Tap any verse number for what that verse means.
1The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good.
2The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.
3All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
4Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD.
5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous.
6You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed, yet the LORD is their shelter.
7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!
Understand This
Psalm 14, explained
What Psalm 14 is saying
Psalm 14 (nearly duplicated in Psalm 53) presents a sweeping indictment of universal human corruption through the lens of the 'fool' (nabal) who denies God's relevance. God's survey from heaven reveals that 'there is no one who does good, not even one'—a declaration that Paul will later employ as the foundation for his doctrine of universal sinfulness in Romans 3. The psalm concludes with a longing for eschatological deliverance from Zion.
The background behind it
The term nabal designates not intellectual atheism but moral-practical foolishness—a willful disregard for God that manifests in oppression of the poor. The psalm likely predates its near-duplicate in Psalm 53, which substitutes Elohim for YHWH.
Themes running underneath
The psalm presents a theology of universal corruption that is simultaneously corporate and volitional—humanity as a whole has turned aside, yet the psalm still distinguishes between the wicked and 'my people.' The closing hope for Zion's deliverance introduces eschatological expectation.
Why it still matters
This psalm confronts the illusion of self-righteousness by revealing that the human condition requires external intervention. It directs hope away from moral self-improvement toward God's saving initiative from Zion.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.