The Psalms

Psalm 14

David describes a natural man, 1-3. He convinces the wicked by the light of their conscience, 4-6. He glories in the salvation of God, 7.

1 [To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.]

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."/
They are corrupt. They have done abominable works./
There is no one who does good.

2  The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men/
to see if there were any who understood and sought God.

3  They have all gone aside. They have all together become filthy./
There is no one who does good, not even one.

4  Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,/
who eat up my people as they eat bread/
and do not call upon the LORD?

5  There they were in great fear,/
for God is in the generation of the righteous.

6  You have shamed the counsel of the poor/
because the LORD is his refuge.

7  Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!/
When the LORD brings back the captivity of his people,/
Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad.

Commentary

Matthew Henry Commentary - Psalms, Chapter 14[➚]

Notes

John Calvin's Chapter Summary:

In the beginning the Psalmist describes the wicked contempt of God into which almost the whole people had broken forth. To give the greater weight to his complaint, he represents God himself as uttering it. Afterwards he comforts himself and others with the hope of a remedy, which he assures himself God will very soon provide, although, in the meantime, he groans and feels deep distress at the disorder which he beholds.

[v.1] - Reference, Psalm 53:1; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10, 19, 23; Galatians 3:22. Paul is likely quoting this verse from the Septuagint in Romans 3:10.

[v.2] - Paul is likely quoting this verse from the Septuagint in Romans 3:11.

[v.3] - This is likely the verse Paul is quoting in Romans 3:12-18, though the text of all of those verses do not appear in this verse in the Psalms. That is because this verse in the Septuagint contains all of the text of those verses (though, in the Septuagint, this is Psalm 13). It reads as follows in English: "They are all gone out of the way, they are together become good for nothing, there is none that does good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes."

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