Psalms 53:1-6
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
5 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.
6 Oh thata the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
This psalm, with slight variations, is found in the first book Psalms 14:1). Its introduction a second time necessarily leads us to notice the differences. In all probability the editor incorporated it into this book because of these very changes.
They are, first, the substitution of "God" for "Jehovah four times. Perhaps the change was made for liturgical use in some special circumstances, in which the desire was to express praise of God as the wonder-working God. All that was true of Jehovah's knowledge of men (see Psa 14:1-7) is true also of God's attitude toward men as the Wonder-worker. He looks on men not only as Helper, but as the supreme One. Not only do the workers of iniquity fail to discover Him as the Helper, they do not call on Him as the mighty One. The other main change is found in verse Psalms 53:5, for the exposition of which see note on Psalms 14:1.