Show Bible Commentary For A Bible Verse

Click here to show/hide instructions.

Selected Verse: Psalms 53:5 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Ps 53:5	Strong Concordance	There were they in great [06343] fear [06342], where no fear [06343] was: for God [0430] hath scattered [06340] the bones [06106] of him that encampeth [02583] against thee: thou hast put them to shame [0954], because God [0430] hath despised [03988] them.
	King James	There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

Open All | Close All Open All | Close All

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Instead of assurances of God's presence with the pious, and a complaint of the wicked, Psa 14:5-6 portrays the ruin of the latter, whose "bones" even "are scattered" (compare Psa 141:7), and who are put to shame as contemptuously rejected of God.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Instead of assurances of God's presence with the pious, and a complaint of the wicked, Psa 14:5-6 portrays the ruin of the latter, whose "bones" even "are scattered" (compare Psa 141:7), and who are put to shame as contemptuously rejected of God.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
There were they in great fear ... - Margin, as in Hebrew, "they feared a fear." For the general meaning of the verse, see the notes at Psa 14:5. There is, however, an important change introduced here - the most important in the psalm. The general sentiment of two verses Psa 14:5-6 in Psa 14:1-7 is here compressed into one, and yet with such an important change as to show that it was by design, and apparently to adapt it to some new circumstance. The solution of this would seem to be that the original form Psa 14:1-7 was suited to some occasion then present to the mind of the writer, and that some new event occurred to which the general sentiment in the psalm might be easily applied (or which would express that as well as could be done by an entirely new composition), but that, in order to adapt it to this new purpose, it would be proper to insert some expression more particularly referring to the event. The principal of these additions is found in the verse before us. In Psa 14:5-6, the language is, "There were they in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous; ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge." In the psalm before us, the language is, "There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them." "Where no fear was." The reference here, as in Psa 14:5, is to the fear or consternation of the people of God on account of the designs and efforts of the wicked. They were apprehensive of being overthrown by the wicked. The design of the psalmist in both cases is to show that there was no occasion for that fear. In Psa 14:5, he shows it by saying that "God is in the congregation of the righteous." In the psalm before us fie says expressly that there was no ground for that fear - "where no fear was," - and he adds, as a reason, that God had "scattered the bones" of them "that encamped against" them. That is, though there seemed to be occasion for fear - though those enemies were formidable in numbers and in power - yet God was their friend, and he had now showed them that they had no real occasion for alarm by dispersing those foes. For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee - Of the besieger. This, as already intimated, would seem to have been introduced in order to adapt the psalm to the particular circumstances of the occasion when it was revised. From this clause, as well as others, it appears probable that the particular occasion contemplated in the revision of the psalm was an attack on Jerusalem, or a siege of the city - an attack which had been repelled, or a siege which the enemy had been compelled to raise. That is, they had been overthrown, and their bones had been scattered, unburied, on the ground. The whole language of Psa 14:1-7, thus modified, would be well suited to such an occurrence. The general description of atheism and wickedness in Psa 14:1-7 would be appropriate in reference to such an attempt on the city - for those who made the attack might well be represented as practically saying that there was no God; as being corrupt and abominable; as bent on iniquity; as polluted and defiled; and as attempting to eat up the people of God as they eat bread; and as those who did not call upon God. The verse before us would describe them as discomfited, and as being scattered in slaughtered heaps upon the earth. Thou hast put them to shame - That is, they had been put to shame by being overthrown; by being unsuccessful in their attempt. The word "thou" here must be understood as referring to God. Because God hath despised them - He has wholly disapproved their character, and he has "despised "their attempts; that is, he has shown that they were not formidable or to be feared. They were efforts which might be looked on with contempt, and he had evinced this by showing how easily they could be overthrown.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

There were they in great fear ... - Margin, as in Hebrew, "they feared a fear." For the general meaning of the verse, see the notes at Psa 14:5. There is, however, an important change introduced here - the most important in the psalm. The general sentiment of two verses Psa 14:5-6 in Psa 14:1-7 is here compressed into one, and yet with such an important change as to show that it was by design, and apparently to adapt it to some new circumstance. The solution of this would seem to be that the original form Psa 14:1-7 was suited to some occasion then present to the mind of the writer, and that some new event occurred to which the general sentiment in the psalm might be easily applied (or which would express that as well as could be done by an entirely new composition), but that, in order to adapt it to this new purpose, it would be proper to insert some expression more particularly referring to the event.

