Psalms 53:5

53:4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.

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.

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There they were in great fear, where no fear was, for God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you. You have put them to shame, because God has rejected them.

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.

There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God has scattered the bones of him that encamps against you: you have put them to shame, because God has despised them.

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 rejected them.

53:6 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.

What does Psalms 53:5 mean?

Psalms 53:5 is a verse in the book of Psalms, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include פַּחַד (pachad), פָּחַד (pâchad), אֱלֹהִים (ʼĕlôhîym). It connects to 40 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

There

were

they

greatפַּחַדpachad/pakh'-ad/H6343a (sudden) alarm (properly, the object feared, by implication, the feeling)

fear,פָּחַדpâchad/paw-kkad'/H6342to be startled (by a sudden alarm); hence, to fear in general

where

fearפַּחַדpachad/pakh'-ad/H6343a (sudden) alarm (properly, the object feared, by implication, the feeling)

was:

for

Godאֱלֹהִיםʼĕlôhîym/el-o-heem'/H430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative

hath

scatteredפָּזַרpâzar/paw-zar'/H6340to scatter, whether in enmity or bounty

the

bonesעֶצֶםʻetsem/eh'tsem/H6106a bone (as strong); by extension, the body; figuratively, the substance, i.e. (as pron.) selfsame

him

that

encampethחָנָהchânâh/khaw-naw'/H2583properly, to incline; by implication, to decline (of the slanting rays of evening); specifically, to pitch atent; gen. to encamp (for abode or siege)

against

thee:

thou

hast

put

them

shame,בּוּשׁbûwsh/boosh/H954properly, to pale, i.e. by implication to be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed or delayed

because

hath

despisedמָאַסmâʼaç/maw-as'/H3988to spurn; also (intransitively) to disappear

them.

were:

Heb.

they

feared

fear

Commentary on Psalms 53:5

CLARKE · whole chapter

of more than twenty of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., with the Septuagint, Syriac, and Chaldee, and Justinianus' Polyglot Psalter. For larger notes and an analysis, the reader is requested to refer to Psa 14:1-7; and for a comparison of the two Psalms he may consult Dr. Kennicott's Hebrew Bible, where, under Psa 14:1-7, in the lower margin, the variations are exhibited at one view. Introduction The psalmist complains that strangers were risen up against him to take away his life, Psa 54:1-3; expresses his confidence in God that he will uphold him, and punish his enemies, Psa 54:4, Psa 54:5; on which he promises to sacrifice to God, Psa 54:6; he speaks of his deliverance, Psa 54:7. The title is, "To the chief Musician upon Neginoth, an instructive Psalm of David, when the Ziphites came to Saul, and said, Doth not David conceal himself among us?" Ziph was a village in the southern part of Palestine. David having taken refuge in the mountains of that country, the Ziphites went to Saul, and informed him of the fact. Saul, with his army, immediately went thither, and was on one side of a mountain while David was on the other. Just when he was about to fall into the hands of his merciless pursuer, an express came to Saul that the Philistines had invaded Israel, on which he gave up the pursuit, and returned to save his country, and David escaped to En-gedi. See the account in 1Sam 23:19-29. It is supposed to have been after this deliverance that he composed this Psalm. Neginoth, from נגן nagan to strike or play on some kind of instrument, probably signifies stringed instruments, such as were played on with a plectrum. Verse 1 Save me, O God, by thy name - Save me by thyself alone; so name here may be understood. The name of God is often God himself. David was now in such imminent danger of being taken and destroyed, that no human means were left for his escape; if God therefore had not Interfered, he must have been destroyed. See the introduction, Psa 54:1-7 (note). Verse 2 Hear my prayer - In his straits he had recourse to God; for from him alone, for the reasons alleged above, his deliverance must proceed. Verse 3 Strangers are risen up against me - The Ziphites. And oppressors - Saul, his courtiers, and his army. They have not set God before them - It is on no religious account, nor is it to accomplish any end, on which they can ask the blessing of God. Selah - This is true. Verse 4 Behold, God is mine helper - This would naturally occur to him when he saw that Saul was obliged to leave the pursuit, and go to defend his territories, when he was on the very point of seizing him. God, whose providence is ever watchful, had foreseen this danger and stirred up the Philistines to make this inroad just at the time in which Saul and his army were about to lay hands on David. Well might he then say, "Behold, God is mine helper." Is with them, that uphold my soul - נפשי naphshi, my life. This may even refer to the Philistines, who had at this time made an inroad on Israel. God was even with his own

WESLEY · whole chapter

Scattered - Hath not only broken their bones, their strength, and force, but also dispersed them hither and thither, so as there is no hope of a restoration. Thee - Against my people. Thou - Thou oh Jerusalem, which they besiege.

