a man, as Jezebel removed Naboth; and moreover, in every case of robbery, there is a chance that the victim may resist, and a struggle ensue, in which he may lose his life.
His eyes are privily set against the poor; or, his eyes lay ambush for the helpless (Kay). The word translated" poor" ( הֵלְכָה) is only found in this place and in Psalms 10:10, where the antithesis of "strong ones" seems to imply that the weak and helpless are meant.