Christianity

Psalms 14The Fool Who Denies God

Summary

Psalm 14 opens with the fool who says in his heart that there is no God, then describes the LORD looking down from heaven and finding that all have turned aside. The workers of evil devour God's people, yet they are terrified because God is with the righteous. It ends with a longing for salvation to come out of Zion. Psalm 53 is almost the same poem, using Elohim instead of the divine name.

Key verse

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

Psalms 14:1

Themes

Practical Atheism
Human Corruption
God Among the Righteous
Hope of Zion

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

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

There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

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.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Christianity
Romans 3: None That Doeth Good
Romans 3:10 to 12 quotes Psalm 14:1 to 3 to argue that Jews and Gentiles alike are under sin and need God's grace.
Christianity
Psalm 53: A Second Version
Psalm 53 repeats this psalm with small differences, mainly in verse 5 and in using the name God rather than LORD.

Questions about Psalms 14

Who is the fool in Psalm 14?

The Hebrew nabal describes a morally corrupt person rather than an unintelligent one. The fool lives as though God will not hold anyone accountable.

Why are Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 nearly identical?

The Psalter was assembled from earlier collections, and one poem appears in two of them. Psalm 53 belongs to a section that tends to use Elohim in place of the divine name.