Psalm 92:6
A senseless man does not know, and a fool does not understand,
A senseless man
The phrase "A senseless man" in Psalm 92:6 refers to an individual who lacks spiritual insight or understanding. The Hebrew word used here is "בַּעַר" (ba'ar), which can mean brutish or foolish. In the biblical context, this term often describes someone who is spiritually ignorant or morally deficient. The senseless man is contrasted with the wise, who fear the Lord and seek His wisdom. This phrase serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking divine wisdom and understanding, as opposed to relying solely on human intellect or worldly knowledge.

does not know
The phrase "does not know" emphasizes the lack of awareness or understanding in the senseless man. The Hebrew verb "יָדַע" (yada) is used here, which means to know, perceive, or understand. In the biblical sense, knowing often implies a deep, intimate understanding that goes beyond mere intellectual acknowledgment. This lack of knowledge is not just about ignorance of facts but a failure to recognize and comprehend the spiritual truths and realities that God reveals. It highlights the spiritual blindness that can afflict those who do not seek God.

and a fool
The term "and a fool" further describes the individual who lacks wisdom. The Hebrew word "כְּסִיל" (kesil) is used, which often refers to someone who is morally and spiritually foolish. In the wisdom literature of the Bible, a fool is not just someone who makes poor decisions but someone who rejects God's wisdom and guidance. This term serves as a warning against the dangers of pride and self-reliance, encouraging believers to seek God's wisdom and understanding.

does not understand
The phrase "does not understand" underscores the inability of the fool to grasp spiritual truths. The Hebrew verb "בִּין" (bin) is used, which means to discern, perceive, or understand. This lack of understanding is not merely intellectual but spiritual, indicating a failure to perceive the deeper truths of God's creation and His purposes. It serves as a call to seek discernment and understanding through prayer, study of the Scriptures, and reliance on the Holy Spirit.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Senseless Man
In the context of this verse, the "senseless man" refers to someone who lacks spiritual insight and understanding. The Hebrew word used here is (ba'ar), which implies brutishness or a lack of discernment.

2. Fool
The "fool" in this verse is someone who is morally and spiritually deficient. The Hebrew word (kesil) is often used in the Old Testament to describe someone who is obstinate and rejects wisdom.

3. Psalm 92
This psalm is a song for the Sabbath day, traditionally attributed to David. It is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving, contrasting the righteous with the wicked.
Teaching Points
Understanding Spiritual Blindness
The verse highlights the spiritual blindness of those who reject God. It serves as a reminder to seek wisdom and understanding through a relationship with God.

The Importance of Spiritual Discernment
Spiritual discernment is crucial for living a life that honors God. Believers are encouraged to seek wisdom through prayer and study of the Scriptures.

Contrasting the Wise and the Foolish
The Bible consistently contrasts the wise, who fear the Lord, with the foolish, who reject Him. This serves as a call to pursue wisdom and avoid the pitfalls of foolishness.

The Role of the Holy Spirit
Understanding and wisdom come through the Holy Spirit. Believers should rely on the Spirit for guidance and insight into God's truth.

Living a Life of Praise
Psalm 92 as a whole encourages believers to live a life of praise and thanksgiving, recognizing God's goodness and faithfulness.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the description of the "senseless man" in Psalm 92:6 challenge you to seek greater spiritual understanding in your own life?

2. In what ways can you cultivate a heart of wisdom, as opposed to the foolishness described in this verse?

3. How do the connections to Proverbs 1:7 and 1 Corinthians 2:14 deepen your understanding of the importance of spiritual discernment?

4. What role does the Holy Spirit play in helping you understand and apply biblical truths, and how can you be more receptive to His guidance?

5. How can the themes of praise and thanksgiving in Psalm 92 inspire you to live a life that contrasts with the senselessness and foolishness described in verse 6?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 1:7
This verse highlights the fear of the Lord as the beginning of knowledge, contrasting the wise with fools who despise wisdom and instruction.

1 Corinthians 2:14
This passage discusses the natural man's inability to understand spiritual truths, similar to the senseless man in Psalm 92:6.

Romans 1:21-22
These verses describe how those who reject God become futile in their thinking, paralleling the concept of the fool in Psalm 92:6.
Eyes Dimmed to Spiritual ThingsR. Tuck Psalm 92:6
The Degradation of ManPsalm 92:6
Joyful WorshipC. Short Psalm 92:1-8
The Eye Salve of PraiseS. Conway Psalm 92:1-15
Delight in God's WorksC. Short, M.A.Psalm 92:4-6
Divine WorkmanshipW. Beaumont, D.D.Psalm 92:4-6
The Christian Made GladHelps for the PulpitPsalm 92:4-6
People
Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Brutish, Doesn't, Dull, Fool, Foolish, Fools, Knoweth, Sense, Senseless, Stupid, Understand, Understandeth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 92:6

