Psalm 53:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.

NIV: God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

NASB: God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God.

CSB: God looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God.

NLT: God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.

KJV: God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.

NKJV: God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

This verse presents the divine perspective on humanity. From His lofty position in heaven God looks down on mankind to see if any human beings understand spiritual truth and seek for Him. As with other references to God, the explanation is given in human terms. God is not literally seeking information—He already knows—and the description of Him looking is meant to emphasize something to which God is paying special attention.

Nothing escapes His eye. Hebrews 4:13 declares: "And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." When Hagar fled from Sarai, she received a visit and a revelation from the angel of the Lord. She was in an isolated place on that occasion, but she was not out of God's sight. Genesis 16:13 reports that "she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, 'You are a God of seeing,' for she said, 'Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.'"

Today, too, God searches the hearts and minds of human beings. That includes our own. What does He see there?

Psalm 53:1–3 describes the folly of those who deny God's existence and explains God's view of the human race. Romans 3:10–23 affirms this view, and Ephesians 2:1–3 describes unsaved human beings as following the dictates of the Devil.

David's worshipful song points out the recklessness and evil of denying the existence of God. That attitude leads to evil, but God also notes that the entire human race has chosen to ignore Him and go their own way. Those who oppose God will, eventually, be thoroughly defeated by God's holiness. The psalm ends with David's prayer for the salvation and restoration of Israel.

This brief collection of verses is arranged for use in music or worship. It is similar to Psalm 14 and is quoted in part in Romans 3. Here David depicts the human race as evil and incapable of producing any truly good deeds in God's sight. David, the psalmist, longs for the establishment of God's kingdom on earth. When the kingdom arrives, there will be great joy. Ephesians 2:1–3 also portrays humanity as spiritually evil, and Isaiah 12 also describes the kingdom as a time of great joy.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 4/30/2024 10:27:53 AM