The principal of these additions is found in the verse before us. In Psa 14:5-6, the language is, "There were they in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous; ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge." In the psalm before us, the language is, "There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them." "Where no fear was." The reference here, as in Psa 14:5, is to the fear or consternation of the people of God on account of the designs and efforts of the wicked. They were apprehensive of being overthrown by the wicked. The design of the psalmist in both cases is to show that there was no occasion for that fear. In Psa 14:5, he shows it by saying that "God is in the congregation of the righteous." In the psalm before us fie says expressly that there was no ground for that fear - "where no fear was," - and he adds, as a reason, that God had "scattered the bones" of them "that encamped against" them. That is, though there seemed to be occasion for fear - though those enemies were formidable in numbers and in power - yet God was their friend, and he had now showed them that they had no real occasion for alarm by dispersing those foes.

For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee - Of the besieger. This, as already intimated, would seem to have been introduced in order to adapt the psalm to the particular circumstances of the occasion when it was revised. From this clause, as well as others, it appears probable that the particular occasion contemplated in the revision of the psalm was an attack on Jerusalem, or a siege of the city - an attack which had been repelled, or a siege which the enemy had been compelled to raise. That is, they had been overthrown, and their bones had been scattered, unburied, on the ground. The whole language of Psa 14:1-7, thus modified, would be well suited to such an occurrence. The general description of atheism and wickedness in Psa 14:1-7 would be appropriate in reference to such an attempt on the city - for those who made the attack might well be represented as practically saying that there was no God; as being corrupt and abominable; as bent on iniquity; as polluted and defiled; and as attempting to eat up the people of God as they eat bread; and as those who did not call upon God. The verse before us would describe them as discomfited, and as being scattered in slaughtered heaps upon the earth.

Thou hast put them to shame - That is, they had been put to shame by being overthrown; by being unsuccessful in their attempt. The word "thou" here must be understood as referring to God.

Because God hath despised them - He has wholly disapproved their character, and he has "despised "their attempts; that is, he has shown that they were not formidable or to be feared. They were efforts which might be looked on with contempt, and he had evinced this by showing how easily they could be overthrown.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The last two lines of this tristich are in letters so similar to the two distichs of Psa 14:1-7, that they look like an attempt at the restoration of some faded manuscript. Nevertheless, such a close following of the sound of the letters of the original, and such a changing of the same by means of an interchange of letters, is also to be found elsewhere (more especially in Jeremiah, and e.g., also in the relation of the Second Epistle of Peter to Jude). And the two lines sound so complete in themselves and full of life, that this way of accounting for their origin takes too low an estimate of them. A later poet, perhaps belonging to the time of Jehoshaphat or Hezekiah, has here adapted the Davidic Psalm to some terrible catastrophe that has just taken place, and given a special character to the universal announcement of judgment. The addition of לא־היה פּחד (supply אשׁר = אשׁר שׁם, Psa 84:4) is meant to imply that fear of judgment had seized upon the enemies of the people of God, when no fear, i.e., no outward ground for fear, existed; it was therefore חרדּת אלהים (Sa1 14:15), a God-wrought panic. Such as the case with the host of the confederates in the days of Jehoshaphat (Ch2 20:22-24); such also with the army of Sennacherib before Jerusalem (Isa 37:36). כּי gives the proof in support of this fright from the working of the divine power. The words are addressed to the people of God: Elohim hath scattered the bones (so that unburied they lie like dirt upon the plain a prey to wild beasts, Psa 141:7; Eze 6:5) of thy besieger, i.e., of him who had encamped against thee. חנך .eeht tsniaga instead of חנך = חנה עליך. (Note: So it has been explained by Menachem; whereas Dunash wrongly takes the ך of חנך as part of the root, overlooking the fact that with the suffix it ought rather to have been חנך instead of חנך. It is true that within the province of the verb âch does occur as a pausal masculine suffix instead of écha, with the preterite (Deu 6:17; Isa 30:19; Isa 55:5, and even out of pause in Jer 23:37), and with the infinitive (Deu 28:24; Eze 28:15), but only in the passage before us with the participle. Attached to the participle this masculine suffix closely approximates to the Aramaic; with proper substantives there are no examples of it found in Hebrew. Simson ha-Nakdan, in his חבור הקונים (a MS in Leipzig University Library, fol. 29b), correctly observes that forms like שׁמך, עמּך, are not biblical Hebrew, but Aramaic, and are only found in the language of the Talmud, formed by a mingling of the Hebrew and Aramaic.) By the might of his God, who has overthrown them, the enemies of His people, Israel has put them to shame, i.e., brought to nought in a way most shameful to them, the project of those who were so sure of victory, who imagined they could devour Israel as easily and comfortably as bread. It is clear that in this connection even Psa 53:5 receives a reference to the foreign foes of Israel originally alien to the Psalm, so that consequently Mic 3:3 is no longer a parallel passage, but passages like Num 14:9, our bread are they (the inhabitants of Canaan); and Jer 30:16, all they that devour thee shall be devoured.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

