Psalms 53:1

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.

📖 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

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

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

• 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.

• 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 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds, there is none who does good. 2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any who understood and sought God. 3 They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 4 Do all the workers of iniquity have no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the LORD? 5 There they were in great fear, for God is with the generation of the righteous. 6 You have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge. 7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD brings back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
• Ps 10:4 : 4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts.
• Rom 3:10-31 : 10 As it is written, 'There is none righteous, no, not one:' 11 'There is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God.' 12 'They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.' 13 'Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of vipers is under their lips.' 14 'Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.' 15 'Their feet are swift to shed blood:' 16 'Destruction and misery are in their ways:' 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 says to those who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not: on the contrary, we establish the law.
• Eph 5:12 : 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
• 1 Pet 4:3 : 3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have done the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in sensuality, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
• Ps 10:6 : 6 He has said in his heart, I shall not be moved; for I shall never be in adversity.
• Ps 10:11 : 11 He has said in his heart, God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see it.
• Ps 10:13 : 13 Why does the wicked despise God? He has said in his heart, You will not require it.
• Ps 88:1 : 1 O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you;
• Ps 92:6 : 6 A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this.
• Ezek 16:47 : 47 Yet you have not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations; but, as if that were a very little thing, you were corrupted more than they in all your ways.
• Ezek 16:51 : 51 Neither has Samaria committed half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters in all your abominations which you have done.
• Matt 5:22 : 22 But I say to you, that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whoever says to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be in danger of the council: but whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be in danger of hell fire.
• Luke 12:20 : 20 But God said to him, You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you; then whose shall those things be, which you have provided?
• Rom 1:21 : 21 Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
• Rom 1:28 : 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
• Gen 6:5-6 : 5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
• Gen 6:11-13 : 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
• Lev 18:24-30 : 24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled, which I cast out before you. 25 And the land is defiled: therefore I visit the iniquity upon it, and the land itself vomits out its inhabitants. 26 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger who sojourns among you: 27 For all these abominations have the men of the land done, who were before you, and the land is defiled; 28 That the land not spew you out also, when you defile it, as it spewed out the nations that were before you. 29 For whoever commits any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore you shall keep my ordinance, that you do not commit any of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the LORD your God.
• Deut 12:31 : 31 You shall not do so to the LORD your God, for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they have even burned their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
• 1 Kgs 12:26 : 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom shall return to the house of David.
• 1 Kgs 14:24 : 24 And there were also male shrine prostitutes in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
• Job 14:4 : 4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
• Job 15:16 : 16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, who drinks iniquity like water?