     8757   folly, effects of
     8760   fools, characteristics

Psalm 92:1-8

     1090   God, majesty of

Psalm 92:5-7

     8702   agnosticism

Psalm 92:6-7

     5135   blindness, spiritual
     8355   understanding

Library
December 3. Thy Thoughts are Very Deep (Ps. Xcii. 5).
Thy thoughts are very deep (Ps. xcii. 5). When a Roman soldier was told by his guide that if he insisted on taking a certain journey it would probably be fatal he answered, "It is necessary for me to go, it is not necessary for me to live." That was depth. When we are convicted like that we shall come to something. The shallow nature lives in its impulses, its impressions, its intuitions, its instincts, and very largely in its surroundings. The profound character looks beyond all these and moves
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

God Alone the Salvation of his People
Look on yon rocks and wonder at their antiquity, for from their summits a thousand ages look down upon us. When this gigantic city was as yet unfounded they were grey with age; when our humanity had not yet breathed the air, tis said that these were ancient things; they are the children of departed ages. With awe we look upon these aged rocks, for they are among nature's first-born. You discover, embedded in their bowels, the remnants of unknown worlds, of which, the wise may guess, but which, nevertheless,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

The Majesty of God. --Ps. Xcii.
The Majesty of God.--Ps. xcii. The Lord is King:--upon His throne, He sits in garments glorious: Or girds for war His armour on, In every field victorious: The world came forth at his command; Built on His word its pillars stand; They never can be shaken. The Lord was King ere time began, His reign is everlasting: When high the floods in tumult ran, Their foam to heaven up-casting, He made the raging waves His path; The sea is mighty in its wrath, But God on high is mightier. Thy testimonies,
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Dialogue i. --The Immutable.
Orthodoxos and Eranistes. Orth.--Better were it for us to agree and abide by the apostolic doctrine in its purity. But since, I know not how, you have broken the harmony, and are now offering us new doctrines, let us, if you please, with no kind of quarrel, investigate the truth. Eran.--We need no investigation, for we exactly hold the truth. Orth.--This is what every heretic supposes. Aye, even Jews and Pagans reckon that they are defending the doctrines of the truth; and so also do not only the
Theodoret—The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret

Sweet is the Work, My God, My King
[167]Canonbury: Robert Schumann, 1839 Arr. Psalm 92 Isaac Watts, 1719 Sweet is the work, my God, my King, To praise thy Name, give thanks and sing; To show thy love by morning light, And talk of all thy truth at night. Sweet is the day of sacred rest; No mortal cares shall seize my breast; O may my heart in tune be found, Like David's harp of solemn sound. My heart shall triumph in my Lord, And bless his works, and bless his word; Thy works of grace, how bright they shine! How deep thy counsels,
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA

Reprobation.
In discussing this subject I shall endeavor to show, I. What the true doctrine of reprobation is not. 1. It is not that the ultimate end of God in the creation of any was their damnation. Neither reason nor revelation confirms, but both contradict the assumption, that God has created or can create any being for the purpose of rendering him miserable as an ultimate end. God is love, or he is benevolent, and cannot therefore will the misery of any being as an ultimate end, or for its own sake. It is
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire Until the Collapse of the Western Empire and the First Schism Between the East and the West, or Until About A. D. 500
In the second period of the history of the Church under the Christian Empire, the Church, although existing in two divisions of the Empire and experiencing very different political fortunes, may still be regarded as forming a whole. The theological controversies distracting the Church, although different in the two halves of the Graeco-Roman world, were felt to some extent in both divisions of the Empire and not merely in the one in which they were principally fought out; and in the condemnation
Joseph Cullen Ayer Jr., Ph.D.—A Source Book for Ancient Church History

Man's Chief End
Q-I: WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. Here are two ends of life specified. 1: The glorifying of God. 2: The enjoying of God. I. The glorifying of God, I Pet 4:4: That God in all things may be glorified.' The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Cor 10:01. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial;
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Knowledge of God Conspicuous in the Creation, and Continual Government of the World.
1. The invisible and incomprehensible essence of God, to a certain extent, made visible in his works. 2. This declared by the first class of works--viz. the admirable motions of the heavens and the earth, the symmetry of the human body, and the connection of its parts; in short, the various objects which are presented to every eye. 3. This more especially manifested in the structure of the human body. 4. The shameful ingratitude of disregarding God, who, in such a variety of ways, is manifested within
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New.
1. Introduction, showing the necessity of proving the similarity of both dispensations in opposition to Servetus and the Anabaptists. 2. This similarity in general. Both covenants truly one, though differently administered. Three things in which they entirely agree. 3. First general similarity, or agreement--viz. that the Old Testament, equally with the New, extended its promises beyond the present life, and held out a sure hope of immortality. Reason for this resemblance. Objection answered. 4.
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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