Psalms 53:1

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

For the director, according to Mahalath. A contemplative psalm of David.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־מָחֲלַ֗ת מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לְדָוִֽד׃

Transliteration

To the mənaṣṣēaḥ upon-māḥălat maśkîl to dāwid

Grammar Details

• *mənaṣṣēaḥ*: preposition 'to' + participle, masculine singular - director/chief musician
• *māḥălat*: preposition 'upon' + noun, feminine singular - possibly a musical term or instrument
• *maśkîl*: noun, masculine singular - contemplative poem/skillful psalm
• *dāwid*: preposition 'to' + proper noun - David

Word Meanings

• *mənaṣṣēaḥ*: chief musician/director/conductor
• *māḥălat*: musical term/illness/affliction/musical instrument
• *maśkîl*: contemplative poem/skillful composition/instructive psalm
• *dāwid*: David (personal name)

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A alm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  For the Chief Musician; set to Mahalath. Maschil of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none that doeth good.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  To the chief Musician{H8764)} upon Mahalath, Maschil{H8688)}, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said{H8804)} in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt{H8689)} are they, and have done abominable{H8689)} iniquity: there is none that doeth{H8802)} good.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  The foolish bodies saye in their hertes: Tush, there is no God. Corrupte are they, and become abhominable in their wickednesses: there is not one, that doth good.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  To him that excelleth on Mahalath. A Psalme of Dauid to giue instruction. The foole hath saide in his heart, There is no God. they haue corrupted & done abominable wickednes: there is none that doeth good.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  To the chiefe musition vpon Mahalah, a wise instruction of Dauid. The foole hath sayde in his heart there is no God: they haue corrupted them selues, & haue made their wickednes abhominable, he is not that doeth good.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ¶ To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David. The fool hath said in his heart, [There is] no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: [there is] none that doeth good.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  > The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity. There is no one who does good.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  To the Overseer. -- `On a disease.' -- An instruction, by David. A fool said in his heart, `There is no God.' They have done corruptly, Yea, they have done abominable iniquity, There is none doing good.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none that doeth good.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  [For the Chief Musician; set to Mahalath. Maschil of David]. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none that doeth good.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  <To the chief music-maker; put to Mahalath. Maschil. Of David.> The foolish man has said in his heart, God will not do anything. They are unclean, they have done evil works; there is not one who does good.

• World English Bible (2000)

  The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity. There is no one who does good.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  For the music director; according to the machalath style; a well-written song by David. Fools say to themselves,“There is no God.” They sin and commit evil deeds; none of them does what is right.

Referenced Verses

• Ps 14:1-7 : 1 To the director. Of David. The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt and commit abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven on all humanity to see if there is anyone who understands, anyone who seeks after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Do all the evildoers not understand? They devour my people as if they were eating bread, but they do not call upon the LORD. 5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is with the generation of the righteous. 6 You frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
• Ps 10:4 : 4 In his pride, the wicked man says, 'He will not seek; there is no God in all his thoughts.'
• Rom 3:10-31 : 10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one." 11 "There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God." 12 All have turned away, together they have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. 13 "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The venom of vipers is under their lips." 14 Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness. 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood. 16 Ruin and misery mark their paths. 17 And the way of peace they have not known. 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, testified to by the Law and the Prophets. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 And all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins previously committed. 26 He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By the law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not also the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles too. 30 Since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through the same faith. 31 Do we then nullify the law by this faith? Absolutely not! Instead, we uphold the law.
• Eph 5:12 : 12 For it is shameful even to speak of what they do in secret.
• 1 Pet 4:3 : 3 For you have already spent enough time in the past doing what the Gentiles choose to do, living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
• Ps 10:6 : 6 He says in his heart, 'I shall not be moved; from generation to generation I shall be without trouble.'
• Ps 10:11 : 11 He says in his heart, 'God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.'
• Ps 10:13 : 13 Why does the wicked spurn God? He says in his heart, 'You will not call me to account.'
• Ps 88:1 : 1 A song, a psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief musician. According to Mahalath Leannoth, a contemplative poem of Heman the Ezrahite.
• Ps 92:6 : 6 How great are Your works, O LORD! How profound are Your thoughts!
• Ezek 16:47 : 47 You not only followed their ways and acted according to their detestable practices but in a very short time, you became more depraved than they were in all your ways.
• Ezek 16:51 : 51 Samaria did not sin as much as you did. You multiplied your abominations more than they did, and your actions have justified your sisters in comparison to all your abominations.
• Matt 5:22 : 22 But I say to you, everyone who is angry with their brother without cause will be subject to judgment. Whoever says to their brother, ‘Raka!’ will be answerable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
• Luke 12:20 : 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This very night your soul will be required of you, and the things you have prepared—who will they belong to?'
• Rom 1:21 : 21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
• Rom 1:28 : 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
• Gen 6:5-6 : 5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of humanity had become on the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of their heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lord regretted that He had made humanity on the earth, and it deeply grieved Him.
• Gen 6:11-13 : 11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all flesh had ruined their way on the earth. 13 Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, because the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I am going to destroy them along with the earth.
• Lev 18:24-30 : 24 Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves by all these things. 25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you are to keep my statutes and my judgments. Do not commit any of these abominations, whether you are a native-born or a foreigner residing among you. 27 For all these abominations were committed by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land was defiled. 28 Make sure the land does not vomit you out when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was there before you. 29 For anyone who commits any of these detestable practices will be cut off from among their people. 30 So keep my charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were done before you, so you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.
• Deut 12:31 : 31 You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because they practice for their gods every abomination that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
• 1 Kgs 12:26 : 26 Jeroboam said to himself, "The kingdom will now likely return to the house of David.
• 1 Kgs 14:24 : 24 There were even male cult prostitutes in the land. They committed all the detestable practices of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
• Job 14:4 : 4 Who can bring what is pure out of the unclean? No one.
• Job 15:16 : 16 How much less is a man, who is detestable and corrupt, one who drinks iniquity like water!