The last two lines of this tristich are in letters so similar to the two distichs of Psa 14:1-7, that they look like an attempt at the restoration of some faded manuscript. Nevertheless, such a close following of the sound of the letters of the original, and such a changing of the same by means of an interchange of letters, is also to be found elsewhere (more especially in Jeremiah, and e.g., also in the relation of the Second Epistle of Peter to Jude). And the two lines sound so complete in themselves and full of life, that this way of accounting for their origin takes too low an estimate of them. A later poet, perhaps belonging to the time of Jehoshaphat or Hezekiah, has here adapted the Davidic Psalm to some terrible catastrophe that has just taken place, and given a special character to the universal announcement of judgment. The addition of לא־היה פּחד (supply אשׁר = אשׁר שׁם, Psa 84:4) is meant to imply that fear of judgment had seized upon the enemies of the people of God, when no fear, i.e., no outward ground for fear, existed; it was therefore חרדּת אלהים (Sa1 14:15), a God-wrought panic. Such as the case with the host of the confederates in the days of Jehoshaphat (Ch2 20:22-24); such also with the army of Sennacherib before Jerusalem (Isa 37:36). כּי gives the proof in support of this fright from the working of the divine power. The words are addressed to the people of God: Elohim hath scattered the bones (so that unburied they lie like dirt upon the plain a prey to wild beasts, Psa 141:7; Eze 6:5) of thy besieger, i.e., of him who had encamped against thee. חנך .eeht tsniaga instead of חנך = חנה עליך.

(Note: So it has been explained by Menachem; whereas Dunash wrongly takes the ך of חנך as part of the root, overlooking the fact that with the suffix it ought rather to have been חנך instead of חנך. It is true that within the province of the verb âch does occur as a pausal masculine suffix instead of écha, with the preterite (Deu 6:17; Isa 30:19; Isa 55:5, and even out of pause in Jer 23:37), and with the infinitive (Deu 28:24; Eze 28:15), but only in the passage before us with the participle. Attached to the participle this masculine suffix closely approximates to the Aramaic; with proper substantives there are no examples of it found in Hebrew. Simson ha-Nakdan, in his חבור הקונים (a MS in Leipzig University Library, fol. 29b), correctly observes that forms like שׁמך, עמּך, are not biblical Hebrew, but Aramaic, and are only found in the language of the Talmud, formed by a mingling of the Hebrew and Aramaic.)

By the might of his God, who has overthrown them, the enemies of His people, Israel has put them to shame, i.e., brought to nought in a way most shameful to them, the project of those who were so sure of victory, who imagined they could devour Israel as easily and comfortably as bread. It is clear that in this connection even Psa 53:5 receives a reference to the foreign foes of Israel originally alien to the Psalm, so that consequently Mic 3:3 is no longer a parallel passage, but passages like Num 14:9, our bread are they (the inhabitants of Canaan); and Jer 30:16, all they that devour thee shall be devoured.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Scattered - Hath not only broken their bones, their strength, and force, but also dispersed them hither and thither, so as there is no hope of a restoration. Thee - Against my people. Thou - Thou oh Jerusalem, which they besiege.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them - The reader will see, on comparing this with the fifth and sixth verses of Psa 14:1-7, that the words above are mostly added here to what is said there; and appear to be levelled against the Babylonians, who sacked and ruined Jerusalem, and who were now sacked and ruined in their turn. The sixth verse of Psa 14:1-7, "Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge," is added here by more than twenty of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS.

Top

⁷ Our bones [06106] are scattered [06340] at the grave's [07585] mouth [06310], as when one cutteth [06398] and cleaveth [01234] wood upon the earth [0776].

⁵ There were they in great [06343] fear [06342]: for God [0430] is in the generation [01755] of the righteous [06662].
⁶ Ye have shamed [0954] the counsel [06098] of the poor [06041], because the LORD [03068] is his refuge [04268].

¹ To the chief Musician [05329], A Psalm of David [01732]. The fool [05036] hath said [0559] in his heart [03820], There is no God [0430]. They are corrupt [07843], they have done abominable [08581] works [05949], there is none that doeth [06213] good [02896].
² The LORD [03068] looked down [08259] from heaven [08064] upon the children [01121] of men [0120], to see [07200] if there [03426] were any that did understand [07919], and seek [01875] God [0430].
³ They are all gone aside [05493], they are all together [03162] become filthy [0444]: there is none that doeth [06213] good [02896], no, not one [0259].
⁴ Have all the workers [06466] of iniquity [0205] no knowledge [03045]? who eat up [0398] my people [05971] as they eat [0398] bread [03899], and call [07121] not upon the LORD [03068].
⁵ There were they in great [06343] fear [06342]: for God [0430] is in the generation [01755] of the righteous [06662].
⁶ Ye have shamed [0954] the counsel [06098] of the poor [06041], because the LORD [03068] is his refuge [04268].
⁷ Oh that [05414] the salvation [03444] of Israel [03478] were come out of Zion [06726]! when the LORD [03068] bringeth back [07725] the captivity [07622] of his people [05971], Jacob [03290] shall rejoice [01523], and Israel [03478] shall be glad [08055].

