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Psalms 53

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The Fool's Denial and Universal Corruption 1–3

1
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none that doeth good. ​
2
God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, That did seek after God.
3
Every one of them is gone back; they are together become filthy; There is none that doeth good, no, not one. ​

God Judges the Oppressors 4–6

4
Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And call not upon God? ​
5
There were they in great fear, where no fear was; For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: Thou hast put them to shame, because God hath rejected them. ​
6
Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalms 53

Verse 1

The fool hath said in his heart — Nabal is the fool of moral fault, as Abigail says of her husband, 'Nabal is his name, and folly is with him' (1 Sam 25:25). This psalm repeats Ps 14, with 'abominable iniquity' for Ps 14:1's 'abominable works'. Paul gathers these verses in Rom 3:10–12, 'There is none righteous, no, not one'.

Verse 3

they are altogether become filthy — 'Gone back' is sug, to turn back, where Ps 14:3 has 'gone aside', a different verb. 'Filthy' is alach, to turn sour or corrupt. 'There is none that doeth good, no, not one' is quoted in Rom 3:12: 'They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable.'

Verse 4

eat up my people as they eat bread — The workers of iniquity (poale aven) devour the people as casually as lechem, bread. Jeremiah prays against those that 'have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him' (Jer 10:25). They 'have not called upon God', the verb qara, to call; Ps 14:4 has 'the LORD' here.

Verse 5

in great fear, where no fear was — The Hebrew doubles pachad, fear: they feared a fear. Prov 28:1 says 'The wicked flee when no man pursueth', and Lev 26:36 has enemies who 'shall fall when none pursueth'. Where Ps 14:5 closes on 'God is in the generation of the righteous', here God 'hath scattered the bones' (etsem) of the one who 'encampeth against thee'.

Verse 6

Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! — Yeshuah, salvation, is asked to come 'out of Zion'. 'Bringeth back the captivity' is the idiom shuv shevut, as in Jer 30:18, 'I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents'. Paul writes of Zion's Deliverer, 'There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer' (Rom 11:26). Ps 14:7 has 'the LORD' for this verse's 'God'.