INTRODUCTION
Psalm 14 has traditionally been classified as a lament in which the psalmist bemoans the folly and depravity of people who live their lives as if God does not exist. In more recent times, however, there has been a tendency to regard it as a wisdom psalm in which the poet gives instruction in the form of a solemn reflection on the belief and behaviour of fools. This seems a realistic approach because the psalm does lack some features of lament; such as direct invocation of the deity, a complaint and a declaration of faith.
According to its title Psalm 14, like more than fifty other psalms, is dedicated to ‘The Chief Musician,’ thus indicating that it was not only for personal use but also for performance at public worship. It is also said to be ‘a Psalm of David’ but does not identify a period or incident in his life to which it corresponds. Clarke (1949, p.54) speculates as follows:
The writer is David; the historical occasion is not so clear, but the mention of Zion and of the “captivity” seems to suggest that it belongs to the period between the taking of the stronghold of Jebus (1 Chron. xi) and the bringing back of the Ark from its captivity, the event referred to, (1Chron. xv-xvi). For this sense of “captivity” cf. Judges xviii.6;1 Sam. iv.10-11; vii.14 and Ps. lxxviii.60-61. The “restoration” began with the return of the Ark to Beth-Shemesh and Kirjath-jearim, but was not completed until it was brought to Zion with great rejoicings, 1 Sam. vi-vii.2; 1 Chron. xiii.1-3; xv.25; 2 Sam. vi.12-14; cf. Ps. liii.
NOTE – In the New Testament the apostle Paul quotes Psalm 14:3 in Romans 3:10-18 as proof that humanity is depraved.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
You will observe that this differs from the Hebrew text of v.3 which the KJV translates as: The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
New Testament writers, including Paul, quoted from the Greek Septuagint translation (LXX), which is the case in Romans 3:10-18. Psa 14:3 (13:3 in LXX) reads: They are all gone out of the way, they are together become good for nothing, there is none that does good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes. (see Brenton’s English translation of the LXX).
This blog post will comment on Psalm 14 as found in the King James Version (KJV/AV) and then consider the citation in Romans 3 at a future time D.V., if and when we reach the book of Romans.
NOTE – Psalm 14 reappears later in the Psalter as Psalm 53. There are some variations, for example, Psalm 14 is Yahwistic in that it mainly uses the name YHWH (the Lord) for God whereas Psalm 53 is Elohistic, it consistently uses the name Elohim. As well as this, the content of Psalm 53:5 differs from that in Psalm 14:5-6:
There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them. Psalms 53:5
Given the variations between the two and the fact that Psalm 53 is in a different section of the Psalter I propose to treat them as two separate psalms and will therefore consider only Psalm 14 in this present blog post.
STRUCTURE
1-4 DEPRAVITY
5-7 DELIVERANCE
CONTENT
v.1 CONVERSATION, CORRUPTION, CONDUCT
vv.2-3 CHARACTER
vv.4-6 CONTEMPT, CONFUSION
v.7 CAPTIVITY
EXPLANATION
(1) CONVERSATION – Psalm 14 opens with the well-known and oft-quoted line: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. The word nāḇāl does not necessarily mean someone who lacks intelligence, here the main idea is that of one who is morally and spiritually dense. ‘Fool’ is not referring to one particular person but to everyone who fulfils the psalmist’s criteria for foolishness (cf. Deut 32:5-6; Prov 17:20-21; Isa 32:6; Jer 17:11). The foolish person has not come to his conclusion without deliberate thought for he has had a conversation with himself about the matter. The word ’āmar (to say), as well as referring to vocal speech, refers to thought as internal speech (2 Sam 13:22; Esther 6:6). He has concluded that ‘there is no God’ in his heart – his innermost personality.
Since there was no explicit atheism at that time in history the psalmist is not referring to someone who has rejected the idea that God (or gods) exists, although doubtless he would say the same of modern theoretical atheists. Rather, he is thinking of one who we would describe today as a practical atheist – someone who lives life as if God is not actively present in this world and is therefore irrelevant. One who says within himself: There is no God. Notice how the psalmist uses the negative particle ‘no’ to give emphasis: ‘no God’ v.1; ‘no one does good’ v.1; ‘no one does good’ v.3; ‘no not one’ v.3.
As has already been mentioned, Psalm 14 mainly uses the name YHWH (the Lord) for God. God’s name occurs 6 times in Psalm 14. YHWH (the Lord) occurs 4 times (2, 4, 6, 7) and Elohim twice (1, 5).
(1) CORRUPTION and CONDUCT They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
The fool’s mistaken assumption and declaration ‘no God!’ leads to a life characterised by corruption and wrongdoing. Having evaluated one who denies God as a ‘fool’ the psalmist now assesses all such people as evildoers.
