Psalm 14:1

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 14:1-3

If we apply our hearts as Solomon did (Eccl. 7:25) to search out the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness, these verses will assist us in the search and will show us that sin is exceedingly sinful. Sin is the disease of mankind, and it appears here to be malignant and epidemic. 1. See how malignant it is (Ps. 14:1) in two things:? (1.) The contempt it puts upon the honour of God: for there is something of practical atheism at the bottom of all sin. The fool hath said in his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 14:1

The fool hath said in his heart ,.... This is to be understood not of a single individual person, as Nabal, which is the word here used; nor of some Gentile king, as Sennacherib, or Rabshakeh his general, as Theodoret; nor of Nebuchadnezzar, nor of Titus, as some Jewish writers F25 Vid. Jarchi, Kimchi & Ben Melech in loc. interpret it, making one to be here intended, and the other in the fifty third psalm: the same with this; but of a body, a set of men, who justly bear this... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 14:1

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God - נבל nabal , which we render fool, signifies an empty fellow, a contemptible person, a villain. One who has a muddy head and an unclean heart; and, in his darkness and folly, says in his heart, "There is no God." "And none," says one, "but a fool would say so." The word is not to be taken in the strict sense in which we use the term atheist, that is, one who denies the being of a God, or confounds him with matter. 1. There have been some,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 14:1

Verse 1 Many of the Jews are of opinion that in this psalm there is given forth a prediction concerning the future oppression of their nation: as if David, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, bewailed the afflicted condition of the Church of God under the tyranny of the Gentiles. They therefore refer what is here spoken to the dispersed condition in which we see them at the present day, as if they were that precious heritage of God which the wild beasts devour. But it is very apparent, that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 14:1

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God . An atheism is here depicted which goes beyond even that of Psalms 10:1-18 . There the existence of God was not so much denied as his providence. Here his existence is not only denied, but denied in the very depths of the man's heart. He has contrived to convince himself of what he so much wishes. The psalmist regards such a state of mind as indicative of that utter perversity and folly which is implied in the term nabal ( נָבַל ). ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 14:1

The fool's creed, and its consequences. "The fool hath said," etc. This is very plain speaking. Bible writers are not wont to wrap their meaning in soft phrases. They utter truth in words clear as sunbeams, keen as lightning. This word "fool" refers to character rather than understanding. The psalmist has in his eye one blinded by worldliness or besotted with vice, who can see no charm in virtue, no beauty in holiness, no loveliness, grandeur, attractiveness, in Divine truth. "The fool's... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 14:1-7

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 14:1-7

The depravity of a godless world, viewed by God. This psalm is given us twice—as the fourteenth and the fifty-third. It is one of those which assumes a revelation of God as a redeeming God, and also the existence of a redeemed people of God. And by way of consequence it assumes the necessity of a Divine redemption in order to bring about "the generation of the righteous." This could only have come about by Divine grace and by Divine power. Hence the very manifest distinction noted in the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 14:1-7

Right views of God's government. I. In considering God's moral government of the world, we should be careful to TAKE THE RIGHT STANDPOINT . Much depends on the way we look at things. We may be too near or too far off; we may lean too much to the one side or to the other. Here the standpoint is not earth, but "heaven." This is the perfect state. Here we take our place by the side of God, and look at things in the light of his truth. If we have the Spirit of Christ, the true Son of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 14:1-7

Conflict between God and the wicked. The psalmist beans by lamenting the extent and the power of the atheism which reigns among men ( Psalms 14:1-3 ). But the righteous who have to suffer much on account of it, must not therefore despair; fools shall certainly bring destruction upon themselves ( Psalms 14:4-6 ). He closes with the prayer that God would send deliverance to his people ( Psalms 14:7 ). I. ATHEISM . ( Psalms 14:1-3 .) 1 . Atheism in the thought and in the... read more

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