1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
2The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.
5There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.
7Oh 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.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
The psalm describes humanity's universal corruption, which has turned away from God and oppresses the poor, and expresses the longing for salvation to come and restore God's people.
Explanation
This psalm (nearly identical to Psalm 53) describes the human condition quite directly: 'there is none that doeth good, no, not one' — a statement the apostle Paul quotes in Romans 3:10-12 to describe the universal need for grace. The 'fool' here is not someone intellectually limited, but morally senseless, who lives in practice as if God did not exist, even without formally denying Him. The application for today: living 'in practice' without considering God in day-to-day decisions is the most common form of this foolishness described by the psalmist.
Fun facts
- This psalm is nearly identical to Psalm 53, with small variations — a rare example of duplication within the Psalter itself, suggesting that different collections of psalms were gathered into the final book.
- It is extensively quoted by Paul in Romans 3:10-12 as part of his argument about the universality of human sin.