FOR THE DIRECTOR of music. Of David.
1The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2The LORD looks down from heaven
on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3All have turned aside,
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
4Will evildoers never learn—
those who devour my people as men eat bread
and who do not call on the LORD?
5There they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is their refuge.
7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Original Meaning
THE PSALM IS an extended meditation on the folly of the wicked, who deny the effective existence of God and expend their energies in corrupt lives dedicated to personal gain through the oppression of the poor. Although essentially a wisdom meditation and instruction, the psalm has been converted into a communal lament and plea for the deliverance of Israel from exile by the addition of a final verse (14:7). The poem is essentially composed of two stanzas of three verses each—the first describing the foolishness of evildoers (14:1–3) and the second giving the divine response about judgment on the wicked (14:4–6); it concludes with a communal hope for restoration from exile (14:7).
Psalm 14 is reduplicated with a few significant variations as Psalm 53. The latter psalm stands within what is called the Elohistic Psalter and affords us the opportunity to observe the distinctive preference in the later collection for the divine name ʾelohim over the Tetragrammaton Yahweh (see the comments on Ps. 53 for a discussion of this issue).
The Heading (14:0)
THE PSALM HEADING contains no new terms, being referred “to the director of music”1 and attributed to David.2 In the heading to Psalm 53, in addition to the designations mentioned above, the psalm is further described as a maśkil of David,3 and a tune or harp-tuning for accompaniment (Heb. ʿal maḥalat) is also suggested.4
The Folly of the Evildoers (14:1–3)
THE FOOLISH WICKED are led astray by their arrogant assumption that there is no limit to their personal power and control. This is expressed in verse 1 by the quotation placed in the mouth of the “fool” (nabal):5 “There is no God” (ʾen ʾelohim).6 By taking this counsel “in his heart,” the fool is deliberating in the center of moral and ethical decision-making. The point is that the corrupt action that follows is not the result of ignorance but of a knowing commitment to a lifestyle based on the false conclusion that God has no effective place in human life. Folly is then for the Israelites not simply uninformed stupidity but a moral decision for evil, which can, therefore, be equated with wickedness.
They are corrupt. Rejection of God leads to actions founded in self-interest and disregard for moral values. The corruption of the wicked has influence beyond them. The Hebrew for “corrupt” (šḥt) means “spoil or ruin (something); act ruinously” as well as the NIV’s translation. The rebellion of the wicked infects for the worse the world in which they live.
Their deeds are vile. As the NIV translates verse 1b, the two phrases describe the inner and outer effects of the fool’s rebellious lifestyle. As corruption pollutes the inner world of the wicked, their deeds extend that infection to those outside. The second phrase (tʿb) has the basic meaning of “act abominably” and stresses the effects of the perpetrator’s actions on others.
The LORD looks down. In a scene reminiscent of the introduction to the Flood narrative (Gen. 6:5–7, 11–13) and the Tower of Babel episode (11:5–7), God surveys the creation from his heavenly vantage point. Humans are so corrupt and have so corrupted their environment that there is no longer any “redeeming social value” expressed by their existence. The corruption described in Genesis 6:11–12 uses the same Hebrew verb as in our text, making the connection with Psalm 14 even more persuasive. These thematic and verbal links leave the reader of Psalm 14 with the clear implication that divine judgment is the only appropriate response to the completely corrupt lives of the foolish.
There is no one who does good. This summary phrase bears out the interpretation supplied by recourse to the Genesis texts. As with Lot and his family at Sodom (Gen. 18–19), so here God can find no righteous person to shield the wicked from divine judgment. Everyone has “turned aside.” Clearly this must represent a hyperbolic emphasis on the complete bankruptcy of the fool’s moral state; otherwise the narrator and those who agree would have to include themselves in this absolute decree of judgment. The phrase brackets the description of the divine scrutiny of the wicked both at the beginning (Ps. 14:2a) and in an emphatic form (which adds “not even one”) at the end (14:3b).
