Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 14

Fool. —Heb., nabal, from a root meaning “to wither,” hence flat, insipid (insipiens). But this is not therefore speculative atheism, but practical—a denial of the moral government of God—so that fool and wicked become almost synonymous.

They have done abominable works. —Literally, they have made to be abhorred their works. The Septuagint and Vulgate have caught the sense: “They have become abominable in their practices.” Instead of works, Psalms 53:1 has iniquity.

Looked down. —Literally, bent forward to look as from a window (Compare to Song of Solomon 6:10).

Did understand. —Better, any man of understanding, in contrast with fool, in Psalms 14:1, and certainly meaning one who regulates his conduct on the conviction of the existence of a holy and just God.

Filthy. —Better, corrupt or putrid. Compare the Roman satirist’s description of his age:

“Nothing is left, nothing for future times
To add to the full catalogue of crimes.
The baffled sons must feel the same desires
And act the same mad follies as their sires.
Vice has attained its zenith.”—JUVENAL: Satire 1.

Between Psalms 14:3-4, the Alexandrian manuscript of the Septuagint, followed by the Vulgate, the English Prayer-book version, and the Arabic, insert from Romans 3:13-18 the passage beginning, Their throat is an open sepulchre. The fact that these verses—which are really a cento from various psalms and Isaiah—follow immediately on the quotation of Psalms 14:2-3, led the copyist to this insertion. (See the note in the New Testament Commentary on Romans 3:13.)

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? — that is, are they so senseless that they do not perceive the consequences of their wrongdoing? Or if we interpret the verb as the Septuagint and Vulgate do, “shall they not know?” that is, they are sure to find out to what their wickedness is leading them.

Who eat up. — Literally, eating my people, they have eaten bread; on Jehovah they have not called, which is usually explained, as in the Authorized Version, “to devour God’s people has been as usual and as regular as the daily meal.” Another rendering is, “while eating my people they have eaten bread, regardless of Jehovah,” that is, they have gone on in their security eating and drinking, with no thought of the vengeance preparing for them by the God of the oppressed race. Some, however, prefer to divide the two clauses: “Ah, they shall see—all the workers of iniquity who eat my people—they eat bread (that is, live) regardless of Jehovah.” This makes a better parallelism. A comparison with Micah 3:3–4 suggests that this verse of the psalm was a proverbial saying. (For the image, compare Jeremiah 10:25; and Homer’s “people-devouring kings.”)

There were they. —Literally, there they feared a fear, that is, terror overtook them. Psalms 53:5 adds, which was no fear. The local word “there” brings the scene before us as if in a picture. We see them there before us, these wicked men; there, in the midst of their intrigues, their exactions, or their pleasures, the hand of God seizes them, and behold, they are struck with fear. Evidently, we do not have any indication here to identify a particular event. Whether the addition in Psalm 53:5 provides any such indication is discussed in the commentary on that psalm.

For God is. —For the singular variation in Psalm 53:5, consult the note on Psalm 14:5 in the commentary on Psalm 53. The uneasy sense that, after all, the good have God on their side—this general truth is implied in the phrase “generations of the righteous,” even if first applied to faithful Israel—is always a cause of fear to the wicked.