John Calvin Commentary Psalms 94:11

"Jehovah knoweth the thoughts of man, That they are vanity." — Psalms 94:11 (ASV)

Jehovah knows the thoughts of men, etc. He again insists upon the folly of men in seeking to wrap themselves up in darkness and hide themselves from the view of God. To prevent them from flattering themselves with vain pretexts, he reminds them that the mists of delusion will be scattered at once when they come to stand in God’s presence.

Nothing can help them as long as God from heaven stamps vanity upon their deepest plans. The Psalmist’s purpose in citing them before the Judge of all is to make them thoroughly search and examine their own hearts.

The great cause of their complacency lay in their failure to acknowledge God, burying all distinction between right and wrong, and, as far as possible, hardening themselves against all feeling.

They might contrive to soothe their minds by means like these, but he tells them that God ridiculed all such trifling. The truth may be an obvious one and well known; but the Psalmist states a fact that many overlook, and which we would do well to remember, that the wicked, when they attempt to hide themselves under subtle refuges, cannot deceive God, and necessarily deceive themselves.

Some read—They (that is, men themselves) are vanity; but this is a forced interpretation, and the form of expression is one which both in the Greek and Hebrew may be translated, God knows that the thoughts of men are vain.