Psalm 50:16
New International Version
But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?

New Living Translation
But God says to the wicked: “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant?

English Standard Version
But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?

Berean Standard Bible
To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?

King James Bible
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

New King James Version
But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth,

New American Standard Bible
But to the wicked God says, “What right do you have to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?

NASB 1995
But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?

NASB 1977
But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes, And to take My covenant in your mouth?

Legacy Standard Bible
But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to recount My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?

Amplified Bible
But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite My statutes Or to take My covenant on your lips?

Christian Standard Bible
But God says to the wicked: “What right do you have to recite my statutes and to take my covenant on your lips?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But God says to the wicked:” What right do you have to recite My statutes and to take My covenant on your lips?

American Standard Version
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, And that thou hast taken my covenant in thy mouth,

Contemporary English Version
But to the wicked I say: "You don't have the right to mention my laws or claim to keep our agreement!

English Revised Version
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes; and that thou hast taken my covenant in thy mouth?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But God says to wicked people, "How dare you quote my decrees and mouth my promises!

Good News Translation
But God says to the wicked, "Why should you recite my commandments? Why should you talk about my covenant?

International Standard Version
As for the wicked, God says, "How dare you recite my statutes or speak about my covenant with your lips!

Majority Standard Bible
To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?

NET Bible
God says this to the evildoer: "How can you declare my commands, and talk about my covenant?

New Heart English Bible
But to the wicked God says, "What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips,

Webster's Bible Translation
But to the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

World English Bible
But to the wicked God says, “What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And to the wicked God has said: What to you—to recount My statutes? That you lift up My covenant on your mouth?

Young's Literal Translation
And to the wicked hath God said: What to thee -- to recount My statutes? That thou liftest up My covenant on thy mouth?

Smith's Literal Translation
And to the unjust one God said, What to thee to recount my law, and thou wilt lift up my covenant upon thy mouth?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But to the sinner God hath said: Why dost thou declare my justices, and take my covenant in thy mouth ?

Catholic Public Domain Version
But to the sinner, God has said: Why do you discourse on my justices, and take up my covenant through your mouth?

New American Bible
But to the wicked God says: “Why do you recite my commandments and profess my covenant with your mouth?

New Revised Standard Version
But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But to the sinner, God says, How have you followed the books of my law? You have observed my covenant lightly,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
God says to the sinner, "What business do you have with The Books of my Commandments, that you have taken my Covenant in your mouth?"
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But unto the wicked God saith: 'What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, And that thou hast taken My covenant in thy mouth?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But to the sinner God has said, Why dost thou declare my ordinances, and take up my covenant in thy mouth?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Mighty One Calls
15Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.” 16To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips? 17For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.…

Cross References
Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. / Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ / Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

Matthew 23:27-28
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Romans 2:21-23
you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? / You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? / You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

James 1:22-25
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. / For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, / and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ...

Isaiah 29:13
Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

Ezekiel 33:31-32
So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. / Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice.

Matthew 15:8-9
‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

Luke 6:46
Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?

Titus 1:16
They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

Jeremiah 7:9-11
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known, / and then come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue with all these abominations’? / Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Yes, I too have seen it, declares the LORD.

1 John 2:4
If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Isaiah 48:1
“Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke the God of Israel—but not in truth or righteousness—

Micah 3:11
Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”

Matthew 12:34-37
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. / The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. / But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ...

Romans 2:1-3
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. / And we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. / So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?


Treasury of Scripture

But to the wicked God said, What have you to do to declare my statutes, or that you should take my covenant in your mouth?

wicked

Isaiah 48:22
There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

Isaiah 55:6,7
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: …

Ezekiel 18:27
Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

What

Proverbs 26:7
The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

Isaiah 1:11-15
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats…

Isaiah 48:1,2
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness…

thou shouldest

Psalm 25:14
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Psalm 78:36-38
Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues…

Ezekiel 20:37,38
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: …

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Psalm 50
1. The majesty of God in the church
5. His order to gather his saints
7. The pleasure of God is not in ceremonies
14. but in sincerity of obedience














But to the wicked
The term "wicked" in Hebrew is "רָשָׁע" (rasha), which refers to those who are morally wrong or guilty. In the context of the Psalms, the wicked are often those who live in opposition to God's laws and righteousness. This phrase sets a stark contrast between the righteous and the wicked, emphasizing that God is addressing those who outwardly appear religious but inwardly are corrupt. Historically, the wicked were often those who, despite being part of the covenant community, failed to live according to its demands.

God says
The phrase "God says" underscores the authority and direct communication from the Divine. In Hebrew, "אֱלֹהִים אָמַר" (Elohim amar) indicates a declaration from God Himself, highlighting the seriousness and gravity of the message. This is not merely a human observation but a divine pronouncement, which carries weight and demands attention. It reflects the prophetic tradition where God speaks directly to His people, often through His chosen messengers.

What right have you
This rhetorical question challenges the legitimacy of the wicked's actions. The Hebrew word for "right" is "מָה לְךָ" (mah lekha), which questions the authority or entitlement of the wicked to engage in religious practices. It implies that mere outward observance without genuine faith and obedience is meaningless. This phrase calls for introspection, urging individuals to examine their hearts and motives in their relationship with God.

to recite My statutes
"Recite My statutes" refers to the practice of verbally declaring God's laws. The Hebrew word for "statutes" is "חֻקַּי" (chuqqai), which are decrees or ordinances given by God. This phrase criticizes those who mechanically repeat God's laws without understanding or living by them. It serves as a reminder that true worship involves both knowing and doing God's will, not just empty words.

and to bear My covenant on your lips
The "covenant" in Hebrew is "בְּרִיתִי" (beriti), representing the solemn agreement between God and His people. To "bear My covenant on your lips" suggests speaking of the covenant promises and obligations. However, for the wicked, this is hypocritical, as their lives do not reflect the covenant's demands. This phrase highlights the disconnect between speech and action, urging believers to align their words with their deeds. The covenant is not just a verbal commitment but a lived reality, calling for faithfulness and integrity.

(16) But.--The psalm here turns to address a worse class, those who, while undisguisedly wicked, shelter themselves under the name of the covenant.

What hast thou to do?--i.e., how darest thou?

Verses 16-21. - While even the more godly among the Israelites have been thus, to a certain extent, reproved (vers. 8-14), the psalmist now addresses to the ungodly, the open and wilful transgressors, a far sterner rebuke. They claim the privileges of God's covenanted servants (ver. 16), but perform none of the duties (vers. 17-20), thus bringing down upon themselves a terrible menace. Verse 16. - But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? The wicked assumed that they were true Israelites. They were familiar with the words of God's statutes, and with the terms of the covenant. They claimed the right of enforcing them against others (Romans 2:18-20), while in their own persons they set them at nought (vers. 18-20). God declares that they have no right to assume to be teachers of others until they have taught themselves - they are unfit even to "take his covenant in their mouth."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
To the wicked, however,
וְלָ֤רָשָׁ֨ע ׀ (wə·lā·rā·šā‘)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

God
אֱלֹהִ֗ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

says,
אָ֘מַ֤ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“What right
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

have you
לְּ֭ךָ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

to recite
לְסַפֵּ֣ר (lə·sap·pêr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

My statutes
חֻקָּ֑י (ḥuq·qāy)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2706: Something prescribed or owed, a statute

and to bear
וַתִּשָּׂ֖א (wat·tiś·śā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

My covenant
בְרִיתִ֣י (ḇə·rî·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1285: A covenant

on
עֲלֵי־ (‘ă·lê-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

your lips?
פִֽיךָ׃ (p̄î·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to


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