Psalm 53:1 According to mahalath. A maskil 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.

◄ Psalm 53:1 ►

Parallel Verses

New International Version
For the director of music. According to mahalath. A maskil of David. 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
To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

New American Standard Bible
For the choir director; according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God," They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good.

King James Bible
[[To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David.]] 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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For the choir director: on Mahalath. A Davidic Maskil. The fool says in his heart, "God does not exist." They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good.

International Standard Version
Fools say to themselves "There is no God." They are corrupt and commit iniquity; not one of them practices what is good.

American Standard Version
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.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Unto the end, for Maeleth, understandings to David. The fool said in his hear t: There is no God. They are corrupted, and become abominable in iniquities: there is none that doth good.

Darby Bible Translation
{To the chief Musician. On Mahalath: an instruction. Of David.} The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God! They have corrupted themselves, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Young's Literal Translation
To the Overseer. -- 'On a disease.' -- An instruction, by David. A fool said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They have done corruptly, Yea, they have done abominable iniquity, There is none doing good.

Cross References

Romans 3:10
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Psalm 10:4
The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Psalm 14:1
The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good.

Psalm 74:18
Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed your name.

Psalm 74:22
Arise, O God, plead your own cause: remember how the foolish man reproaches you daily.

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Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Commentary

53:1-6 The 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 principles; if they profess to know God, yet in works, because in thoughts, they deny him. See the folly of sin; he is a fool, in the account of God, whose judgment we are sure is right, that harbours such corrupt thoughts. And see the fruit of sin; to what it brings men, when their hearts are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. See also the faith of the saints, and their hope and power as to the cure of this great evil. There will come a Saviour, a great salvation, a salvation from sin. God will save his church from its enemies. He will save all believers from their own sins, that they may not be led captive by them, which will be everlasting joy to them. From this work the Redeemer had his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins, Mt 1:21.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

PSALM 53

Ps 53:1-6. Upon Mahalath—(See on [595]Ps 88:1, title). Why this repetition of the fourteenth Psalm is given we do not know.

1-4. with few verbal changes, correspond with Ps 14:1-4.