Psalm 14 (13):3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Not gradually, but all at once, “they collectively became unfit,” ensnared in the web of iniquity. If they were to escape this, it clearly indicates that they were created good, for God made man with righteousness, not evil by design. In another context, it is written, “Thou hast made all the wicked of the earth to cease” (Psalm 118:119). By the statement, “all became utterly unfit,” it is revealed that, though created good, they became unfit through their own will contrary to their nature. Therefore, the Lord descended from heaven to ensure that those who might evade could attain salvation upon repentance; otherwise, persisting in sin without turning back would result in their condemnation. The very purpose of the Lord’s coming is to observe and respond, either to save or to condemn, as illustrated by His own declaration: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is grievous; I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to Me, and if not, I will know” (Gen. 18:20, 21). The inhabitants of Sodom “all turned away” and “all became utterly unfit.” Consequently, fire descended from heaven and consumed them like kindling. The Gentiles wandered, yet because they quickly repented, they were not entirely rendered unfit, but were altogether rescued. Observe how the Lord acts to save or destroy, which is why the prophet Hosea proclaimed: “Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel; for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of this land because there is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. Swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery have greatly increased, and bloodshed follows bloodshed” (Hosea 4:1, 2). “All have strayed, all have become utterly unfit.” This is the reason the Lord came down from heaven to earth. How did He arrive? By shaking all things, sending thunders, or by terrifying manifestations of His wrath. “He shall look upon the earth and it shall tremble; He shall touch the mountains and they shall smoke” (Psalm 103:32). The Lord bent down from heaven to the earth so that humanity could behold the irate Master and turn away from sinning. This is akin to a lord or king who leans down from above when his servants below are in chaos, allowing them to see him and thus causing them to be still; similarly, as the earth races toward wickedness, the Lord lowers Himself from on high, so that the frightened may find calm from their sins. The prophet attests to this: “From heaven You have declared Your judgment; the earth fears and is still” (Psalm 75:9, 10). After stating that “all have forsaken” (the term “all” often signifies the majority, as seen in: “all have forsaken me” (2 Tim. 4:16), even though some of Paul's closest companions remained loyal), to emphasize the universal ruin faced by the world, he adds: “there is none who does good, no, not one.” From the lowest beggar to the highest noble, all are afflicted with spiritual sickness. One faithful and righteous individual is sought by God, as in the days of Abraham in Chaldea or Lot in Sodom. Yet some have neither faith nor life, while others possess genuine faith but lack virtuous living; “they profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work” (Titus 1:16). They make grand declarations about God, yet in matters of good deeds, they remain lethargic. “There is none who does good, no, not one.”

The poison of serpents resides beneath their lips, where "poison" represents deceit, and "asps" reflects those who refuse to heed the commands of the law, akin to how asps ignore the call of the charmer, a concept more explicitly detailed in another psalm. Their mouths are filled with curses and bitterness, likened to serpent venom. Their feet rush to shed blood, illustrating their propensity for wrongdoing. Destruction and sorrow lie in their paths, as all the ways of the wicked are filled with hardship and despair. Hence, the Lord invites, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). They have not learned the path of peace, which the Lord presents as a light yoke and a manageable burden. There is no reverence for God in their sight. They may not openly declare, "There is no God," yet they lack fear of Him.

The prophet declared, ‘The Lord has come down from heaven to observe the children of men, to determine if there are any who are wise or seek after God,’ illustrating that from above, God executed judgment upon the Assyrians. It is clear that the Almighty is present everywhere, and as the prophet states, He ‘encompasses the circle of the earth and regards its inhabitants as if they were mere dogs’ (Ex. 40:22).

It should be noted that certain versions of the Holy Scriptures, particularly some Leipzig editions, include additional text in this Psalm. This comes from the belief that the Apostle Paul references this Psalm in his letter to the Romans (chapter 3), where he adds after the phrase ‘there is none,’ the words ‘their throat is an open sepulcher,’ among others. Some have claimed these phrases were derived from Psalm 13, leading to an expansion of this Psalm with the subsequent phrase, “whether they understand you.” However, this interpretation is mistaken, as Paul cited these phrases from the writings of Solomon, Isaiah, and other Psalms of David, rather than from this particular Psalm. It is essential to recognize that Paul references the words of David to indicate that all have sinned, with none excluded. He first demonstrated that both Jews and Greeks are under sin, as written: ‘There is no righteous person, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God; all have turned away’ (Rom. 3:10-12). In addition, Theodoret commented on the state of every individual before the arrival of our Savior. The phrase ‘Not unto one’ should be interpreted as ‘Except one,’ referring specifically to Christ, who stood as the benefactor among the Jews.

He is informed by divine knowledge that all have strayed from the illumination of wisdom and the paths of righteousness, and all are universally disqualified, having become loathsome and despicable in the sight of God, leaving not a single person inclined toward goodness or loving virtue. However, one might question how David excludes all the righteous and, soon after, mentions those who placed their trust in God. If all have turned corrupt and wicked, who is this Israel whose salvation he foretells at the conclusion of the psalm? Furthermore, if he himself stands among the righteous, why does he not set himself apart from the others? In response, we note that these observations are made generally about humanity in its fallen state and not in light of God's grace. Although it is written in Holy Scripture that all flesh corrupts its ways on the earth (Gen. 6:12), it also states that Noah was a righteous and blameless man in his generation. By the grace of God, there are indeed individuals who are wholly righteous and godly, whom He refers to in the subsequent verse as His people, protecting them from the corrupt who persecute and belittle them.