Psalms 53 · Verse 4

Psalms 53:4

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

Psalms 53:4 in other translations

BSBWill the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon God.
WEBHave the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on God?
ASVHave the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And call not upon God?
YLTHave not workers of iniquity known, Those eating my people have eaten bread, God they have not called.
DARBYHave the workers of iniquity no knowledge, eating up my people as they eat bread? they call not upon God.
BBEHave the workers of evil no knowledge? they take my people for food, as they would take bread; they make no prayer to God.
WebsterHave the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread! they have not called upon God.

What does Psalms 53:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 53:1-4

Psa 53:1-6. Upon Mahalath--(See on Psa 88:1, title). Why this repetition of the fourteenth Psalm is given we do not know. 1-4. with few verbal changes, correspond with Psa 14:1-4.

Read the full comment on Psalms 53:1-4 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 Have the workers of iniquity - For פעלי, poaley, workers seventy-two of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., with several ancient editions, the Chaldee, though not noticed in the Latin translation in the London Polyglot, the Syriac, Vulgate, Septuagint, Ethiopic, and the Arabic, with the Anglo-Saxon, add the word כל col, all, - All the workers of iniquity; which is the reading in the parallel place in Psa 14:1-7 : It may be necessary to observe, that the Chaldee, in the Antwerp and Paris Polyglots, and in that of Justinianus, has not the word כל col, All. Have not Called upon God - אלהים Elohim; but many MSS. have יהוה Jehovah, Lord.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Psalms 53:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

הֲלֹ֥אha.Lo'¿ notH3808
יָדְעוּ֮ya.de.'Udo they knowH3045
פֹּ֤עֲלֵ֫יpo.'a.Lei[those who] doH6466
אָ֥וֶן'A.ven<of> wickednessH205
אֹכְלֵ֣י'o.khe.Lei[those who] devourH398
עַ֭מִּי'A.mi<of> people myH5971
אָ֣כְלוּ'A.khe.luthey eatH398
לֶ֑חֶםLe.chembreadH3899
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
קָרָֽאוּ\׃ka.Ra.'uthey call onH7121

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 53:4

  • Jeremiah 4:22

    For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

  • Jeremiah 10:25

    Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.

  • Psalms 27:2

    When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

  • Psalms 94:8

    Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

  • Isaiah 27:11

    When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.

  • Revelation 17:16

    And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

  • Matthew 23:17-39

    Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Have.Here 70 MSS., several editions, and the ancient versions add {kol,} "all," as in Ps 14.
94:8; Isa 27:11; Jer 4:22; Mt 23:17-39
who eat.
27:2; Jer 10:25; Re 17:16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 53:3

    Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

  • Psalms 53:4

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

  • Psalms 53:5

    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.

Read all of Psalms 53

Psalms 53:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¿No tienen conocimiento todos esos que obran iniquidad? que comen á mi pueblo como si comiesen pan: á Dios no han invocado.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ils se sont tous retirés, ils se sont tous ensemble corrompus; il n’y a personne qui fasse le bien, non pas même un seul.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Haben keine Erkenntnis die, welche Frevel tun, die mein Volk fressen, als äßen sie Brot? Gott rufen sie nicht an.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Deus, exaudi orationem meam; auribus percipe verba oris mei.