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.
PSALM 53 This psalm being almost identical with the fourteenth, it has not been considered necessary to subjoin any distinct commentary. Some slight differences will be found, on comparison, between this and the 14th psalm; the chief of which is in the 5th verse. For Calvin’s explanation of this verse, see volume 1, p. 199.
Commenting on Psalm 53:1-6
There were they in great fear, where no fear was. David sees the end of the ungodly, and the ultimate triumph of the spiritual seed. The rebellious march in fury against the gracious, but suddenly they are seized with a causeless panic. The once fearless boasters tremble like the leaves of the aspen, frightened at their own shadows.
Sin springs from a corrupt thought: men say in their hearts there is no God to account for them, and their bad practices flow from this evil fountain. Atheists, whether in opinion or practice, are the greatest fools alive, for they deny the very faculty that distinguishes man from brute beasts, his capacity for religion.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 53:1-6