New Living Translation
Psalms 14:4
4Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.
Psalms 14:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the Lord?
Context of Psalms 14:4
2The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. 3But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one! Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord. 5Terror will grip them, for God is with those who obey him. 6The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed, but the Lord will protect his people.
Read all of Psalms 14Psalms 14:4 word by word
הֲלֹ֥א יָדְעוּ֮ כָּל־פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן אֹכְלֵ֣י עַ֭מִּי אָ֣כְלוּ לֶ֑חֶם יְ֝הוָ֗ה לֹ֣א קָרָֽאוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Have all the workersפָּעַלpâ‛al · to workH6466
- of iniquityאָ֫וֶן'âven · evil: wickednessH205
- no knowledgeיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- who eat upאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
- and callקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
- not upon the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
Cross-references for Psalms 14:4
- Psalms 94:8Think again, you fools! When will you finally catch on?
- Isaiah 5:13So my people will go into exile far away because they do not know me. Those who are great and honored will starve, and the common people will die of thirst.
- Isaiah 27:11The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy.
- Isaiah 29:14Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”
- Isaiah 44:19The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”
- Isaiah 45:20“Gather together and come, you fugitives from surrounding nations. What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols and pray to gods that cannot save!
- Romans 1:21Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
- 2 Corinthians 4:3If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.
- Ephesians 4:17With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.
- Jeremiah 10:25Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you— on the peoples that do not call upon your name. For they have devoured your people Israel; they have devoured and consumed them, making the land a desolate wilderness.
- Amos 8:4Listen to this, you who rob the poor and trample down the needy!
- Micah 3:2but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh from their bones.
- Galatians 5:15But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
- Psalms 79:6Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you— on kingdoms that do not call upon your name.
- Job 21:15Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him? What good will it do us to pray?’
- Job 27:10Can they take delight in the Almighty? Can they call to God at any time?
Commentaries on Psalms 14:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? - Is there not one of them who takes this dreadful subject into consideration? To their deeply fallen state they add cruelty; they oppress and destroy the poor, without either interest or reason. Who eat up my people as they eat bread - Ye make them an easy and unresisting prey. They have no power to oppose you, and therefore you destroy them. That this is the meaning of the expression, is plain from the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? - literally, “Do they not know, all the workers of iniquity, eating my people, they eat bread; Jehovah they call not.” The several statements in this verse in confirmation of the fact of their depravity are: (a) that they have no knowledge of God; (b) that they find pleasure in the errors and imperfections of the people of God - sustaining themselves in their own wickedness by the fact that the professed…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The evil live at the expense of others (Psalms 27:2; 44:11; 53:4; see Isaiah 5:8) and have no reverence or knowledge of God (Psalm 79:6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-64-6. Their conduct evinces indifference rather than ignorance of God; for when He appears in judgment, they are stricken with great fear. who eat up my people--to express their beastly fury (Pr 30:14; Ha 3:14). To "call on the Lord" is to worship Him.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 14:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 14
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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