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Psalm 53:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 53:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 53[a]
Foolishness of the Wicked
1 For the director.[b] According to Mahalath. A maskil of David.
2 [c]The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
Such are depraved and their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does what is right.
3 God looks down from heaven
upon the entire human race,
to see if there are any who act with wisdom,
if even a single one seeks God.
Footnotes
- Psalm 53:1 The psalmist stresses that when people banish God from their heart, they are led to renounce and exploit their neighbors. A generation turns away from God and erects injustice into a law, but the Lord of the poor and oppressed remains vigilant. The text reproduces Ps 14 with some variants: e.g., “God” is used for “the Lord” and verse 5 (which corresponds with vv. 5-6 of Ps 14) is different.
In praying this psalm, we can recall that all the attacks of spiritual or physical tyrants upon us are futile. Christ is with his faithful till the end of time, with the whole Church and with every Christian, to enable them to overcome all external and internal adversities. And without ceasing Christ offers to his Father, out of gratitude for deliverance, a sacrifice of thanksgiving—the Eucharist. - Psalm 53:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Mahalath: this word may signify a modulation indicating sadness. Maskil: see note on Ps 32:1a.
- Psalm 53:2 See notes on Ps 14:1b-4.
