Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings

Whole Psalm.—Probably the two Psalms refer to different periods; the fourteenth to the earlier portion of the world, or of Jewish history; the fifty-third to a later, perhaps a still future time. Jehovah, through Christ, is frequently said to turn to the world to see what its condition is, and always with the same result. “All flesh had corrupted its way” in the days of Noah, and, “when the Son of Man cometh” again, it is intimated that he will scarcely “find faith on the earth.” The two Psalms also apply to different persons. The former refers to the enemies of God, who tremble when his presence is made known; “they are in great fear,” because vengeance is about to be inflicted on them for their sins. Here the Supreme Being is called Jehovah. In the fifty-third Psalm the interests of God’s people are principally kept in view. The ungodly are regarded as plotting against the righteous, and it is in this relation their case is considered. The fear that was just and reasonable, in the fourteenth Psalm, because it concerned the unrighteous under a sense of impending judgment, is said to be unfounded in the fifty-third, because God was in the midst of his people, “scattering the bones of their enemies,” and showing himself, not as Jehovah, but as the Elohim of his redeemed children. The fourteenth Psalm contemplates judgment; the fifty-third deliverance; and thus, though seemingly alike, a different lesson is conveyed in each.

The Psalm, then, descriptive of the universal and continuous corruption of man’s nature, very properly occupies an introductory place in a series intended to represent the enemies of Messiah, who oppose his church during his absence, and who are to attempt to resist his power when he comes again. Before entering upon an examination of the character of these opponents, this Psalm teaches that, until changed by grace, all are gone astray; “there is none righteous, no, not one,” and that for all there is but one remedy, “the Deliverer coming out of Zion, who shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”—R. H. Ryland, M.A., in “The Psalms restored to Messiah,” 1853.

Whole Psalm.—The state of earth ought to be deeply felt by us. The world lying in wickedness should occupy much of our thoughts. The enormous guilt, the inconceivable pollution, the ineffably provoking Atheism of this fallen province of God’s dominion, might be a theme for our ceaseless meditation and mourning. To impress it the more on us, therefore, the Psalm repeats what has been already sung in Psalm xiv. It is the same Psalm, with only a few words varied; it is “line upon line, precept upon precept;” the harp’s most melancholy, most dismal notes again sounded in our ear. Not that the Lord would detain us always, or disproportionately long, amid scenes of sadness; for elsewhere he repeats in like manner that most triumphant melody, Psalm lx. 6-12; cviii. 6-13; but it is good to return now and then to the open field on which we all were found, cast out in loathsome degradation.—Andrew A. Bonar, in “Christ and his Church in the Book of Psalms,” 1859.

Whole Psalm.—A second edition of the fourteenth Psalm, with variations more or less important, in each verse. That either of these compositions is an incorrect copy of the other is highly improbable, because two such copies of the same Psalm would not have been retained in the collection, and because the variations are too uniform, consistent, and significant, to be the work of chance or mere traditional corruption. That the changes were deliberately made by a later writer is improbable, because such a liberty would hardly have been taken with a Psalm of David, and because the later form, in that case, would either have been excluded from the Psalter or substituted for the first form, or immediately connected with it.

The only satisfactory hypothesis is, that the original author afterwards re-wrote it, with such modifications as were necessary to bring out certain points distinctly, but without any intention to supersede the use of the original composition, which therefore still retains its place in the collection. This supposition is confirmed by the titles, which ascribe both Psalms to David.... As a general fact, it may be stated, that the variations in the Psalm before us are such as render the expression stronger, bolder, and in one or two cases more obscure and difficult.—J. A. Alexander 1850.

Whole Psalm.—This Psalm is a variation of Psalm xiv. In each of these two Psalms the name of God occurs seven times. In Psalm xiv. it is three times Elohim, and four times Jehovah; in the present Psalm it is seven times Elohim.—Christopher Wordsworth, 1868.

Whole Psalm.—God, in this Psalm, “speaketh twice,” for this is the same almost verbatim with the fourteenth Psalm. The scope of it is to convince us of our sins, to set us a-blushing, and to set us a-trembling because of them; there is need of “line upon line” to this purpose. God, by the Psalmist, here shows—

I. The fact of sin. God is a witness to it. He looks down from heaven and sees all the sinfulness of men’s hearts and lives. All this is open and naked before him.

