Psalm 14:4
New International Version
Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the LORD.

New Living Translation
Will those who do evil never learn? They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the LORD.

English Standard Version
Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD?

Berean Standard Bible
Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD.

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

New King James Version
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the LORD?

New American Standard Bible
Do all the workers of injustice not know, Who devour my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon the LORD?

NASB 1995
Do all the workers of wickedness not know, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon the Lord?

NASB 1977
Do all the workers of wickedness not know, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon the Lord?

Legacy Standard Bible
Do all the workers of iniquity not know, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon Yahweh?

Amplified Bible
Have all the workers of wickedness and injustice no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon the LORD?

Christian Standard Bible
Will evildoers never understand? They consume my people as they consume bread; they do not call on the LORD.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Will evildoers never understand? They consume My people as they consume bread; they do not call on the LORD.

American Standard Version
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And call not upon Jehovah?

Contemporary English Version
Won't you evil people learn? You refuse to pray, and you gobble up the LORD's people.

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Are all those troublemakers, those who devour my people as if they were devouring food, so ignorant that they do not call on the LORD?

Good News Translation
"Don't they know?" asks the LORD. "Are all these evildoers ignorant? They live by robbing my people, and they never pray to me."

International Standard Version
Will those who do evil ever learn? They devour my people like they devour bread, and never call on the LORD.

Majority Standard Bible
Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD.

NET Bible
All those who behave wickedly do not understand--those who devour my people as if they were eating bread, and do not call out to the LORD.

New Heart English Bible
Have all evildoers no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread? They do not call on the LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

World English Bible
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on Yahweh?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Have all working iniquity not known? Those consuming my people have eaten bread, "" They have not called YHWH.

Young's Literal Translation
Have all working iniquity not known? Those consuming my people have eaten bread, Jehovah they have not called.

Smith's Literal Translation
Did not the workers of vanity know? eating my people they ate bread; they called not Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall not all they know that work iniquity, who devour my people as they eat bread ?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Will they never learn: all those who work iniquity, who devour my people like a meal of bread?

New American Bible
Will these evildoers never learn? They devour my people as they devour bread; they do not call upon the LORD.

New Revised Standard Version
Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the LORD?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They recognized not the workers of iniquity, who devour my people as one eats bread; and they called not upon the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
No workers of evil have awareness; they consume my people as eating bread, and they have not called upon LORD JEHOVAH.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Shall not all the workers of iniquity know it, Who eat up My people as they eat bread, And call not upon the LORD?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Will not all the workers of iniquity know, who eat up my people as they would eat bread? they have not called upon the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Fool Says There is No God
3All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. 4Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD. 5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous.…

Cross References
Romans 3:10-12
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. / There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. / All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Isaiah 53:6
We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

Micah 3:2-3
You hate good and love evil. You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones. / You eat the flesh of my people after stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.”

Jeremiah 10:25
Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, and on the families that do not call on Your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have consumed him and finished him off; they have devastated his homeland.

Isaiah 64:6
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Proverbs 30:14
there is a generation whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are knives, devouring the oppressed from the earth and the needy from among men.

Matthew 7:23
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

1 John 3:10
By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Isaiah 1:4
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Ezekiel 22:27
Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.

Hosea 4:1-2
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! / Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.

Zephaniah 3:3-4
Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning. / Her prophets are reckless, faithless men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to the law.

Matthew 23:25
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

2 Timothy 3:2-4
For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, / unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, / traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,


Treasury of Scripture

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

Have

Psalm 94:8,9
Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? …

Isaiah 5:13
Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

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.

eat up

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.

Amos 8:4
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

Micah 3:2,3
Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; …

and

Psalm 79:6
Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

Job 21:15
What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Job 27:10
Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?

