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Trinity/After Pentecost · The Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity

Psalm 14

The Fool Says There Is No God

The Ship of Fools, Hieronymus Bosch
The Ship of Fools, Hieronymus Bosch, c. 1490–1500Musee du Louvre, Paris
A monk and a nun sing over a lute while the rest of the crew drink, climb the mast after a roast fowl, and vomit over the side. The boat is going nowhere.Fools say in their hearts, there is no God. They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds. Psalm 14 is about folly, and Bosch painted a boatload of it.Hieronymus BoschA Netherlandish painter of demons, hybrids and exact human cruelty, whose work was collected by Philip II and has never been fully explained.Musee du Louvre, ParisThe former royal palace of France, opened as a public museum in 1793 after the Revolution, and now the most visited museum in the world.Musee du Louvre, Paris
Historic One-Year Lectionary
GospelMatt. 24:15-28Mt 24:15-28
Epistle1 Thess. 4:13-181 Thes 4:13-18
Old TestamentExod. 32:1-20Ex 32:1-20
PsalterPs. 14Ps 14

Overview & Insights

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" (Psalm 14:1)

The psalm laments universal corruption and the folly of those who ignore God, yet ends looking for God's deliverance to come out of Zion. It is nearly identical to Psalm 53.

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Commentary

Psalm 14Ps 14 Working Preacher

A Luther Seminary commentary on the psalm's diagnosis of human folly and its hope for God's rescue.

Psalm 14Ps 14 Center for Excellence in Preaching

A Reformed commentary on the fool who lives as if there were no God and the promise of deliverance.

Psalm 14Ps 14 Enduring Word · David Guzik

A verse-by-verse evangelical commentary on human corruption and the longing for salvation from Zion.

Background & Word Study

Psalm 14 in Hebrew, with Jewish commentaryPs 14 in Hebrew, with Jewish commentary Sefaria

The Hebrew text with English translation and linked Jewish commentary for word-level study.

The Church Fathers

Psalm 14, patristic commentaryPs 14, patristic commentary Catena

A verse-linked catena of early church interpretation of Psalm 14.

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