Psalms 14 (KJV)

Chapter Text

14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

14:2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

14:5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

14:6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

14:7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fool", "hath", "said", "heart", "corrupt", "done", "abominable", and "works". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fool" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local KJV text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "fool" and "hath" carries the first interpretive weight. In The LORD as Shepherd, the local focus is trust, covenant mercy, guidance, and worship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "fool" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.