Judgment on the Wicked (14:4–6)
THE FOOLISH WICKED are identified as “evildoers” (poʿale ʾawen [“those who do trouble, iniquity”]). Since ʾawen sometimes describes idolatry (cf. Hos. 12:12), “evildoers” may refer to those who worship idols, and the use of the verb swr (“turn aside”) in 14:3 could be understood as turning from Yahweh to other gods (cf. Deut. 28:14, where swr is also used). The more general sense of those who do moral evil (= “wicked”) seems more likely here, however.
Will evildoers never learn? Not only are the wicked enmeshed in evil deeds, but they lack a foundational knowledge of Yahweh that would allow them to relate to him properly. Rather than resistance to education and discipline (as the NIV’s “learn” would imply), the wicked demonstrate a lack of experiential knowledge (Heb. haloʾ yadeʿu [“Don’t they know?”]) that grows out of their rejection of Yahweh. Once again, this is no simple ignorance but an act of rebellious rejection of relationship with God. To “call on the LORD” (14:4) is another way of describing a relationship of interaction with him. It can mean appealing to God for help or invoking his presence in worship. The evildoers’ refusal to call on Yahweh is equivalent to their failure to “seek God” in 14:2 and is characteristic of their life stance of denying his existence in 14:1.
They devour my people like bread. The effects of the evildoers’ rebellion bleed out beyond their own relationship with Yahweh to infect their environment and those who share it. Their evil deeds are characterized as casual acts of self-focused consumption that nevertheless have ultimate consequences for those consumed. Eating bread is the basic act of self-nourishment and sustenance. It is engaged in constantly, day by day, and casually—with hardly any reflection. It is with an equally casual attitude that these evildoers “consume” God’s people, described in 14:6 as the “poor.”7 Devouring the people is an image familiar from the prophet Micah (Mic. 3:3), who condemns Israel’s ruling elite for their cruel exploitation of the people they should be protecting.
Overwhelmed with dread. Verse 5 exhibits some difficulties of interpretation. (1) It is not immediately clear in the Hebrew who it is that is “overwhelmed with dread” (pḥd [“trembling with fear/dread”])—the oppressed people or the oppressing wicked. The second half of the verse describes the cause of trembling as the presence of Yahweh with the righteous. This seems to suggest it is the evildoers who are fearful.8
(2) It is also unclear whether the occasion for fear is in the past (the verb is a perfect), present, or future. The arrogant attitude of the wicked seems to counter the possibility of a present visitation of Yahweh to strike fear into their hearts. Most commentators take the description as a hopeful envisioning of a future judgment that will give the wicked the knowledge they currently lack: “God is present in the company of the righteous” (14:5).9
The plans of the poor. The deeds of the wicked, once unleashed, bring shame on the plans of the poor. The wicked are clearly those who exercise societal power, and their godless perspective heaps ridicule on the oppressed poor, who seek to maintain a faithful relationship to Yahweh. Rather than being undermined, however, the poor discover what the evildoers can never know: that Yahweh is the refuge of the faithful.10
Hope for Restoration from Exile (14:7)
THE PSALM CONCLUDES with a previously unanticipated expansion of the perspective of the narrator to include the experience of the exilic community. From preoccupation with the nature and deeds of the wicked, the psalm turns decisively at the end to a communal expression of the desire for restoration. The idiomatic expression in the Hebrew is mi yitten miṣṣiyyon yešuʿat yiśraʾel (“who will give from Zion the salvation of Israel?”). This phrase expresses the ardent desire of the speaker that something take place—something like: “O that someone would give. . . .” This person is clearly Yahweh, who acts in Israel’s behalf.
