Psalms 14 KJV
The Fool Says There Is No God
About This Psalm
The fool says there is no God - and the result is moral chaos. A diagnosis of what happens when a society abandons its foundation.
1he fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
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Did You Know?
Psalm 14 and its near-double Psalm 53 differ chiefly in divine names (YHWH versus Elohim) and minor phrasing, reflecting their placement in separate collections and possible adaptation for distinct Levitical choirs or cultic settings.
The Hebrew term nabal for "fool" denotes active moral and covenantal rebellion rather than philosophical atheism, evoking the character Nabal in 1 Samuel 25 whose arrogant folly directly threatened David.
Verse 3's assertion that "there is none that doeth good, no, not one" is woven by Paul into the Romans 3 catena alongside Isaiah 59 and Psalm 5, transforming an individual lament into a universal indictment of human sinfulness.
The abrupt transition in verse 5 from the wicked devouring God's people "as they eat bread" to their sudden terror because "God is in the generation of the righteous" functions as an oracular pivot, a device also seen in other prophetic laments where divine presence interrupts human scheming.
Verse 7's petition for salvation "out of Zion" coupled with the reversal of captivity echoes both pre-exilic royal hopes and post-exilic restoration theology, suggesting the psalm's final form may have been shaped or reused during the return from Babylon.
Commentary & Study Notes
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Psalms 14 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: The Practical Atheism And Total And Universal Depravity Of The Wicked, With Their Hatred To The Good, Are Set Forth. Yet, As They Dread God's Judgments When He Vindicates His People, The Psalmist Prays For His Delivering Power.
The Practical Atheism And Total And Universal Depravity Of The Wicked, With Their Hatred To The Good, Are Set Forth. Yet, As They Dread God's Judgments When He Vindicates His People, The Psalmist Prays For His Delivering Power v1-7
1. Sinners are termed "fools," because they think and act contrary to right reason (Ge 34:7; Jos 7:15; Ps 39:8; 74:18, 22). in his heart--to himself (Ge 6:12). 2. looked--in earnest enquiry. understand--as opposed to "fool" [Ps 14:1]. 3. filthy--literally, "spoiled," or, "soured," "corrupted" (Job 15:16; Ro 3:12). 4-6. Their conduct evinces indifference rather than ignorance of God; for when He appears in judgment, they are stricken with great fear. who eat up my people--to express their beastly fury (Pr 30:14; Hab 3:14). To "call on the Lord" is to worship Him. 7. captivity--denotes any great evil. Zion--God's abode, from which He revealed His purposes of mercy, as He now does by the Church (compare Ps 3:4; 20:2), and which He rules and in which He does all other things for the good of His people (Eph 1:22).