| Psalm 53 | |
|---|---|
| "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." | |
Psalm 53, David and Abigail, in Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (c. 1185)
| |
| Other name |
|
| Text | Attributed to King David |
| Language | Hebrew (original) |
| Psalm 53 | |
|---|---|
← Psalm 52 Psalm 54 → | |
| Book | Book of Psalms |
| Hebrew Bible part | Ketuvim |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 1 |
| Category | Sifrei Emet |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 19 |
Psalm 53 is the 53rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 52. In Latin, it is known as "Dixit insipiens in corde suo non est deus",[1] It is described as a maskil or "contemplation of David".[2]
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant liturgies.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[3][4] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־מָחֲלַ֗ת מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לְדָוִֽד׃ | For the Leader; upon Mahalath. Maschil of David. |
| 2 | אָ֘מַ֤ר נָבָ֣ל בְּ֭לִבּוֹ אֵ֣ין אֱלֹהִ֑ים הִֽ֝שְׁחִ֗יתוּ וְהִֽתְעִ֥יבוּ עָ֝֗וֶל אֵ֣ין עֹֽשֵׂה־טֽוֹב׃ | The fool hath said in his heart: 'There is no God'; They have dealt corruptly, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none that doeth good. |
| 3 | אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים מִשָּׁמַיִם֮ הִשְׁקִ֢יף עַֽל־בְּנֵי־אָ֫דָ֥ם לִ֭רְאוֹת הֲיֵ֣שׁ מַשְׂכִּ֑יל דֹּ֝רֵ֗שׁ אֶת־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | God looked forth from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any man of understanding, that did seek after God. |
| 4 | כֻּלּ֥וֹ סָג֮ יַחְדָּ֢ו נֶ֫אֱלָ֥חוּ אֵ֤ין עֹֽשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב אֵ֝֗ין גַּם־אֶחָֽד׃ | Every one of them is unclean, they are together become impure; There is none that doeth good, no, not one. |
| 5 | הֲלֹ֥א יָדְעוּ֮ פֹּ֤עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן אֹכְלֵ֣י עַ֭מִּי אָ֣כְלוּ לֶ֑חֶם אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים לֹ֣א קָרָֽאוּ׃ | ’Shall not the workers of iniquity know it, Who eat up My people as they eat bread, And call not upon God?' |
| 6 | שָׁ֤ם ׀ פָּ֥חֲדוּ פַחַד֮ לֹא־הָ֢יָ֫ה פָ֥חַד כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֗ים פִּ֭זַּר עַצְמ֣וֹת חֹנָ֑ךְ הֱ֝בִשֹׁ֗תָה כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֥ים מְאָסָֽם׃ | There are they in great fear, where no fear was; For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee; Thou hast put them to shame, because God hath rejected them. |
| 7 | מִ֥י יִתֵּ֣ן מִצִּיּוֹן֮ יְשֻׁע֢וֹת יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל בְּשׁ֣וּב אֱ֭לֹהִים שְׁב֣וּת עַמּ֑וֹ יָגֵ֥ל יַ֝עֲקֹ֗ב יִשְׂמַ֥ח יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God turneth the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. |
This psalm is the Elohistic Psalter's (Pss. 42–83) version of Psalm 14,[5] and nearly identical to it. The medieval exegete Rashi understood Psalm 14 to refer to the destruction of the First Temple; this version, he thought, refers to the destruction of the Second Temple.[6] Modern interpreters, following Hermann Gunkel's form criticism, classify this psalm as a lament.[7]
There are two differences between Psalms 14 and 53, the name of God used being the first. Psalm 14 uses the covenant name of God, YHWH, typical of the Psalms in book 1 of Psalms (Psalms 1 through 41). Psalm 53 uses Elohim, typical of the Psalms in Book 2 (Psalms 42 through 72). Second, there is reference to "a refuge for the poor" in Psalm 14:6, which is missing from Psalm 53.
In the New Testament, verses 1–3 are quoted by PaulinRomans 3:10–12,[8] where he argues that Jews and Gentiles are equally in need of God's grace. Since this Psalm and Psalm 14 are nearly identical, it is difficult to tell which one is quoted.
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the tenth day of the month.[9]
Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 53 in a metred version in German, "Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl", SWV 150, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.