HENRY_FULL · Psalms 53:1–6

Human Depravity. 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. 2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. 3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God. 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. 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. This psalm was opened before, and therefore we shall here only observe, in short, some things concerning sin, in order to the increasing of our sorrow for it and hatred of it. 1. The fact of sin. Is that proved? Can the charge be made out? Yes, God is a witness to it, an unexceptionable witness: from the place of his holiness he looks on the children of men, and sees how little good there is among them, v. 2 . All the sinfulness of their hearts and lives in naked and open before him. 2. The fault of sin. Is there any harm in it? Yes, it is iniquity ( v. 1 , 4 ); it is an unrighteous thing; it is that which there is no good in ( v. 1 , 3 ); it is an evil thing; it is the worst of evils; it is that which makes this world such an evil world as it is; it is going back from God, v. 3 . 3. The fountain of sin. How comes it that men are so bad? Surely it is because there is no fear of God before their eyes: they say in their hearts, "There is no God at all to call us to an account, none that we need to stand in awe of." Men's bad practices flow from their bad principles; if they profess to know God, yet in works, because in thoughts, they deny him. 4. The folly of sin. He is a fool (in the account of God, whose judgment we are sure is right) that harbours such corrupt thoughts. Atheists, whether in opinion or practice, are the greatest fools in the world. Those that do not seek God do not understand; they are like brute-beasts that have no understanding; for man is distinguished from the brutes, not so much by the powers of reason as by a capacity for religion. The workers of iniquity, whatever they pretend to, have no knowledge; those may truly be said to know nothing that do not know God, v. 4 . 5. The filthiness of sin. Sinners are corrupt ( v. 1 ); their nature is vitiated and spoiled, and the more noble the nature is the more vile it is when it is depraved, as that of the angels. Corruptio optimi est pessima—The best things, when corrupted, become the worst. Their iniquity is abominable; it is odious to the holy God, and it renders them so; whereas otherwise he hates nothing that he has made. It makes men filthy, altogether filthy. Wilful sinners are offensive in the nostrils of the God of heaven and of the holy angels. What decency soever proud sinners pretend to, it is certain that wickedness is the greatest defilement in the world. 6. The fruit of sin. See to what a degree of barbarity it brings men at last; when men's hearts are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin see their cruelty to their brethren, that are bone of their bone—because they will not run with them to the same excess of riot, they eat them up as they eat bread; as if they had not only become beasts, but beasts of prey. And see their contempt of God at the same time. They have not called upon him, but scorn to be beholden to him. 7. The fear and shame that attend sin ( v. 5 ): There were those in great fear who had made God their enemy; their own guilty consciences frightened them, and filled them with horror, though otherwise there was no apparent cause of fear. The wicked flees when none pursues. See the ground of this fear; it is because God has formerly scattered the bones of those that encamped against his people, not only broken their power and dispersed their forces, but slain them, and reduced their bodies to dry bones, like those scattered at the grave's mouth, Ps. cxli. 7 . Such will be the fate of those that lay siege to the camp of the saints and the beloved city, Rev. xx. 9 . The apprehensions of this cannot but put those into frights that eat up God's people. This enables the virgin, the daughter of Zion, to put them to shame, and expose them, because God has despised them, to laugh at them, because he that sits in heaven laughs at them. We need not look upon those enemies with fear whom God looks upon with contempt. If he despises them, we may. 8. The faith of the saints, and their hope and power touching the cure of this great evil, v. 6 . There will come a Saviour, a great salvation, a salvation from sin. Oh that it might be hastened! for it will bring in glorious and joyful times. There were those in the Old-Testament times that looked and hoped, that prayed and waited, for this redemption. (1.) God will, in due time, save his church from the sinful malice of its enemies, which will bring joy to Jacob and Israel, that have long been in a mournful melancholy state. Such salvations were often wrought, and all typical of the everlasting triumphs of the glorious church. (2.) He will save all believers from their own iniquities, that they may not be led captive by them, which will be everlasting matter of joy to them. From this work the Redeemer had his name— Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins, Matt. i. 21 .

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Leviticus 26:17

And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

Leviticus 26:36

And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

Deuteronomy 28:65

And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

Joshua 2:9

And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

Joshua 2:11

And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

Joshua 2:24

And they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

1 Samuel 14:15

And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.

2 Kings 7:6

For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

2 Chronicles 14:9

And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

2 Chronicles 20:1

It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

2 Chronicles 20:20

And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

Job 15:21

A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

Psalms 2:1

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

Psalms 2:4

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Psalms 14:5

There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

Psalms 35:4

Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.

Psalms 35:26

Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me.

Psalms 40:14

Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.

Psalms 73:20

As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Psalms 83:16

Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

Psalms 141:7

Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.

Proverbs 28:1

The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Isaiah 8:9

Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.

Isaiah 8:10

Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

Isaiah 14:12

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Isaiah 37:21

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:

Isaiah 37:22

This is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

Jeremiah 6:30

Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.

Jeremiah 8:1

At that time, saith the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:

Lamentations 2:6

And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.

Ezekiel 6:5

And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.

Ezekiel 37:1

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

Amos 9:5

And the Lord God of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

Amos 9:13

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

Nahum 1:5

The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

Habakkuk 3:5

Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.

Habakkuk 3:6

He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.

Habakkuk 3:10

The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.

Habakkuk 3:11

The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.

2 Peter 3:10

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Topics

Psalms Wicked

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Psalms 53:5.

Deuteronomy 28:67

In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

Job 3:25

For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

Job 4:14

Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.

Psalms 14:5

There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

Frequently asked questions

What does Psalms 53:5 say?

Psalms 53:5 (King James Version) reads: "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."

Is Psalms 53:5 in the Old or New Testament?

Psalms 53:5 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Psalms.

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