Out of Zion. Zion plays an important historical and theological role in the identity of the people of Israel. Geographically the place is identified with the hill on which the city of Jerusalem stands, although the exact location within the city is disputed. Some locate it in the city of David—the prominent rocky ridge extending south of the Temple Mount to the confluence of the Kidron and Tyropoeon valleys near the Pool of Siloam. Others identify Zion with the Temple Mount itself.11
Zion is associated with the establishment of Jerusalem as the capital of David’s kingdom and as the center of the divine rule of Yahweh through the agency of the Davidic kings.12 Zion is considered the “dwelling” of Yahweh,13 his “throne,”14 and the seat of his authority.15 Yahweh rules from Zion,16 blesses from Zion,17 shines forth from Zion,18 and sends help/salvation from Zion.19 Yahweh loves Zion,20 has chosen her for his own,21 will have compassion on her,22 and will ultimately restore/save her.23
Restores the fortunes of his people. The ardent desire of the community for salvation already knows the confidence of realization. Verse 7b is a temporal phrase normally translated “when [the LORD] restores. . . .” There is no “if” here, only a certain future anticipated as coming. The NIV’s translation of the Hebrew word šebut as “fortunes” chooses a less common rendering of the term. The more usual meaning attached is “captivity,” as in Ps. 126:1—bešub yhwh ʾet šebit ṣiyyon (“when Yahweh brought back the captives to Zion”)—indicates.24 The most likely rendering of the phrase is “when Yahweh overturns the captivity of his people”—a clear reference to the “captivity” experienced in the Babylonian exile.
If this is indeed the most appropriate rendering, then this last verse likely reflects an adaptation of an earlier psalm so it could continue speaking to the exilic community of the faithful, who can no longer look to the established monarchy or temple worship associated with Zion as the symbol of unity and hope. Hence, the psalm in its latest form hopes for the future restoration of Zion and all it symbolizes as the source of divine salvation for the people of God. When this restoration is realized, then Jacob and Israel will rejoice and be glad.
Bridging Contexts
DIVINE SCRUTINY. Psalm 14 describes Yahweh’s observation of human activity on the earth, using a Hebrew idiom that emphasizes God’s distance from the human sphere. Yahweh “looks down from heaven . . . to see.” The verb “looks down” (šqp) suggests looking down from a height, as the connection with “heaven” confirms.
This picture illustrates the keen awareness often expressed in the Old Testament in general and the psalms in particular of a transcendent God who remains hidden or absent from the world of human suffering. The image is often invoked in circumstances of great suffering and oppression, when God seems particularly distant from his people. The poet of Lamentation 3:50 vows to produce tears without end “until the LORD looks down [šqp] from heaven and sees.” In Psalm 102:19–20 “the LORD looked down [šqp] from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed [nbṭ] the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners.” Similarly the psalmist in Psalm 80:14, still smarting from the destruction of the Exile, calls on Yahweh to “look down [nbṭ] from heaven and see” the desperate plight of his people.25
Similar images of divine scrutiny of human activity from the heavens are found in the Tower of Babel narrative (Gen. 11:1–9), where Yahweh “came down to see”26 the puny tower that the humans conceived as rising majestically into the heavens. In the Sodom and Gomorrah episode, Yahweh tells Abraham “I will go down and see” if the actual sin of these two infamous cities is as bad as the report he has received (Gen. 18:21).27 In these last two instances God comes down not because of the suffering of the innocent but because of the sin and corruption of the wicked. The two go hand in hand, however—human evil and the suffering of the innocent. Where the one is, the other cannot be far behind.
Psalm 14 brings these both together. The absolute corruption of powerful humans (14:2–3) is matched by their exploitation of the poor (14:4). Thus, divine scrutiny becomes the opportunity for God to display both sides of his holy character: his implacable incompatibility with sin and evil and his relentless goodness toward those who fear him.28
Although God may often be experienced as absent, the psalmist affirms in this imaginative description that God nevertheless remains vigilant and aware of what goes on in the human world. Yahweh is not a God who slumbers (cf. 121:3–4), nor is he ignorant of what humans do. While the wicked fools may act as if “there is no God,” the psalmist knows better. Yahweh’s seeming inaction is not a result of any lack of knowledge. He is fully aware of what humans do and is prepared to act in behalf of his faithful ones.
The Old Testament offers a variety of interpretations of divine absence and delay, including: (1) permitting the faithful to be tested by their circumstances; (2) pointing out that the world in and of itself is not a reliable place on which one can depend; (3) leaving ample opportunity for the wicked either to repent or to cook their goose thoroughly. Note that God does not act impetuously against frivolous misdemeanors but arrays himself adamantly against well-established and entrenched evil—for which no excuse is available.
