Psalms 14:4
Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD?
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights that the oppressors aren't necessarily ignorant of God's existence, but rather they act as if they don't know Him, utterly disregarding His presence and justice. Their wickedness is not a lack of knowledge, but a chosen refusal to acknowledge and call upon the Lord. This makes their actions—devouring God's people—as casual and constant as eating daily bread, revealing a deep impiety alongside their injustice.
This verse is a powerful accusation directed at the wicked, questioning their lack of understanding about the consequences of their actions. It describes them as consuming God's people with a callousness akin to eating their daily bread, completely disregarding the Lord in their oppressive behavior. This follows a lament about widespread corruption and precedes God's eventual judgment on those who have abandoned Him and harmed His people.
Have these evildoers truly lost their minds? Do they not realize the gravity of their actions?
The verse opens with a powerful rhetorical question, challenging the 'workers of iniquity.' It suggests a profound lack of understanding, not necessarily of basic facts, but of the moral and spiritual consequences of their deeds. They act as if God doesn't exist or doesn't see, ignoring the spiritual blindness that comes from rejecting Him.
This isn't just about being unaware; it's a willful ignorance. They suppress the knowledge of God that is available, choosing instead to live by their own flawed logic and desires. This deliberate turning away from truth leads them to believe they can act with impunity.
Imagine people being consumed like their daily bread – this is the chilling image the psalmist paints.
The phrase 'eat up my people as they eat bread' is incredibly potent. It describes the oppressors' actions as habitual, casual, and utterly without remorse. Just as eating bread is a daily necessity and pleasure, so devouring God's people has become a regular, almost unconscious, part of their existence.
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This isn't just about physical destruction, but also about spiritual and emotional oppression – stealing livelihoods, reputations, and peace. They consume God's chosen ones with the same ease and regularity as their meals, showing a profound lack of empathy and reverence for those set apart by God.
What's the ultimate missing ingredient in the lives of these oppressors? It's the very source of life and justice.
The final clause, 'and do not call upon the LORD,' is the root cause of all the other problems. The evildoers act without knowledge and with brutal disregard because they live in practical atheism – they do not invoke or rely on God.
Calling upon the LORD encompasses worship, prayer, and acknowledging His sovereignty. By neglecting this, they cut themselves off from wisdom, strength, justice, and mercy. Their actions are fueled by a void where God should be, leading them to exploit rather than to serve, and to destroy rather than to build.
Understand the original words
poale aven · Hebrew Noun phrase
Those who practice evil or wickedness. It defines a character or lifestyle defined by hostility toward God and His ways, characterized by injustice and moral rebellion.
qara · Hebrew Verb
The act of invoking, praying to, or relying upon the Lord in faith. It is the practical expression of acknowledging God's sovereignty and seeking His intervention.
This psalm, likely written during David's reign, critiques the wicked who exploit God's people like common food while neglecting God entirely. The surrounding historical context, including the later division of the kingdom and exiles, underscores the devastating consequences of such corruption and godlessness for Israel's covenant relationship with the Lord.
c. 1000 BC— this verse
David's Reign as King
The Psalmist, likely David, is writing during a period of relative stability in Israel, yet the internal corruption and external threats he describes suggest ongoing challenges to righteous governance and the well-being of God's people.
c. 970-931 BC
Reign of Solomon and Growing Division
Following David, Solomon's reign saw initial prosperity but later introduced foreign influences and increased burdens on the people, sowing seeds of division that would split the kingdom.
931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
After Solomon's death, the unified kingdom split into Israel (north) and Judah (south), leading to periods of conflict and spiritual decline in both.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Exile
The Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, deporting its population and scattering them, a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of unfaithfulness.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Southern Exile
The Babylonian Empire destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling much of the population. This event profoundly shaped Jewish identity and theology, emphasizing themes of judgment and restoration.
This passage directly parallels the imagery of 'eating' God's people, describing leaders who strip and devour the people of God without mercy.
Jeremiah 10:25This verse speaks of God pouring out his wrath on nations that 'devour' His people, echoing the destructive actions described in Psalms 14:4.
Romans 1:19-20Paul explains that people suppress the truth about God, leading to foolishness and ultimately sinful behavior, which connects to the 'no knowledge' aspect of the wicked in Psalms 14:4.
Proverbs 30:14This proverb describes people whose 'teeth are swords' and 'molars are knives,' devouring the poor and needy, which is a vivid picture of the 'eating up' mentioned in Psalms 14:4.
Exodus 5:2Pharaoh's defiant question, 'Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?', reflects the same disregard for God's authority and power as the wicked who 'do not call upon the LORD' in Psalms 14:4.
poolePsalms 14:4: "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD."
Have the workers of iniquity lost their wits? have they neither religion nor common discretion? either of which would teach them not to make themselves so hateful to the all-seeing and almighty God, and to all men. The words may be rendered thus, Do not all the workers of iniquity know it ? So it is only an ellipsis of the pronoun, which is frequent, as I have showed…
ellicottPsalms 14:4: "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD."
(4) Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? — i.e., are they so senseless as not to perceive the consequences of their wrong-doing? or if we point the verb as the LXX. and Vulg., “shall they not know?” i.e., they are sure to find out to what their wickedness is leading them. Who eat up.—Literally, eating my people, they have eaten bread; on Jehovah they have n…
The verse highlights that the oppressors aren't necessarily ignorant of God's existence, but rather they act as if they don't know Him, utterly disregarding His presence and justice. Their wickedness is not a lack of knowledge, but a chosen refusal to acknowledge and call upon the Lord. This makes their actions—devouring God's people—as casual and constant as eating daily bread, revealing a deep impiety alongside their injustice.
This verse is a powerful accusation directed at the wicked, questioning their lack of understanding about the consequences of their actions. It describes them as consuming God's people with a callousness akin to eating their daily bread, completely disregarding the Lord in their oppressive behavior. This follows a lament about widespread corruption and precedes God's eventual judgment on those who have abandoned Him and harmed His people.
This verse is a powerful accusation directed at the wicked, questioning their lack of understanding about the consequences of their actions. It describes them as consuming God's people with a callousness akin to eating their daily bread, completely disregarding the Lord in their oppressive behavior. This follows a lament about widespread corruption and precedes God's eventual judgment on those who have abandoned Him and harmed His people.
"Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD?" — The verse highlights that the oppressors aren't necessarily ignorant of God's existence, but rather they act as if they don't know Him, utterly disregarding His presence and justice. Their wickedness…
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