II. The fault of sin. It is iniquity (verses 1, 4); it is an unrighteous thing; it is that in which there is no good (verses 1, 3); it is going back from God (verse 3).

III. The fountain of sin. How comes it that men are so bad? Surely, it is because there is no fear of God before their eyes; they say in their hearts, there is no God at all to call us to account, none that we need to stand in awe of. Men’s bad practices flow from their bad principles.

IV. The folly of sin. He is a fool (in the account of God, whose judgment we are sure is right) who harbours such corrupt thoughts. The “workers of iniquity,” whatever they pretend to, “have no knowledge;” they may truly be said to know nothing that do not know God. Verse 4.

V. The filthiness of sin. Sinners are “corrupt” (verse 1); their nature is vitiated and spoiled; their iniquity is “abominable;” it is odious to the holy God, and renders them so; whereas, otherwise he “hates nothing that he has made.” What neatness soever proud sinners pretend to, it is certain that wickedness is the greatest nastiness in the world.

VI. The fruit of sin. See to what a degree of barbarity it brings men at last! See their cruelty to their brethren! They “eat them up as they eat bread.” As if they had not only become beasts, but beasts of prey. See their contempt of God at the same time—they have not called upon him, but scorn to be beholden to him.

VII. The fear and shame that attends sin (verse 5). “There were they in great fear” who had made God their enemy; their own guilty consciences frightened them and filled them with horror. This enables the virgin, the daughter of Zion, to put them to shame and expose them, “because God hath despised them.”

VIII. The faith of the saints, and their hope and power touching this great evil (verse 6). There will come a Saviour, a great salvation, a salvation from sin. O that it might be hastened! for it will bring in glorious and joyful times. There were those in the Old Testament times that looked and hoped, that prayed and waited for this redemption. Such salvations were often wrought, and all typical of the everlasting triumphs of the glorious church.—Condensed from Matthew Henry, 1662-1714.

Verse 1.—“The fool hath said is his heart,” etc. It is in his heart he says this; this is the secret desire of every unconverted bosom. If the breast of God were within reach of men, it would be stabbed a million of times in one moment. When God was manifest in the flesh, he was altogether lovely; he did no sin; he went about continually doing good: and yet they took him and hung him on a tree; they mocked him and spat upon him. And this is the way men would do with God again. Learn—1st. The fearful depravity of your heart. I venture to say there is not an unconverted man present, who has the most distant idea of the monstrous wickedness that is now within his breast. Stop till you are in hell, and it will break out unrestrained. But still let me tell you what it is—you have a heart that would kill God if you could. If the bosom of God were now within your reach, and one blow would rid the universe of God, you have a heart fit to do the deed. 2nd. The amazing love of Christ—“While we were enemies, Christ died for us.”—Robert Murray M’Cheyne, 1813-1843.

Verse 1.—“There is no God.” אֵין is properly a noun, and means nonentity, or non-existence: “nothing of God,” or “no such thing as God.” It cannot be explained as a wish—“No God!” i.e., O that there were no God!—because אֵין in usage always includes the substantive verb, and denies the existence, or at least the presence of the person or thing to which it is prefixed. This is also clear from the use of the same word in the last clause, where its sense is unambiguous.—J. A. Alexander on Psalm XIV.

Verse 1.—“There is no God.” Thus denying the agency of Providence, for the word Elohim, here translated God, means judge (compare Exodus xxii. 28), and has reference not to the essence, but to the providence of the Deity.—Daniel Cresswell, 1776-1844.

Verse 1.—It is to be noted that Scripture saith, “The fool hath said in his heart,” and not “thought in his heart;” that is to say, he doth not so fully think it in judgment, as he hath a good will to be of that belief, for seeing that it makes not for him that there should be a God, he doth seek by all means accordingly to persuade and resolve himself, and studies to affirm, prove, and verify it to himself as some theme or position, all which labour, notwithstanding that sparkle of our creation light, whereby men acknowledge a Deity, burneth still within; and in vain doth he strive utterly to alienate it or put it out, so that it is out of the corruption of his heart and will, and not out of the natural apprehension of his brain and conceit, that he doth set down his opinion, as the comical poet saith, “Then came my mind to be of my opinion,” as if himself and his mind had been two diverse things; therefore, the atheist hath rather said, and held it in his heart, than thought or believed in his heart that there is no God.—Francis Bacon (1560-1626), in “Thoughts on Holy Scripture.”

