Psalm 94:8
New International Version
Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise?

New Living Translation
Think again, you fools! When will you finally catch on?

English Standard Version
Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?

Berean Standard Bible
Take notice, O senseless among the people! O fools, when will you be wise?

King James Bible
Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

New King James Version
Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise?

New American Standard Bible
Pay attention, you stupid ones among the people; And when will you understand, foolish ones?

NASB 1995
Pay heed, you senseless among the people; And when will you understand, stupid ones?

NASB 1977
Pay heed, you senseless among the people; And when will you understand, stupid ones?

Legacy Standard Bible
Discern, you senseless among the people; And when will you have insight, you fools?

Amplified Bible
Consider thoughtfully, you senseless (stupid ones) among the people; And you [dull-minded] fools, when will you become wise and understand?

Christian Standard Bible
Pay attention, you stupid people! Fools, when will you be wise?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Pay attention, you stupid people! Fools, when will you be wise?

American Standard Version
Consider, ye brutish among the people; And ye fools, when will ye be wise?

Contemporary English Version
Can't you fools see? Won't you ever learn?

English Revised Version
Consider, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Pay attention, you stupid people! When will you become wise, you fools?

Good News Translation
My people, how can you be such stupid fools? When will you ever learn?

International Standard Version
Pay attention, you dull ones among the crowds! You fools! Will you ever become wise?

Majority Standard Bible
Take notice, O senseless among the people! O fools, when will you be wise?

NET Bible
Take notice of this, you ignorant people! You fools, when will you ever understand?

New Heart English Bible
Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise?

Webster's Bible Translation
Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

World English Bible
Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Consider, you brutish among the people, "" And you foolish, when do you act wisely?

Young's Literal Translation
Consider, ye brutish among the people, And ye foolish, when do ye act wisely?

Smith's Literal Translation
Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye foolish, when will ye understand?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Understand, ye senseless among the people: and, you fools, be wise at last.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Understand, you senseless ones among the people. And be wise at last, you foolish ones.

New American Bible
Understand, you stupid people! You fools, when will you be wise?

New Revised Standard Version
Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Understand, you stupid among the people and you fools, when will you be wise?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Be wise, fools of the people! Idiots! How long will you not understand?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Consider, ye brutish among the people; And ye fools, when will ye understand?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Understand now, ye simple among the people; and ye fools, at length be wise.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD Will Not Forget His People
7They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.” 8Take notice, O senseless among the people! O fools, when will you be wise? 9He who affixed the ear, can He not hear? He who formed the eye, can He not see?…

Cross References
Proverbs 1:22
“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge?

Isaiah 44:18
They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their minds so they cannot understand.

Jeremiah 4:22
“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”

Romans 1:21-22
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. / Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,

Matthew 13:13-15
This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ / In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. / For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

Isaiah 6:9-10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Ezekiel 12:2
“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Mark 8:17-18
Aware of their conversation, Jesus asked them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts? / ‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember?

1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Ephesians 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

2 Timothy 3:7
who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Deuteronomy 32:28-29
Israel is a nation devoid of counsel, with no understanding among them. / If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.

John 12:40
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”

Acts 28:26-27
‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” / For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’


Treasury of Scripture

Understand, you brutish among the people: and you fools, when will you be wise?

brutish

Psalm 49:19
He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

Psalm 73:22
So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

Psalm 92:6
A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.

fools

Deuteronomy 32:29
O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

Proverbs 1:22
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Proverbs 8:5
O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

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Psalm 94
1. The prophet, calling for justice, complains of tyranny and impiety.
8. He teaches God's providence
12. He shows the blessedness of affliction
16. God is the defender of the afflicted.














Take notice
The phrase "Take notice" is a call to attention, urging the audience to awaken from their spiritual slumber. In Hebrew, the word used here is "בִּינוּ" (binu), which means to understand or discern. This is not merely a suggestion but a command to engage the mind and heart actively. The psalmist implores the listeners to recognize the gravity of their situation and the reality of God's justice. In a conservative Christian perspective, this is a reminder that God desires His people to be aware and responsive to His teachings, not passive or indifferent.

O senseless among the people!
The term "senseless" is translated from the Hebrew word "בַּעַר" (ba'ar), which conveys a sense of brutishness or lack of understanding. It is a strong rebuke to those who live without regard for God's wisdom and moral order. Historically, this reflects the condition of many in Israel who, despite being God's chosen people, often fell into idolatry and moral decay. The psalmist's use of this term serves as a warning against spiritual ignorance and the consequences of living apart from God's truth.

O fools
The word "fools" comes from the Hebrew "כְּסִילִים" (kesilim), which refers to those who are morally and spiritually deficient. In the biblical context, a fool is not merely someone lacking intelligence but someone who rejects God's wisdom and guidance. This term is used throughout the Scriptures to describe those who are self-reliant and dismissive of divine instruction. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, this is a caution against the pride and self-deception that lead individuals away from God's path.

when will you be wise?
This rhetorical question challenges the audience to consider their current state and the possibility of transformation. The Hebrew root "חָכַם" (chakam) for "wise" implies not just intellectual knowledge but a deep, practical understanding of God's will. Wisdom in the biblical sense is living in accordance with God's commandments and recognizing His sovereignty. The psalmist's question underscores the urgency of repentance and the pursuit of godly wisdom. For conservative Christians, this is an invitation to seek God's wisdom through prayer, study of the Scriptures, and obedience to His Word, emphasizing that true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.

(8-10) The reality of a Divine Providence is proved both from nature and history--from the physical constitution of man and the moral government of the world. The psalmist's question is as powerful against modern atheism, under whatever philosophy it shelters itself, as against that of his day. Whatever the source of physical life or moral sense, their existence proves the prior existence of an original mind and will.

Verses 8-11. - The appeal to Israel. The oppressors thought that their conduct would not be observed by God, or would not be taken into account. The psalmist appeals to them not to be so brutish and foolish (ver. 8), and argues, from the first principles of natural theology, that God must see and hear (ver. 9). If he chastises the heathen, why should he not also punish them (ver. 10)? Verse 8. - Understand, ye brutish among the people (comp. Psalm 92:6). That there were among God's people some so "brutish" as to suppose that God either did not see or did not regard their misdoings, appears also from Psalm 10:11, 13. And ye fools, when will ye be wise? When will ye put away your folly, and allow Wisdom to enter into your hearts? She is always crying in the streets: when will ye consent to listen (comp. Proverbs 1:20-23)?

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Take notice,
בִּ֭ינוּ (bî·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 995: To separate mentally, understand

O senseless
בֹּעֲרִ֣ים (bō·‘ă·rîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 1197: To kindle, consume, to be, brutish

among the people!
בָּעָ֑ם (bā·‘ām)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

O fools,
וּ֝כְסִילִ֗ים (ū·ḵə·sî·lîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3684: Stupid fellow, dullard, fool

when
מָתַ֥י (mā·ṯay)
Interrogative
Strong's 4970: Extent, when

will you be wise?
תַּשְׂכִּֽילוּ׃ (taś·kî·lū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7919: To be, circumspect, intelligent


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OT Poetry: Psalm 94:8 Consider you senseless among the people (Psalm Ps Psa.)
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