Psalm 53

Psalm 53 is the 53rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 52. In Latin, it is known as "Dixit insipiens in corde suo non est deus", It is described as a maskil or "contemplation of David".
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant liturgies.

Content

This psalm is the Elohistic Psalter's version of Psalm 14, and nearly identical to it. The medieval exegete Rashi understood Psalm 14 to refer to the destruction of the First Temple; this version, he thought, refers to the destruction of the Second Temple. Modern interpreters, following Hermann Gunkel's form criticism, classify this psalm as a lament.
There are two differences between Psalms 14 and 53, the name of God used being the first. Psalm 14 uses the covenant name of God, YHWH, typical of the Psalms in book 1 of Psalms. Psalm 53 uses Elohim, typical of the Psalms in Book 2. Second, there is reference to "a refuge for the poor" in Psalm 14:6, which is missing from Psalm 53.

Uses

New Testament

In the New Testament, verses 1–3 are quoted by Paul in Romans, where he argues that Jews and Gentiles are equally in need of God's grace. Since this Psalm and Psalm 14 are nearly identical, it is difficult to tell which one is quoted.

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the tenth day of the month.

Musical settings

set Psalm 53 in a metred version in German, "Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl", SWV 150, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.

Text

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 52.

#	Hebrew	English	Greek
			Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ μαελέθ· συνέσεως τῷ Δαυΐδ. -
1		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.	ΕΙΠΕΝ ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐκ ἔστι Θεός. διεφθάρησαν καὶ ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ἀνομίαις, οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν ἀγαθόν.
2		God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.	ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψεν ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦ ἰδεῖν εἰ ἔστι συνιὼν ἢ ἐκζητῶν τὸν Θεόν.
3		Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.	πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν, οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν ἀγαθόν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός.
4		Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.	οὐχί γνώσονται πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν; οἱ κατεσθίοντες τὸν λαόν μου ἐν βρώσει ἄρτου τὸν Κύριον οὐκ ἐπεκαλέσαντο.
5		There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.	ἐκεῖ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον, οὗ οὐκ ἦν φόβος, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς διεσπόρπισεν ὀστᾶ ἀνθρωπαρέσκων· κατῃσχύνθησαν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐξουδένωσεν αὐτούς.
6		Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.	τίς δώσει ἐκ Σιὼν τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ; ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν Θεὸν τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀγαλλιάσεται ᾿Ιακὼβ καὶ εὐφρανθήσεται ᾿Ισραήλ.