Verse 2.—“That did seek God.” Although all things are full of God, yet is he to be sought for of godly men, by reason of the darkness which compasseth our minds through original sin. For both the flesh, and the senses, and earthly affections do hinder us from knowing of him, yea, though he be present—Peter Martyr, 1500-1562.

Verses 2, 3.—Their sin is described in gradation. They do not understand, because a true knowledge of things divine forms the basis of proper conduct towards God; they do not ask for God, because they only care for him whose clear and sure insight apprehends him as their highest possession; they are gone aside, because he who cares not for him is sure to get estranged from him, and to deviate from his paths; and they are altogether become filthy (i.e., worthless), because man’s proper strength and fitness for virtue must well from the fountain of communion with God.—Augustus F. Tholuck, 1856.

Verse 3.—“They are altogether become filthy.” נֶאְֶלָחוּ neelachu. They are become sour and rancid; a metaphor taken from milk that has fermented and turned sour, rancid and worthless.—Adam Clarke, 1760-1832.

Verse 3 (second clause).—The word נֶאְֶלָחוּ, rendered “they are become filthy,” might be read, they have become rotten or putrid.—John Morison, 1829.

Verse 3 (last clause).—Evil men are not only guilty of sins of commission, having done abominable iniquity, but they are guilty of many sins of omission. In fact, they have never done one holy act. They may be moral, decent, amiable, they may belong to the church; but “there is none that doeth good, no not one.”—William S. Plumer, 1867.

Verse 4.—“Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge?” Conscience is a means to curb and restrain, control and rebuke corrupt nature, and the swelling forms of it. It is not there as a native inhabitant, but as a garrison planted in a rebellious town by the great Governor of the world, to keep the rebellion of the inhabitants within compass, who else would break forth into present confusion. David, speaking of the corruption of man by nature after this question, Whether there be not some knowledge to discover their evil doings to them? yes, says he, “Have they no knowledge, who eat up my people as bread?” Yes; and therefore (verse 5) “They are often in fear,” God having placed this there to overcome them with fear; and by that to restrain them from many outrages against God’s people, whom in their desires, and sometimes practice, they eat up as bread. Therefore this knowledge is put in as a bridle to corrupt nature, as a hook was put into Sennacherib’s nostrils (Isa. xxxvii. 29) to rule and tame men, and overcome them with fear. If they had no knowledge they would eat up one another, and the church, as bread; but there is their fear, says he, that is, thence it comes to pass they are kept in awe.—Thomas Goodwin, 1600-1679.

Verse 4.—“Who eat up my people as they eat bread.” C’est, n’en font non plus de conscience, que de manger un morceau de pain. [That is, they have no more scruple in doing this than in eating a morsel of bread.]—French Margin.

Verse 4.—“My people.” David may call the serious his people, because of his regard for them, and because they were his supporters and friends. They adhered to him in all his afflictions. [“Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” Ruth i. 16.]—Benjamin Boothroyd, 1836.

Verse 5.—“There were they in great fear, where no fear was.” There is a fond and superstitious fear, when men are afraid of their shadows, as Pisander was afraid of meeting his own soul; and Antenor would never go forth of the doors, but either in a coach closed upon all sides, or with a target borne over his head, fearing, I guess, lest the sky should fall down upon it, according to that in the Psalm, “They fear where no fear is.”—John King, 1559-1621.

Verse 5.—“There were they in great fear, where no fear was.” Behold how fearful a hell a wounded conscience is! For why is Cain afraid to be killed, seeing there is none living to perform it, but his father and mother, and perhaps some women children which the Scripture nameth not? It is God’s just judgment, that they that will not fear the Lord who is only to be feared, should stand in fear of them who are justly no cause of fear. He that lately feared not to kill his brother, is now made a terror to himself. Hereby also we may consider what is the repentance of the wicked; they see perhaps the fault together with the punishment, but they admit the fault and lament the punishment.—Nicholas Gibbens, 1602.