(2-3) CHARACTER The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
In verse 1 ‘the fool,’ viewing things from the limited perspective of his own wicked heart, has decided that God is inactive and irrelevant. In verse 2, however, the psalmist presents the matter from God’s perspective. He pictures YHWH as peering down from heaven at mankind (the children of men), as he did at Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:20-21), searching for those who are wise (act with insight) and who seek him. In v.3 the Lord’s character assessment of humanity in general is that:
- all have turned aside (Deut 11:16; Jer 5:23) – they have collectively rebelled against God.
- together they are thoroughly corrupt – putrid like rotten fruit.
- no one does good, not even one. This repetition of the last phrase of v.1 reiterates the concept, taken up by the apostle Paul in Rom 3, that humanity without God is depraved.
Scroggie (1948, p.100) suggests: ‘Thought: There can be no good where there is no God‘
(4-6) CONTEMPT and CONFUSION Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD. There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
The psalmist asks a rhetorical question in v.4: ‘Have the evildoers (workers of iniquity), who fail to recognise that they are accountable to God, lost their senses? – i.e. have they no conscience? The psalmist characterises the exploitative behaviour of the wicked towards vulnerable believers as cannibalism – who eat up my people – cf. Psa 27:2; Prov 30:14; Mic 3:3; Gal 5:15. Not only do they prey on godly Israelites but they do it without remorse, to them it is just like eating a meal, something they do every day without thinking much about it. Not only do they oppress the righteous unjustly but they also have contempt for God, for they are impious – they do not ‘call upon the Lord.’ They have no regard for God.
Verse 5 introduces the thought that these oppressive, disdainful fools will be judged by God. ‘There,’ in the middle of all their wrongdoing, when they seem so powerful and in control, they will experience confusion and panic. Using the same word in its verb and noun forms the psalmist says ‘they will be terrified with a great terror.’ This suggests shivering or trembling with fear. The reasons for their judgement are given:
- V.5 for God is in the generation of the righteous. – God is in solidarity with the innocent, he is with or among the just generation, to defend them.
- v.6 they have frustrated the plans of the afflicted, only to find that the Lord is his refuge.
Ultimately the wicked will be in ‘great terror’ whereas God is always present with and protects his people. Those who belong to the Lord are called ‘my people’ v.4; ‘the generation of the righteous’ v.5; ‘the poor’ v.6.
(7) CAPTIVITY – Oh 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.
What began as a meditation ends as a prayer. Psalm 14 concludes with a hopeful prayer for deliverance. It has three requests: Rescue, Restoration and Rejoicing. The psalmist longs for divine intervention (out of Zion – YHWH’s earthly headquarters, Psa 3:4; 20:2; 128:5; 132:13; 134:3) and restoration of the fortunes of the righteous community that is being oppressed – so that the people can rejoice in salvation.
‘Bring back the captivity’ (lit. ‘turn the turning’) is usually interpreted broadly and explained as a general way of saying ‘restore the fortunes of’, ‘return to an earlier condition’, ‘reverse the misfortune of. ‘ Others take the view that it is a narrow reference to the return of exiles to the land of Judah after the Babylonian captivity which ended c. 539 BCE (this would make v.7 a much later addition to the psalm).
SUMMATION
Psalm 14 is somewhat confusing in that the writer’s concentration moves from the fool to humanity in general, to the wicked, to the afflicted righteous, to the entire nation. The psalmist deems anyone who lives life as if God is not powerful and present in human affairs to be a ‘fool.’ The psalmist believes that rejection of God results in moral corruption which leads to evil deeds, performed without a sense of guilt. Such behaviour will eventually result in dire consequences for the wicked because God will intervene in judgement.
The psalm encourages the believer by highlighting the contrast between the ultimate fate of the wicked who deny God and that of the righteous whom God actively protects and defends. Although the future may temporarily look bleak because of the corruption and depravity all around God will eventually judge the wicked and deliver and restore his people from oppression by the wicked who reject the Lord.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
Alter, R. (2009). The Book of Psalms: a Translation with Commentary. New York ; London: W.W. Norton.
Clarke, A. G. (1949). Analytical Studies in the Psalms. John Ritchie Ltd., Kilmarnock
Ross, A. P. (2011). A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 1 (1-41). Kregel Academic, Grand Rapids
Scroggie, W. G. (1948). The Psalms , Volume 1, Psalms I-L, Introduction and Notes. Pickering & Inglis Ltd., London
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Okyere, K. (2016). The Ways of a Fool: A Literary Reading of Psalm 14. Journal of Maranatha University College, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 1-21.
ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
Brenton, L. C. L. (1844). Psalm 14 Brenton’s Septuagint Translation. [online] Available at: https://biblehub.com/sep/psalms/14.htm [Accessed 18 May 2026].
Fasola.me. (2026). A Table of Titles to the Psalms. [online] Available at: https://fasola.me/table-of-titles-to-the-psalms.html [Accessed 18 May 2026].
Written Exposition 