Psalm 53:4
New International Version
Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on God.

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

English Standard Version
Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?

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

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

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

New American Standard Bible
Have the workers of injustice no knowledge, Who eat up My people like they ate bread, And have not called upon God?

NASB 1995
Have the workers of wickedness no knowledge, Who eat up My people as though they ate bread And have not called upon God?

NASB 1977
Have the workers of wickedness no knowledge, Who eat up My people as though they ate bread, And have not called upon God?

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

Amplified Bible
Have workers of wickedness no knowledge or no understanding? They eat up My people as though they ate bread And have not called upon God.

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

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

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

Contemporary English Version
Won't you lawbreakers learn? You refuse to pray, and you gobble up the people of God.

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

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 God?

Good News Translation
"Don't they know?" God asks. "Are 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 God.

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

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 God.

New Heart English Bible
Have evildoers no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on God?

Webster's Bible Translation
Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread! they have not called upon God.

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

Young's Literal Translation
Have not workers of iniquity known, Those eating my people have eaten bread, God they have not called.

Smith's Literal Translation
Did not those transgressing know any thing? eating up my people, they ate bread: they called not upon God.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall not all the workers of iniquity know, who eat up 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
Do they not know better, those who do evil, who feed upon my people as they feed upon bread? Have they not called upon God?

New Revised Standard Version
Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
These people no longer recognize evil; they have consumed my people like bread; they have no respect for God.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And none of the workers of evil have known, who have been consuming my people as the food of bread, and they have not called upon God, and none is doing good, not even one.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Shall not the workers of iniquity know it, Who eat up My people as they eat bread, And call not upon God?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Will none of the workers of iniquity know, who devour my people as they would eat bread? they have not called upon God. There were they greatly afraid, where there was no fear:

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 God. 5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them.…

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.”

Psalm 14:4
Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD.

Isaiah 59:7-8
Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake. / The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have turned them into crooked paths; no one who treads on them will know peace.

Jeremiah 9:3-6
“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD. / “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander. / Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity. ...

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.”

Proverbs 1:29-31
For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. / They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. / So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

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.

Jeremiah 5:26-28
For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men. / Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich. / They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.

Matthew 23:13-15
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter. / Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter. / Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Romans 1:28-32
Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. / They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. ...

Isaiah 57:4
Whom are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit,

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.

Matthew 7:15-20
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. / By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? / Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ...

2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. / 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, ...

Ezekiel 22:29
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice.


Treasury of Scripture

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

Have.

Psalm 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.

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.

who eat

Psalm 27:2
When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

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.

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.

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Psalm 53
1. David describes the corruption of the natural man
4. He convinces the wicked by the light of their own conscience
6. He glories in the salvation of God














Will the workers of iniquity
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. Historically, this term is used to describe individuals who not only sin but do so with intent and persistence. In the context of ancient Israel, these were often people who opposed God's laws and oppressed His people. The rhetorical question posed here suggests a sense of frustration and disbelief at their persistent rebellion against God.

never learn?
The Hebrew root for "learn" is "לָמַד" (lamad), which means to gain knowledge or be instructed. This phrase implies a stubborn refusal to understand or accept the truth. From a conservative Christian perspective, this highlights the spiritual blindness and hard-heartedness of those who reject God's wisdom. It serves as a reminder of the importance of being teachable and open to God's instruction, contrasting the foolishness of those who persist in their sinful ways.

They devour my people like bread
The imagery of devouring "like bread" suggests a casual, habitual action. In ancient times, bread was a staple food, consumed daily. The Hebrew word "אָכַל" (akal) means to eat or consume, indicating the ease and regularity with which the wicked oppress the righteous. This metaphor underscores the relentless and destructive nature of the wicked's actions against God's people. It serves as a call to recognize the spiritual warfare faced by believers and the need for divine protection and justice.

they refuse to call upon God
The refusal to "call upon God" signifies a deliberate choice to reject a relationship with the Creator. The Hebrew word "קָרָא" (qara) means to call out, proclaim, or summon. In the biblical context, calling upon God is an act of worship, dependence, and acknowledgment of His sovereignty. The refusal indicates a prideful self-reliance and a denial of God's authority. This phrase serves as a warning of the spiritual peril of ignoring God and the importance of seeking Him in humility and faith.

(4) Notice the omission of the expressive "all" found in Psalms 14

Verse 4. - For "the workers of iniquity" in this verse, Psalm 14. has "all the workers of iniquity " - a difference wholly unimportant.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Will the workers
פֹּ֤עֲלֵ֫י (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.
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative


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OT Poetry: Psalm 53:4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 53:3
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