Psalm 53

Divine Deliverances Through Prayer

Historical background to 1 Samuel 23:19–29

Introduction.—Ps. 53 presents a vivid picture of general godlessness in a decadent world, with the assurance that God will save His people. The psalm is a slight variation of Ps. 14 (which see), made, perhaps, to render it suitable for other circumstances.

On the superscription see pp. 616, 628, 629. The phrases, “To the chief Musician,” “A Psalm of David,” are identical in Ps. 14 and 53.

For comments on this psalm see on Ps. 14. The following comments deal only with passages where the texts differ.

1. Iniquity. Instead of “and have done abominable iniquity” Ps. 14:1 has “have done abominable works.”

2. God. Heb. ХElohim. Ps. 14:2 reads “The Lord,” Heb. Yahweh. The same change occurs in vs. 4, 6. The name Yahweh does not appear in Ps. 53, whereas both ХElohim and Yahweh appear in Ps. 14 (see Vol. I, pp. 170–173).

3. Gone back. Ps. 14:3 reads “they are all gone aside.” The sense is almost identical, each clause indicating a departure from God.

4. The workers of iniquity. The word “all” precedes this phrase in Ps. 14:4. “God” is “the Lord” in Ps. 14 (see on Ps. 53:2).

5. In great fear. Verse 5 shows considerable variation from Ps. 14:5, 6.

Where no fear was. There was no occasion for fear, since God was on their side. Some have conjectured that this phrase was added by an inspired scribe to adapt the psalm to use at the time of some great deliverance, as at the time of the overthrow of Sennacherib’s army (see 2 Kings 19:20–36).

Scattered the bones. The bodies of the invaders were left unburied (see Eze. 6:5). The idea of a dead body’s not receiving honorable burial was most abhorrent to the Oriental mind. This part of the psalm appears to indicate the background of an attack on Jerusalem, which had been repelled, or a siege of the city, which the enemy had raised.

Put them to shame. The falsity of the utterance, “There is no God,” had been proved by the defeat of these mockers by an act of God, not by Israel’s superior strength.

Despised. Heb. maХas, “rejected.”

Ellen G. White comments

5 GC 117