Psalm 53

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 53:6

3. Yearning for God’s reign 53:6David longed for the time when God would initiate salvation for Israel from Zion. When he wrote, Israel was at least partially under a hostile foreign power’s control. The psalmist believed God would one day restore His people and cause them to rejoice. Because of other revelation, we know that when Jesus Christ comes back to reign He will reestablish Israel as His favored nation and will punish her enemies (cf. Psalms 2; Isaiah 27:12; Isaiah 43:5-7; Jeremiah... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 53:1-6

This is a second version of Psalms 14 with the important difference that God (Elohim) is everywhere substituted for the Lord (Jehovah). There are a few other variations and additions, especially in Psalms 53:5 (= Psalms 14:5-6). The changes are interesting chiefly as an illustration of the process of editing which was applied to many Pss. and many portions of the OT., and in particular of the consistent preferences, on the part of separate writers, for one divine name rather than... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53

LIII.This Psalm is a variation from Psalms 14:0. Which was the original, or whether both are not corruptions of some lost original, are questions involving minute comparisons and examinations of the Hebrew text, and possibly do not admit of satisfactory answers. Instead of “Jehovah” in Psalms 14:0, Psalms 53:0 has Elohîm, according to the style of this part of the collection. The other differences are discussed in the Notes. (See Introduction and Notes to Psalms 14:0)Title.—See title, Psalms... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53:1

(1) And.—The conjunction is wanting in Psalms 14:1.Iniquity.—Instead of the general term, “doings,” in Psalms 14:0, as if the adapter of the Psalm felt that a word applicable to good as well as evil was not strong enough to express the hideousness of the profanity. read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53:3

(3) There are two unimportant variations from Psalms 14:0 here: “every one,” instead of “the whole,” and “gone back” (sag) for “gone aside” (sar). read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53:4

(4) Notice the omission of the expressive “all” found in Psalms 14:0 read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53:5

(5) Where no fear was.—This—the most interesting variation from Psalms 14:0—appears plainly to have been inserted to bring the Psalm into harmony with some circumstance belonging to the time for which it was adapted, but to which we have no clue. As to the choice among the various explanations that have been given of it, we must remark that the one which takes “fear” in a good sense (“Then were they in great fright where there was no fear of God”) is excluded by the fact that the same word is... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Psalms 53:1-6

Psalms 53:1-6IN this psalm we have an Elohistic recast of Psalms 14:1-7, differing from its original in substituting Elohim for Jehovah (four times) and in the language of Psalms 53:5. There are also other slight deviations not affecting the sense. For the exposition the reader is referred to that of Psalms 14:1-7. It is only necessary here to take note of the divergences.The first of these occurs in Psalms 53:1. The forcible rough construction "they corrupt, they make abominable," is smoothed... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Psalms 53:1-6

Psalms 53:0 The Apostasy Under the Man of Sin This Psalm is in greater part the same as the fourteenth. It is the description of the apostasy, the complete turning away from God and opposition to God, which will hold sway when Satan’s mighty man is on the earth. Then the godly remnant will sigh for the coming of salvation out of Zion. read more

John Calvin

Geneva Study Bible - Psalms 53:1

53:1 [To the chief Musician upon {a} Mahalath, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David.] The fool hath said in his heart, [There is] {b} no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: [there is] none that doeth good.(a) Which was an instrument or king of note.(b) Whereas no regard is had for honesty or dishonesty, for virtue nor for vice, there the prophet pronounces that the people have no God. read more

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 53:6

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 53:1-6

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53:1

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53:3

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53:4

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 53:5

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Psalms 53:1-6

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Psalms 53:1-6

Geneva Study Bible - Psalms 53:1

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