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)
What's easy to miss is that the question, "Have they no knowledge?" can be flipped: not only are these wicked people ignorant, but they are sure to find out the hard way. Their casual consumption of God's people is treated as a simple, daily meal, but this utter disregard for the LORD means they are ignoring a coming judgment they will eventually face.
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)
This verse comes in the wake of the psalmist lamenting the pervasive corruption and foolishness he sees in the world, where people act as if God doesn't exist. The psalmist, or even God himself, cries out in disbelief at the sheer ignorance and destructive behavior of evildoers who exploit God's people for their own gain, treating them like a meal with no thought of the Lord. This calls into sharp focus the utter godlessness of their actions, highlighting their complete disregard for divine justice and their own accountability.
The wicked are accused of having 'no knowledge.' But are they really ignorant, or is it something else entirely? Let's uncover what this means.
The psalmist, speaking perhaps for God, asks a rhetorical question: 'Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?' (Psalm 14:4a). This isn't about a lack of intellectual understanding. The original language and context suggest a deeper, more practical ignorance.
More Than Just Facts
This 'knowledge' isn't just knowing facts about God. It's about a moral and practical awareness of God's presence, His justice, and the consequences of their actions. Think of it like this: someone might know that touching a hot stove will burn them, but if they do it anyway, they lack practical wisdom in that moment. The wicked know God exists (as Romans 1:19-20 suggests even the ungodly have some awareness), but they act as if they don't. They are ignorant of the implications of God's existence for their behavior.
Consequences of Disregard
Their 'ignorance' leads them to act with astounding audacity. They devour God's people and carry on as if God isn't watching or won't intervene. This willful disregard is the core of their 'lack of knowledge.'
The psalm compares the wicked's treatment of God's people to eating 'as they eat bread.' What does this stark comparison reveal about their cruelty and the state of the oppressed?
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The verse paints a disturbing picture: 'who eat up my people as they eat bread' (Psalm 14:4b). This isn't just about physical hunger; it's a metaphor for how the wicked consume and destroy God's people with shocking regularity and a complete lack of remorse.
The Ease of Cruelty
Eating bread is a basic, daily necessity. It's done without much thought, often with pleasure, and certainly without deep reflection on the act itself. When the wicked 'eat up' God's people, it means they oppress, exploit, and destroy them with the same casualness, greed, and constancy. They devour their resources, their reputations, and sometimes their very lives, as if it were as natural and easy as their daily meal.
God's People, The Prey
The phrase 'my people' is crucial. While the context might suggest David speaking of his own followers, the deeper resonance is God calling them His people. Yet, they are treated as mere sustenance by the wicked. This highlights the vulnerability of the faithful and the audacity of those who prey upon them, utterly disregarding the divine claim and care for these individuals.
The verse concludes with a devastating observation: they 'do not call upon the LORD.' Why is this the final, damning indictment of the wicked?
The psalm zeroes in on the ultimate failure of the wicked: 'and do not call upon the LORD' (Psalm 14:4c). This isn't just a minor oversight; it's the core of their depravity and the root of their destructive actions.
The Foundation of Wickedness
To 'call upon the LORD' means to worship, to acknowledge dependence, to pray, and to seek His guidance and protection. It's an act of recognizing God as sovereign, just, and the ultimate source of all things. When the wicked do not call upon Him, it reveals a fundamental rejection of His authority and relevance in their lives. They operate independently, as if God is either non-existent or powerless.
Evidence of Practical Atheism
This neglect is a form of practical atheism. Even if they intellectually acknowledge God's existence, their lives are lived as if He makes no difference. They don't seek His help in their endeavors, nor do they fear His judgment. This independence fuels their oppressive behavior, as they see no higher power to restrain their greed and cruelty. Their actions—devouring God's people—are a direct consequence of their refusal to acknowledge and depend on the Lord.
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 speaks to ongoing struggles where the people of God are oppressed and exploited, not just by foreign invaders but also by internal corruption. The 'workers of iniquity' seem to act with a brazen disregard for God, reflecting a spiritual blindness that the psalmist finds astonishing.
c. 1000 BC— this verse
David's Reign as King
The Psalm is traditionally attributed to David, reflecting the challenges and opposition he faced during his rule, which included both internal strife and external threats.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following the death of Solomon, the united kingdom of Israel split into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This division often led to internal conflict and vulnerability to foreign powers.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria to Assyria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrian Empire, leading to the deportation of its population and the end of its existence as a distinct entity.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon
The Southern Kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Neo-Babylonian Empire, its capital Jerusalem was destroyed, and a large portion of its population was exiled to Babylon.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon, and subsequently issued a decree allowing exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples.
This passage directly echoes the imagery of consuming God's people, comparing oppressors to butchers who carve up their victims, highlighting the violent exploitation described in Psalms 14:4.
Jeremiah 10:25This verse links the 'devouring' of Jacob (God's people) with the 'pouring out' of God's anger, showing that the act of consuming God's people is a direct offense against the Lord that incurs His wrath, similar to the impiety in Psalms 14:4.
Romans 1:18-20This passage explains that wicked people suppress the truth about God, demonstrating a willful ignorance and lack of knowledge regarding Him, which parallels the question 'Have they no knowledge?' in Psalms 14:4.
Proverbs 30:14This verse describes oppressors who 'devour the poor and needy' and 'grind the faces of the poor,' presenting a stark parallel to the 'eating up my people' found in Psalms 14:4.
Deuteronomy 8:19This verse warns against forgetting the Lord and calling on other gods when prosperity is found, resonating with the idea in Psalms 14:4 that those who 'eat up my people' also 'do not call upon the LORD,' implying a similar disregard for God when things are going well for them.
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…
What's easy to miss is that the question, "Have they no knowledge?" can be flipped: not only are these wicked people ignorant, but they are sure to find out the hard way. Their casual consumption of God's people is treated as a simple, daily meal, but this utter disregard for the LORD means they are ignoring a coming judgment they will eventually face.
This verse comes in the wake of the psalmist lamenting the pervasive corruption and foolishness he sees in the world, where people act as if God doesn't exist. The psalmist, or even God himself, cries out in disbelief at the sheer ignorance and destructive behavior of evildoers who exploit God's people for their own gain, treating them like a meal with no thought of the Lord. This calls into sharp focus the utter godlessness of their actions, highlighting their complete disregard for divine justice and their own accountability.
This verse comes in the wake of the psalmist lamenting the pervasive corruption and foolishness he sees in the world, where people act as if God doesn't exist. The psalmist, or even God himself, cries out in disbelief at the sheer ignorance and destructive behavior of evildoers who exploit God's people for their own gain, treating them like a meal with no thought of the Lord. This calls into sharp focus the utter godlessness of their actions, highlighting their complete disregard for divine justice and their own accountability.
"Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD?" — What's easy to miss is that the question, "Have they no knowledge?" can be flipped: not only are these wicked people ignorant, but they are sure to find out the hard way. Their casual consumption o…
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Last reviewed October 2026