⁵ There were they in great [06343] fear [06342]: for God [0430] is in the generation [01755] of the righteous [06662].

¹⁶ Therefore all they that devour [0398] thee shall be devoured [0398]; and all thine adversaries [06862], every one of them, shall go [03212] into captivity [07628]; and they that spoil [07601] [08154] thee shall be a spoil [04933], and all that prey [0962] upon thee will I give [05414] for a prey [0957].

⁹ Only rebel [04775] not ye against the LORD [03068], neither fear [03372] ye the people [05971] of the land [0776]; for they are bread [03899] for us: their defence [06738] is departed [05493] from them, and the LORD [03068] is with us: fear [03372] them not.

³ Who also eat [0398] the flesh [07607] of my people [05971], and flay [06584] their skin [05785] from off them; and they break [06476] their bones [06106], and chop them in pieces [06566], as for the pot [05518], and as flesh [01320] within [08432] the caldron [07037].

⁵ There were they in great [06343] fear [06342], where no fear [06343] was: for God [0430] hath scattered [06340] the bones [06106] of him that encampeth [02583] against thee: thou hast put them to shame [0954], because God [0430] hath despised [03988] them.

¹⁵ Thou wast perfect [08549] in thy ways [01870] from the day [03117] that thou wast created [01254], till iniquity [05766] was found [04672] in thee.

²⁴ The LORD [03068] shall make [05414] the rain [04306] of thy land [0776] powder [080] and dust [06083]: from heaven [08064] shall it come down [03381] upon thee, until thou be destroyed [08045].

³⁷ Thus shalt thou say [0559] to the prophet [05030], What hath the LORD [03068] answered [06030] thee? and, What hath the LORD [03068] spoken [01696]?

⁵ Behold, thou shalt call [07121] a nation [01471] that thou knowest [03045] not, and nations [01471] that knew [03045] not thee shall run [07323] unto thee because of the LORD [03068] thy God [0430], and for the Holy One [06918] of Israel [03478]; for he hath glorified [06286] thee.

¹⁹ For the people [05971] shall dwell [03427] in Zion [06726] at Jerusalem [03389]: thou shalt weep [01058] no more [01058]: he will be very [02603] gracious [02603] unto thee at the voice [06963] of thy cry [02199]; when he shall hear [08085] it, he will answer [06030] thee.

¹⁷ Ye shall diligently [08104] keep [08104] the commandments [04687] of the LORD [03068] your God [0430], and his testimonies [05713], and his statutes [02706], which he hath commanded [06680] thee.

⁵ And I will lay [05414] the dead carcases [06297] of the children [01121] of Israel [03478] before [06440] their idols [01544]; and I will scatter [02219] your bones [06106] round about [05439] your altars [04196].

⁷ Our bones [06106] are scattered [06340] at the grave's [07585] mouth [06310], as when one cutteth [06398] and cleaveth [01234] wood upon the earth [0776].

³⁶ Then the angel [04397] of the LORD [03068] went forth [03318], and smote [05221] in the camp [04264] of the Assyrians [0804] a hundred [03967] and fourscore [08084] and five [02568] thousand [0505]: and when they arose early [07925] in the morning [01242], behold, they were all dead [04191] corpses [06297].

²² And when [06256] they began [02490] to sing [07440] and to praise [08416], the LORD [03068] set [05414] ambushments [0693] against the children [01121] of Ammon [05983], Moab [04124], and mount [02022] Seir [08165], which were come [0935] against Judah [03063]; and they were smitten [05062].
²³ For the children [01121] of Ammon [05983] and Moab [04124] stood up [05975] against the inhabitants [03427] of mount [02022] Seir [08165], utterly to slay [02763] and destroy [08045] them: and when they had made an end [03615] of the inhabitants [03427] of Seir [08165], every one [0376] helped [05826] to destroy [04889] another [07453].
²⁴ And when Judah [03063] came [0935] toward the watch tower [04707] [04708] in the wilderness [04057], they looked [06437] unto the multitude [01995], and, behold, they were dead bodies [06297] fallen [05307] to the earth [0776], and none escaped [06413].

¹⁵ And there was trembling [02731] in the host [04264], in the field [07704], and among all the people [05971]: the garrison [04673], and the spoilers [07843], they also trembled [02729], and the earth [0776] quaked [07264]: so it was a very great [0430] trembling [02731].

⁴ Blessed [0835] are they that dwell [03427] in thy house [01004]: they will be still praising [01984] thee. Selah [05542].