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Psalm 14
1. David describes a natural man
4. He convinces the wicked by the light of their conscience
7. He glories in the salvation of God














Will the workers of iniquity never learn?
The phrase "workers of iniquity" refers to those who actively engage in sinful behavior. The Hebrew word for "iniquity" is "אָוֶן" (aven), which implies trouble, wickedness, or sorrow. This term is often used in the Old Testament to describe actions that are morally wrong and cause harm to others. The rhetorical question "never learn" suggests a stubborn refusal to understand or change one's ways. Historically, this reflects the persistent rebellion against God seen throughout Israel's history, where despite numerous warnings and consequences, many continued in their sinful paths. This phrase challenges readers to reflect on their own lives and consider whether they are heeding God's teachings or persisting in wrongdoing.

They devour my people like bread
The imagery of devouring "like bread" is powerful, suggesting something done with ease and regularity. In ancient times, bread was a staple food, consumed daily. The Hebrew word for "devour" is "אָכַל" (akal), meaning to eat or consume. This metaphor indicates the exploitation and oppression of God's people by the wicked, as if it were a routine, thoughtless act. Historically, this can be seen in the oppression of the Israelites by surrounding nations and even by corrupt leaders within Israel. The phrase serves as a stark reminder of the ease with which the wicked can harm the righteous, and it calls for vigilance and reliance on God for protection.

they refuse to call upon the LORD
To "call upon the LORD" is to seek God in prayer, worship, and dependence. The Hebrew word "קָרָא" (qara) means to call out, proclaim, or summon. This refusal indicates a deliberate choice to ignore God and rely on one's own strength or false gods. In the historical context of Israel, this often led to idolatry and moral decay. The phrase underscores the root of the wicked's problem: a rejection of a relationship with God. For the believer, it serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking God in all circumstances, acknowledging Him as the source of wisdom, strength, and salvation.

(4) Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?--i.e., are they so senseless as not to perceive the consequences of their wrong-doing? or if we point the verb as the LXX. and Vulg., "shall they not know?" i.e., they are sure to find out to what their wickedness is leading them.

Who eat up.--Literally, eating my people, they have eaten bread; on Jehovah they have not called, which is usually explained, as in Authorised Version, "to devour God's people has been as usual and as regular as the daily meal." Another rendering is "whilst eating my people they have eaten bread, regardless of Jehovah," i.e., they have gone on in their security eating and drinking, with no thought of the vengeance preparing for them by the God of the oppressed race. Some, however, prefer to divide the two clauses, "Ah, they shall see--all the workers of iniquity who eat my people--they eat bread (i.e., live) regardless of Jehovah." This makes a better parallelism. A comparison with Micah 3:3-4, suggests that this verse of the psalm was a proverbial saying. (For the image, comp. Jeremiah 10:25; and Homer's "people-devouring kings.")

Verse 4. - Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? The exclamation is put in the mouth of God. Can it be possible that none of these evil-doers is aware of the results of evil-doing? Do they think to escape Divine retribution? The "wonder expresses the magnitude of their folly" (Hengstenberg). Who eat up my people as they eat bread. Reducing men to poverty, robbing them, and devouring their substance, is called, in Scripture, devouring the men themselves (see Proverbs 30:14; Isaiah 3:14; Micah 3:3). Those who are plundered and despoiled are compared to "bread" in Numbers 14:2. The Homeric δημοβόρος βασιλεὺς, adduced by Dr. Kay, is an instance of the same metaphor. And call not upon the Lord. This might have seemed scarcely to need mention, since "how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?" (Romans 10:14). But it connects them definitely with the atheists of ver. 1.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Will the workers
פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י (pō·‘ă·lê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6466: To do, make, to practise

of iniquity
אָ֥וֶן (’ā·wen)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 205: Strictly nothingness, trouble, vanity, wickedness, an idol

never
הֲלֹ֥א (hă·lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

learn?
יָדְעוּ֮ (yā·ḏə·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3045: To know

They devour
אֹכְלֵ֣י (’ō·ḵə·lê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 398: To eat

my people
עַ֭מִּי (‘am·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

[like]
אָ֣כְלוּ (’ā·ḵə·lū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 398: To eat

bread;
לֶ֑חֶם (le·ḥem)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

they refuse
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

to call upon
קָרָֽאוּ׃ (qā·rā·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

the LORD.
יְ֝הוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT Poetry: Psalm 14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no (Psalm Ps Psa.)
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