God of the poor and oppressed. Psalm 14 leaves no doubt where Yahweh’s sympathies lie. In any conflict between oppressed and oppressor, God is always on the side of the righteous poor. Any delay in his acting cannot be the result of a lack of concern for justice, equity, and compassion. As the psalmist notes, “God is present in the company of the righteous. . . . The LORD is their refuge” (14:5–6).29 Therefore only “fools” would presume to think they can oppress the poor with impunity.
God’s presence with the poor is no guarantee they will never experience suffering. But the psalm does provide comfort that they are on God’s side as he is on theirs and that their suffering cannot be explained away (as Job’s friends try to do) as the necessary consequence of unconfessed sin. The righteous do suffer. In fact, their suffering can even be seen as a measure of their righteousness, as Jesus triumphantly proclaims at the conclusion of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11–12, italics added).
Even though the righteous may understand their suffering as a badge of honor that places them in the company of God himself, this does not make their suffering any less objectionable to the oppressed poor or to their God. The oppression of the righteous is a sign that God’s intended creation order has been corrupted and his plans “frustrated” as much as those of the poor (Ps. 14:6). That the poor can turn to the refuge of Yahweh in the midst of their oppression is a source of great comfort and joy. That they must (because of the oppressive acts of others) turn to Yahweh for protection is no joyful event, but it serves as the basis of divine judgment on the oppressors.
Contemporary Significance
IDENTIFICATION WITH THE WICKED. What immediately comes to your mind as you read Psalm 14:1–6? Just who are the “evildoers” to whom God is so adamantly opposed here? If you are like me, you will probably admit that your initial reaction is to point to all those indications of evil deeds and persons out there, in the world outside yourself. That was how I first read these condemning words—they were directed to all the opponents of God who wreak havoc on the poor, powerless, defenseless, and righteous of the world. In the final analysis, I tend to identify myself with those oppressed ones with whom God is said to be present and a refuge (14:5–6).
We would probably not be all wrong to understand this psalm and our world in this way. There is much evil out there in the world—war, genocide, abuse, oppression, exploitation—that needs to be noted for what it is and confronted actively by all those who call the name of Christ. But what came to impress me more as I read this psalm over and over is the inclusive language employed throughout to describe those confronted by God. “There is no one who does good . . . all have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (14:1d, 3, italics added). Those whom Yahweh scrutinizes from his heavenly vantage point are the “sons of men” (bene ʾadam), the most general and diffuse term for “human beings.”
While the psalmist does recognize a small group of oppressed righteous whom God protects (14:5–6), the emphasis is clearly on the failure of humanity-at-large to fulfill the creation intention to be God’s image.30 The effect of this condemnation of all humans is akin to Paul’s declaration that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).31 The judgment is inclusive, including you and me as well as those at whom we are wont to point the finger.
What strikes me, then, is the solidarity in which I stand with those I label “evildoers.” This gives me pause—should give us pause—when I rush to take my place among the righteous and wait for God to bring down his judgment on my enemies. This failure of understanding is particularly acute, I believe, among those of us Christians who find ourselves blessed by happenstance of birth and circumstances to be part of the rich “first world.” When we hurry to class ourselves with the righteous poor, we often fail to acknowledge the many ways our abundant lifestyle is founded on the exploitation of the “two-thirds” world who have so little.
Friends who have traveled in leadership positions among Christian communities of Africa, South America, and the Far East have confirmed my own conversations with Palestinian Christian friends on the West Bank. Inevitably these conversations lead to deep amazement on the part of these “two-thirds” world Christians about how those of us who have been given so much can still be so unaware and unconcerned for the needs and pains of those who live out their lives under oppressive governments and experience continuous poverty and exploitation.
These are certainly questions Jesus would want us to acknowledge and to seriously meditate upon. They are not easy questions with simplistic answers. But if we look carefully, we will have to admit that in many ways we are more closely related to the oppressive powerful than the exploited poor. This means that when we fail to acknowledge the suffering of the rest of our world, when we seek to preserve our own “favored status” at the expense of those who are less powerful than we are, when we simply try not to think too hard about how our abundance is related to the poverty of others, then the judging words of Psalm 14 are directed to us, not just those faithless, foolish, evildoers “out there.”