Psalms 14:1

“For the director. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no Elohim.” They have become corrupt, they have made abominable their deeds; there is no one who does good.”
Psalms 14:1 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

For the director.לַמְנַצֵּחַOf David.לְדָוִדThe foolנָבָלsaysאָמַרin his heart,בְּלִבּוֹ“There is noאֵיןElohim.”אֱלֹהִיםThey have become corrupt,הִשְׁחִיתוּthey have made abominableהִתְעִיבוּtheir deeds;עֲלִילָהthere is noאֵיןone who doesעֹשֵׂהgood.טוֹב

Quotation · Romans 3:10-12

Go to Romans 3:10-12

Paul begins a series of quotations with Psalm 14:1-3 (also 53:1-3). Where the Hebrew says “there is no one who does good,” Romans 3:10 says “There is no righteous one.”

Formula: καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι “as it is written” (Romans 3:10)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἷς οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνίων οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν πάντες ἐξέκλιναν ἅμα ἠχρεώθησαν οὐκ ἔστιν ποιῶν χρηστότητα οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לַמְנַצֵּחַ לְדָוִד אָמַר נָבָל בְּלִבּוֹ אֵין אֱלֹהִים הִשְׁחִיתוּ הִתְעִיבוּ עֲלִילָה אֵין עֹשֵׂה טוֹב יְהוָה מִשָּׁמַיִם הִשְׁקִיף עַל בְּנֵי אָדָם לִרְאוֹת הֲיֵשׁ מַשְׂכִּיל דֹּרֵשׁ אֶת אֱלֹהִים הַכֹּל סָר יַחְדָּו נֶאֱלָחוּ אֵין עֹשֵׂה טוֹב אֵין גַּם אֶחָד

Septuagint (Psalms 13:1-3 in the Septuagint numbering): Εἰς τὸ τέλος· φαλμὸς τῷ Δαυείδ. Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ Οὐκ ἔστιν θεός. διέφθειραν καὶ ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός. Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψεν ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοῦ ἰδεῖν εἰ ἔστιν συνίων ἢ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν. πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἄμα ἠχρεώθησαν, οὐκ ἔστιν ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός. τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν· ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν, ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει· ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα· σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν· οὐκ ἔστιν φόβος θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 15 consecutive words: “ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν πάντες ἐξέκλιναν ἅμα ἠχρεώθησαν οὐκ ἔστιν ποιῶν χρηστότητα οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Psalms 14:1, word by word

For the directorמְנַצֵּחַmenatseach

direct

To take charge of directing a work or the singing and music of the psalms.

Where else “menatseach” appears

Of Davidדָוִדdavid

David

David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."

Where else “david” appears

The foolנָבָלnaval

foolish, fool

Foolish, a fool: not one who knows little, but one who lives without regard for God.

Where else “naval” appears

saysאָמַרamar

think

To speak inwardly without saying it aloud; to think.

Where else “amar” appears

in his heartלִבּlib

heart

The deepest part of a person: where they think, feel and decide.

Where else “lib” appears

Elohimאֱלֹהִיםelohim

Elohim

The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.

Where else “elohim” appears

They have become corruptהִשְׁחִיתוּhishchitu

corrupt

To spoil: to stop being useful, or to turn from good and become wicked.

Where else “hishchitu” appears

they have made abominableהִתְעִיבוּhitivu

act abominably

To do detestable things.

Where else “hitivu” appears

their deedsעֲלִילָהalila

deed

What someone does, above all his deeds, good or bad, which others can see.

Where else “alila” appears

one who doesעֹשֵׂהose

To carry out an act or to deal with someone in a certain way, for good or ill.

Where else “ose” appears

goodטוֹבtov

what is right

What is right and just, which God approves, the opposite of evil.

Where else “tov” appears

Translation note

The first two sentences are the title. This psalm is repeated almost the same in Psalm 53.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

"There is no God": Psalms 14 and 53

Psalms 53:1-6

See them side by side

Psalms 14:1-7

¹For the director. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no Elohim.” They have become corrupt, they have made abominable their deeds; there is no one who does good. ²YHWH from the heavens looked down upon human beings to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks Elohim. ³All have turned aside, together they have become perverted; there is no one who does good, there is not even one. ⁴Do they not know, all who work wickedness, who eat my people as they eat bread, and do not call on YHWH? ⁵There they were filled with dread, for Elohim is in the generation of the righteous. ⁶The counsel of the afflicted you put to shame, for YHWH is his refuge. ⁷Oh that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion. When YHWH brings back the captivity of his people, Jacob will be jubilant, Israel will be glad.

Psalms 53:1-6

¹For the director. On Mahalat. A maskil of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no Elohim.” They have become corrupt and have done abominable injustice; there is no one who does good. ²Elohim from the heavens looked down upon human beings to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks Elohim. ³All of them have turned back; together they have become perverted; there is no one who does good, there is not even one. ⁴Do they not know, those who work wickedness, who eat up my people as they eat bread? On Elohim they do not call. ⁵There they were filled with dread where there was no dread, for Elohim scattered the bones of the one who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for Elohim despised them. ⁶Oh that from Zion would come the salvations of Israel! When Elohim brings back the captivity of his people, Jacob will be jubilant, Israel will be glad.

Quotation · Romans 3:10-12

Paul begins a series of quotations with Psalm 14:1-3 (also 53:1-3). Where the Hebrew says “there is no one who does good,” Romans 3:10 says “There is no righteous one.”

See them side by side

Psalms 14:1

¹For the director. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no Elohim.” They have become corrupt, they have made abominable their deeds; there is no one who does good.

Romans 3:10-12

¹⁰as it is written: There is no righteous one, not even one;

The context

1 · This verse (above)

2YHWH from the heavens looked down upon human beings to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks Elohim.

Read all of Psalms 14

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