Psalm chapter 53
English Standard Version
1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. 2God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 4Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? 5There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them. 6Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
New International Version
New American Standard Bible
1The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good. 2God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God. 3Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. 4Have the workers of injustice no knowledge, Who eat up My people like they ate bread, And have not called upon God? 5They were in great fear there, where no fear had been; For God scattered the bones of him who encamped against you; You put them to shame, because God had rejected them. 6Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of His people, Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.
Christian Standard Bible
1For the choir director: on Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool says in his heart, "There’s no God." They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good. 2God looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God.
3All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. 4Will evildoers never understand? They consume my people as they consume bread; they do not call on God.
5Then they will be filled with dread— dread like no other — because God will scatter the bones of those who besiege you. You will put them to shame, for God has rejected them. 6Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
New Living Translation
2God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. 3But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!
King James Version
New King James Version
1{To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath.” A Contemplation of David.} The fool has said in his heart, “ There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good. 2God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. 4Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon God? 5 There they are in great fear Where no fear was, For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you; You have put them to shame, Because God has despised them. 6 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
What does Psalm chapter 53 mean?
This psalm opens with a declaration that "the fool" denies God's existence. The Hebrew word translated as "fool" in this verse is nā'bāl. This doesn't imply someone who is stupid or incapable. It means someone senseless, irrational, or lacking in wisdom. Even intelligent people can act like fools, and there is nothing more foolish than denying the very existence of God (Psalm 53:1).The name used for "God" in this psalm is Elohim, the God of creation. This contrasts to other Old Testament passages which use the expression YHWH, sometimes transliterated as Jehovah, the covenant-keeping God. Those who deny the existence of their own creator are not only foolish but also corrupt. Immorality is not something reserved for atheists, of course. God observes the entire human race as wayward, corrupt, and void of meritorious good deeds (Psalm 53:2–3).
David notes that there are wicked ones who persecute God's people, but he realizes God will cause those evildoers to be destroyed. This psalm makes a strong point that God puts those who attack Him and His people to shame. Some scholars think this might be a vague prophecy about what God did to the Assyrian army that encamped around Jerusalem in the time of King Hezekiah. The depiction of God scattering bones evokes bodies being strewn around without burial—this is a graphic and potent warning about the eternal wrath of God (Psalm 53:4–5).
As David considers the rampant evil in the world, he longs for God to deliver Israel and establish His kingdom on earth. When God fulfills David's desire for the kingdom, Israel will experience great joy. According to prophecies in books such as Zechariah, this plea will be granted, someday (Psalm 53:6).
