Psalms — Chapter 14

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1For the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good.

2The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.

3All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

4Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD.

5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous.

6You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed, yet the LORD is their shelter.

7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

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.

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.

2Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, That did seek after God.

3They are all gone aside; they are 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 Jehovah?

5There were they in great fear; For God is in the generation of the righteous.

6Ye put to shame the counsel of the poor, Because Jehovah is his refuge.

7Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When Jehovah bringeth back the captivity of his people, Then shall Jacob rejoice, [and] Israel shall be glad. Psalm 15 A Psalm of David.

1For the music director, by David. Fools say to themselves, “There is no God.” They sin and commit evil deeds; none of them does what is right.

2The Lord looks down from heaven at the human race, to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks God.

3Everyone rejects God; they are all morally corrupt. None of them does what is right, not even one.

4All those who behave wickedly do not understand— those who devour my people as if they were eating bread and do not call out to the Lord.

5They are absolutely terrified, for God defends the godly.

6You want to humiliate the oppressed, even though the Lord is their shelter.

7I wish the deliverance of Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the well-being of his people, may Jacob rejoice, may Israel be happy!

1The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable deeds. There is no one who does good.

2Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God.

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

4Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on Yahweh?

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

6You frustrate the plan of the poor, because Yahweh is his refuge.

7Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A wisdom psalm lamenting the corruption of humanity apart from God, closely paralleled later in Psalm 53. It opens by describing the fool who denies God in his heart, leading to universal corruption in which no one does good (vv. 1-3). These evildoers consume God's people carelessly and never call on the LORD, yet the psalm warns that great terror will overtake them because God is present with the righteous (vv. 4-5). Though the wicked mock the plans of the poor, the LORD himself is their refuge (v. 6). The psalm closes with a longing for Israel's salvation and restoration to come out of Zion (v. 7).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Wisdom/Prophetic Lament
Attributed Author: David — "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David"
Key Themes: Practical atheism ("no God"), universal human corruption, God's search for the righteous, none found good, God as refuge for the poor, longing for Zion's salvation
Historical Context: Psalm 14 is nearly identical to Psalm 53 (an Elohistic variant in Book II). Paul quotes vv.1-3 extensively in Romans 3:10-12 to establish universal human sinfulness — "there is none righteous, no, not one." The "fool" (nabal) is not intellectually deficient but morally corrupt — the same word used for Nabal in 1 Samuel 25. This psalm presents the divine perspective: God looks down from heaven searching for anyone who understands or seeks Him — and finds no one. The picture is devastating: universal departure from God, universal corruption, universal moral failure. Only divine salvation (v.7) can remedy human depravity.
The Fool Hath Said (v.1): The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. The denial is located in the heart rather than in argument, and the word for fool in Hebrew is moral rather than intellectual: nabal is a person whose judgment is corrupt, not one who has reasoned badly. And the consequence follows in the same verse, they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
There Is None That Doeth Good (vv.2-3): The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. The search is described as a survey and its result is total, they are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy, there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Paul quotes these verses at length in Romans 3:10-12 as the center of his case that the charge falls on everybody.
Have All the Workers of Iniquity No Knowledge (vv.4-6): Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread. The oppression is described as routine, which is the force of the comparison with bread: not an atrocity but a meal. Then a fear that comes from nowhere, there were they in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous. And the closing line names who was being counted on, ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
Oh That the Salvation of Israel Were Come (v.7): Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion. One verse, and it turns a psalm about universal corruption into a request for a specific rescue from a specific place. And the outcome is stated as an emotion rather than a victory, when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Map & Geography

  • Zion (v.7): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1; 53:1)? | GotQuestions.org
Got Questions Ministries

Psalm 14 | There Is No God | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 14 - Fallen Man and a Faithful God
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org Why Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 are nearly the same psalm, and what the differences between them suggest.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Practical Atheism Is a Heart Problem (v.1) — The fool's denial of God flows from a desire to escape accountability, not from honest reasoning. Is there an area where you live as if God is not watching, even while affirming that He exists?
  • No One Is Righteous on Their Own (v.3) — The psalm describes universal moral failure, with no one doing good on their own merit. Does this honest diagnosis of human sinfulness make you more grateful for grace rather than more despairing?
  • Oppression of the Vulnerable Is Personal to God (v.4) — Those who casually consume the vulnerable as if eating bread are described as facing sudden reckoning. Are you alert to how you treat those with less power than you, knowing God takes it personally?
  • Salvation Must Come From Outside Us (v.7) — Since no one is righteous by their own effort, the psalmist longs for salvation to come from God alone. Are you still trying to earn what only God can give, or resting in salvation that comes from Him?