Psalms — Chapter 14

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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
Videos
Reflection

Summary

A wisdom psalm on universal depravity — 'The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God'; all have turned aside, none does good; yet the LORD is refuge for the poor, and salvation will come from Zion.

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. Key themes: worship, lament, praise, trust, kingship, creation, wisdom, Messianic prophecy, and the full range of human emotion brought before God.
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.
Structure:
  • The Fool's Declaration and Its Consequences (v.1)
  • God's Search — None Found Righteous (vv.2-3)
  • Indictment of Oppressors (vv.4-6)
  • Longing for God's Salvation (v.7)

Map & Geography

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

Videos

The Bible Project — Psalms Overview

Reflection

  • 1. Practical atheism is more dangerous than intellectual atheism (v.1). Most "atheism" is not philosophical but functional — living AS IF God does not exist. The fool denies God not from evidence but from desire — he wants no accountability.
  • 2. Human corruption is universal (vv.2-3). Paul's use of this passage in Romans 3 is devastating: "There is none that doeth good, no, not one." This is not pessimism — it is diagnosis. Without grace, the human condition is uniformly corrupt. This makes salvation entirely of God.
  • 3. The oppression of God's people is personal to God (v.4). Those who "eat up my people as they eat bread" — casual, daily consumption of the vulnerable — will face sudden terror (v.5) when they realize God is with those they oppress.
  • 4. Salvation must come from outside humanity (v.7). Since none is righteous, salvation cannot arise from human effort. It must "come out of Zion" — from God Himself. This is the gospel in embryonic form: divine rescue for a humanity incapable of self- rescue.
  • 5. The psalm begins with human depravity and ends with divine hope (v.1→v.7). The trajectory is crucial: honest diagnosis THEN hopeful longing. You cannot appreciate salvation until you accept the diagnosis. But the diagnosis is never the last word.