53 53:1 To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil1 of David.
53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
2 53:2 God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,2
who seek after God.
3 53:3 They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4 53:4 Have those who work evil no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
5 53:5 There they are, in great terror,
where there is no terror!
For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 53:6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
Section Overview
Psalm 53 is almost identical to Psalm 14, which makes it reasonable to suppose that the two psalms were alternate versions of the same hymn before they were included in the Psalter. The two hymns serve the same function, namely, to enable the community of God’s people to mourn the fact that humankind, especially those with power, do not seek after God and thus instead treat God’s people cruelly. Thus the commentary here is quite similar to that at Psalm 14.
The chief difference between the two psalms is that 53:5 is as long as 14:5–6 together (and thus 53:6 = 14:7). In 53:5 the psalmist describes in greater detail the terror that will befall the wicked, while the previous psalm emphasizes God’s care for the poor (cf. 14:5–6). Also, Psalm 53 uses “God” throughout to refer to the Deity, while Psalm 14 uses “the Lord” in several of these places. Finally, Psalm 53 has a little more detail in the title, “according to Mahalath” and “a maskil”—though we hardly know what these mean!
Although in Proverbs and the Psalms the “fool” is most commonly an Israelite who rejects the covenant, here it is likely a Gentile oppressor of God’s people. This follows from the reference to the “children of man” (v. 2)—that is, all humankind (not only Israel)—and to their action upon “my people” (v. 4), implying that the oppressors come from a different people.
Response
As mentioned above, this lament is especially geared to cases in which Gentile oppressors are treating God’s people cruelly. The title attributes this psalm to David, and yet the books of Samuel offer few instances of such situations in his own reign. Nevertheless, precursors were evident, as in the days of the judges, and there would be plenty such instances in the subsequent story of Israel after David’s time—and thus he has provided the people with a vehicle to bring their lament before God and to be assured of his intentions for their well-being.
This song promotes faith as it reiterates God’s commitment to his people. But it also, in such dire crisis, reminds the worshiping people that the Gentiles do need the wisdom that Israel is called upon to display for them (Deut. 4:5–8), and thus the psalm leads the Israelites to share the emotion of disappointment at the Gentiles’ indifference to wisdom.
Christians will suffer oppression as well. At the same time, Gentile Christians can rejoice that the blindness of their ancestors has been turned to clear sight, as Jesus has given them wisdom and knowledge—“Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:2–3).Psalm 53
Psalm 54
Probably musical or liturgical terms
Or who act wisely
I. (53:1–4) The Godless Devour God’s People. These godless would be Gentiles (the “children of man,” v. 2; as opposed to “my people,” v. 4) who have not been given the light and “do not call upon God” (v. 4). Some, however, may suggest that verse 3 narrows the focus to those in Israel who have “fallen away,” but the words themselves do not require this. These verses use a number of terms that we normally encounter in Wisdom Literature (such as Proverbs): “fool” (v. 1), “understand” (v. 2), and “knowledge” (v. 4).
Hebrew uses three main words for fool, and each speaks of moral orientation rather than intellectual ability (kesil, ʾewil, nabal); naturally, they figure prominently in the book of Proverbs. The term used here in Psalm 53:1 denotes someone who stubbornly rejects wisdom; the word lies behind the name Nabal. In 1 Samuel 25:25 (“as his name is, so is he”) we get close to a living definition, as Nabal has just rudely rebuffed David. As in Psalm 10:4, the saying of the fool (“There is no God”) is less concerned with philosophical atheism but rather asserts that God, if he exists, takes no interest in human affairs and will not call people to account for their deeds. The result of this denial is that they are corrupt and do abominable deeds, and thus none of them does good. Now, people do all manner of evil all the time, and that hardly seems a warrant for a psalm of complaint; but the specific deeds in view are those of harming God’s people (“eat up my people”; Ps. 53:4).
Verses 2–3 present us with God’s perspective on these godless: he “looks down from heaven” to assess the “children of man” (i.e., all mankind, not just Israelites) to see if any “understand”—another term used in Proverbs (maskil) for the spiritual perception to lay hold of God’s grace and live by his instructions (e.g., “prudent,” Prov. 15:24; “be wise,” Ps. 2:10). This term is explained further by “seek after God.” God finds instead that they have “all” (namely, these Gentiles in view) “fallen away” from the proper path for a human, that of knowing God and honoring his people.
The person speaking in 53:4 may be God or the pious Israelite; either could speak of “my people.” The question expresses surprise, or perhaps disappointment, that the search for one who understands has been fruitless. To “eat up my people” is to consume their wealth and freedom, and possibly even their lives (in Mic. 3:1–3 it is Israelite rulers who do this). To “call upon God” is to rely on the God of the covenant for life and well-being (cf. Pss. 18:3, 6; 118:5). The people who do not do this are Gentiles—God’s grace, given to Israel, is also for them.
(For discussion of Paul’s argument in Romans 3:10–12 cf. comments on Psalm 14.)
II. (53:5) God Will Scatter the Oppressors. In the face of such threats (v. 4) the faithful must remember that God is their refuge and will protect them and defeat the evildoers.
The stanza invites the singers to imagine the oppressors (“they”) as God sees them: as ones about to have a dire judgment visited upon them (“terror”). Interestingly, in the middle of verse 5 the singular pronoun “you” is introduced (“encamps against you, you put them to shame”). This is most likely addressing Israel as a whole (or perhaps each member within the people). The point is that though these oppressors besiege you, you will actually be God’s instrument for putting them to shame (i.e., for frustrating their evil schemes). The song does not specify how the people will do so, since such an answer lies outside its purpose. It may be through military defensive action. It may be through some other means. It may be in some far-off future in which God brings about his final vindication. In any case the faithful must never lose heart!
III. (53:6) Prayer for Community Salvation. In light of both the situation and the assurance, the singing community prays that God would rescue them and promote their well-being; their prayer concludes with firm hope (“when,” not if). The “salvation” prayed for—the deliverance mentioned in verse 5—is to “come out of Zion,” because the Lord dwells in a special way there—namely, in his sanctuary, where his people gather in his presence.