Amplified Bible
Psalms 53:1
1The [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt and evil, and have committed repulsive injustice; There is no one who does good.
Psalms 53:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
- New International Version (NIV)The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.
Context of Psalms 53:1
The [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt and evil, and have committed repulsive injustice; There is no one who does good. 2God has looked down from heaven upon the children of men To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God [who requires Him, who longs for Him as essential to life]. 3Every one of them has turned aside and fallen away; Together they have become filthy and corrupt; There is no one who does good, no, not even one.
Read all of Psalms 53Psalms 53:1 word by word
אָ֘מַ֤ר נָבָ֣ל בְּ֭לִבּוֹ אֵ֣ין אֱלֹהִ֑ים הִֽ֝שְׁחִ֗יתוּ וְהִֽתְעִ֥יבוּ עָ֝֗וֶל אֵ֣ין עֹֽשֵׂה־טֽוֹב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The foolנָבָלnâbâl · foolishH5036
- hath saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- in his heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- no Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- Corruptשָׁחַתshâchath · to ruinH7843
- are they, and have done abominableתַּעָבtâ‛ab · to abhorH8581
- iniquityעָ֫וֶל‛evel ‛âvel ‛avlâh ‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · injusticeH5766
- none that doethעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- goodטוֹבţôb · goodH2896
Cross-references for Psalms 53:1
- Psalms 88:1O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried out [for help] by day and in the night before You.
- Psalms 14:1The [spiritually ignorant] fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed repulsive and unspeakable deeds; There is no one who does good.
- Psalms 92:6A senseless man [in his crude and uncultivated state] knows nothing, Nor does a [self-righteous] fool understand this:
- Matthew 5:22But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before the court; and whoever speaks [contemptuously and insultingly] to his brother, ‘Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!’ shall be guilty before the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fiery hell.
- Luke 12:20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own all the things you have prepared?’
- Psalms 10:4The wicked, in the haughtiness of his face, will not seek nor inquire for Him; All his thoughts are, “There is no God [so there is no accountability or punishment].”
- 1 Kings 12:26Jeroboam [doubted God’s promise to him and] said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.
- Romans 1:21For even though they knew God [as the Creator], they did not honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened.
- Genesis 6:5The Lord saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually.
- Job 14:4Who can make a clean thing out of the unclean? No one!
- Job 15:16How much less [pure and clean is] the one who is repulsive and corrupt, Man, who drinks unrighteousness and injustice like water!
- Leviticus 18:24‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.
- Deuteronomy 12:31You shall not behave this way toward the Lord your God, for they have done for their gods every repulsive thing which the Lord hates; for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire [as sacrifices] to their gods.
- 1 Kings 14:24There were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They committed all the repulsive acts of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the Israelites.
- Ezekiel 16:47Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or behaved in accordance with their pagan practices; but, as if that were too little, you [soon] acted more corruptly in all your ways than they.
- Ephesians 5:12for it is disgraceful even to mention the things that such people practice in secret.
Commentaries on Psalms 53:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The fool hath said in his heart - The whole of this Psalm, except a few inconsiderable differences, is the same as the fourteenth; and, therefore, the same notes and analysis may be applied to it; or, by referring to the fourteenth, the reader will find the subject of it amply explained. I shall add a few short notes. Have done abominable iniquity - Instead of עול avel, evil or iniquity, eight of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. have עלילה alilah, work…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The fool hath said in his heart - For the meaning of this verse, see the notes at Psalm 14:1. The only change in this verse - a change which does not affect the sense - is the substitution of the word “iniquity,” in Psalm 53:1-6, for “works,” in Psalm 14:1-7.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The corruption of man by nature. --This psalm is almost the same as the 14th. The scope of it is to convince us of our sins. God, by the psalmist, here shows us how bad we are, and proves this by his own certain knowledge. He speaks terror to persecutors, the worst of sinners. He speaks encouragement to God's persecuted people. How comes it that men are so bad? Because there is no fear of God before their eyes. Men's bad practices flow from their bad…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3Paul uses the Greek translation of this passage to describe the moral corruption of all people (Romans 3:10–12).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-61-4. with few verbal changes, correspond with Psa 14:1-4.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 53:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 53
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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