Psa 14:3 | KingComments | STEP | God has looked down from heaven on His creation and His creatures, the sons of men ( ). That was already true in Genesis 6 and Genesis 11 ( ), but here it is the people of Israel! He has been a Witness to all their actions. He has looked around and examined “to see if there are any who understand”. The understanding one – Hebrew maskil ( ) – is the counterpart of the fool. The understanding or wise person is not only one with understanding, but also one who acts in accord with his understanding of the nature and revelation of God. It is one who seeks after God. God must observe that “they have all turned aside” from Him and thus from the source of blessing ( ). They have left His will and way and have gone astray from Him, or apostatized, as the words “turned aside” can also be translated. They have cut the connection with Him and “together they have become corrupt”. The word “together” points to a collective expulsion of God. It is as if the totality of humanity has made an agreement to banish God from their thinking and to encourage one another to disregard Him. Willingly and knowingly “they have become corrupt”, indicating that something is no longer healthy or has become stinky and must be discarded. The word “corrupt” originally has the meaning of ‘souring’ of milk. People who ignore God sour themselves and sour all with whom they come into contact, even if they are constantly playing the comedian. What is soured cannot be consumed. It is unbearable. Most of all, it’s about what they are to God. He looks down from heaven and sees how soured they are, so that He can do nothing more with them than cast them away. David has already said in that “there is no one who does good”. In , he says it for the second time, emphasizing this conclusion strongly by adding that there is “not even one”. Paul quotes these verses in Romans 3 to show that all men, all humanity, including the Jews, “are under sin” ( ).

‏ Psalms 14:3

How the LORD Sees the Sons of Men

God has looked down from heaven on His creation and His creatures, the sons of men (Psa 14:2). That was already true in Genesis 6 and Genesis 11 (Gen 6:5 ; Gen 11:5), but here it is the people of Israel! He has been a Witness to all their actions.

He has looked around and examined “to see if there are any who understand”. The understanding one – Hebrew maskil (Dan 12:3) – is the counterpart of the fool. The understanding or wise person is not only one with understanding, but also one who acts in accord with his understanding of the nature and revelation of God. It is one who seeks after God.

God must observe that “they have all turned aside” from Him and thus from the source of blessing (Psa 14:3). They have left His will and way and have gone astray from Him, or apostatized, as the words “turned aside” can also be translated. They have cut the connection with Him and “together they have become corrupt”. The word “together” points to a collective expulsion of God. It is as if the totality of humanity has made an agreement to banish God from their thinking and to encourage one another to disregard Him.

Willingly and knowingly “they have become corrupt”, indicating that something is no longer healthy or has become stinky and must be discarded. The word “corrupt” originally has the meaning of ‘souring’ of milk. People who ignore God sour themselves and sour all with whom they come into contact, even if they are constantly playing the comedian. What is soured cannot be consumed. It is unbearable. Most of all, it’s about what they are to God. He looks down from heaven and sees how soured they are, so that He can do nothing more with them than cast them away.

David has already said in Psa 14:1 that “there is no one who does good”. In Psa 14:3, he says it for the second time, emphasizing this conclusion strongly by adding that there is “not even one”.

Paul quotes these verses in Romans 3 to show that all men, all humanity, including the Jews, “are under sin” (Rom 3:9 ; 13-18).