Psalm 50:18-20
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What's easy to miss is the active delight in wickedness described here. It’s not just about passively witnessing a thief, but about "consenting" and even "running with" them, indicating a pleasure and eagerness to join in their wrongdoing. Similarly, being a "partaker with adulterers" suggests actively aligning oneself with and finding a community among those engaged in such sins.
If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. “You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is speaking directly to those who claim to follow Him but live hypocritically. He's exposing how their outward religious acts are a sham because their hearts and actions are stained with sin. This verse reveals that they don't just tolerate thieves and adulterers; they actively associate with them and take pleasure in such company, revealing the true corruption beneath their religious facade.
God calls out His people for enjoying the company of thieves and adulterers. How can 'pleasure' be connected to such wickedness?
The verse uses strong language to describe the inner disposition of those who are disobedient. It's not just about passively witnessing wrongdoing; it's about actively finding delight or satisfaction in it.
More Than Just Tolerance
This isn't about accidental exposure to sin, but about a heart that is drawn to it, that finds a perverse kind of joy or connection in being associated with those who violate God's law. It’s a dangerous spiritual complacency where sin doesn’t just surround you, but you actively embrace it.
Why would God accuse His worshippers of running with thieves and adulterers? Isn't worship supposed to separate us from sin?
This psalm powerfully exposes the disconnect between outward religious observance and inward corruption. God is speaking to those who present themselves as His people, who offer sacrifices and declare His statutes, but whose hearts and lives are far from Him.
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The Mask of Piety
This is a stern warning against hypocrisy: the danger of appearing godly while harboring sinful affections and practices. God's justice sees through the facade to the heart's true allegiance.
Understand the original words
gannab · Hebrew Noun
One who steals or takes property that does not belong to them. Biblically, it signifies a breach of trust, lack of integrity, and violation of the commandment against stealing.
mena'eph · Hebrew Noun
A person who engages in sexual relations outside of the covenant of marriage. It is used both literally to describe sexual immorality and metaphorically to describe spiritual unfaithfulness to God.
mirmah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to speech that is intentionally false, misleading, or designed to trick others. It is strongly condemned in Scripture as an attribute contrary to the nature of God, who is Truth.
lashan · Hebrew Verb
False, malicious, or damaging statements made about others. It is viewed as a sin that destroys relationships and neighborly love, reflecting a heart lacking in charity.
This psalm speaks to a time when outward religious observance was common, but the hearts of many, including leaders, were far from God, leading to complicity in theft and adultery.
Late 8th Century BC
Prophetic Warnings to Israel and Judah
Prophets like Isaiah and Amos warned of impending judgment due to social injustice, idolatry, and hypocrisy among God's people.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar deports a portion of the Judean elite, including Daniel, to Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
A larger group of Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, are exiled to Babylon following a rebellion.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus and Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great allows the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, though many remained in Babylon.
Early 1st Century AD— this verse
Period of Roman Rule and Religious Authority
Judea is under Roman occupation, and the Jewish religious and political leadership (Sanhedrin, High Priests) wield significant influence but are also subject to Roman authority. This era saw widespread religious hypocrisy.
This passage directly links outward religious practice with inward corruption, highlighting hypocrisy and the same vices of theft and adultery that Psalms 50:18 condemns.
Matthew 23:25-26Jesus denounces the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy, comparing their outward cleanliness to inner greed and impurity, echoing the theme of a corrupted heart hidden behind religious observance.
James 4:4This verse calls out 'adulterous people' for their friendship with the world, directly paralleling the concept in Psalms 50:18 where association with wrongdoers is condemned.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10This passage lists various sins, including thieves and adulterers, warning that those who practice such things will not inherit God's kingdom, underscoring the seriousness of the behaviors mentioned in Psalms 50:18.
pulpitPsalms 50:18: "When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers."
Verse 18. - When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst unto him. God tests his professed, but really disobedient, servants by the second table of the Decalogue, and finds them wanting. If they do not themselves actually rob, they give their consent, they become accessories before the fact, to robbery. They probably participate in the gains. And hast been partaker with adulterer…
gillPsalms 50:18: "When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers."
When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him,.... Or "didst run with him" (a); joined and agreed with him in the commission of the same things; which was literally true of the Scribes and Pharisees: they devoured widows' houses, and robbed them of their substance, under a pretence of long prayers; they consented to the deeds of Barabbas, a robber, when they preferred him…
What's easy to miss is the active delight in wickedness described here. It’s not just about passively witnessing a thief, but about "consenting" and even "running with" them, indicating a pleasure and eagerness to join in their wrongdoing. Similarly, being a "partaker with adulterers" suggests actively aligning oneself with and finding a community among those engaged in such sins.
God is speaking directly to those who claim to follow Him but live hypocritically. He's exposing how their outward religious acts are a sham because their hearts and actions are stained with sin. This verse reveals that they don't just tolerate thieves and adulterers; they actively associate with them and take pleasure in such company, revealing the true corruption beneath their religious facade.
God is speaking directly to those who claim to follow Him but live hypocritically. He's exposing how their outward religious acts are a sham because their hearts and actions are stained with sin. This verse reveals that they don't just tolerate thieves and adulterers; they actively associate with them and take pleasure in such company, revealing the true corruption beneath their religious facade.
"If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. “You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your ow…" — What's easy to miss is the active delight in wickedness described here. It’s not just about passively witnessing a thief, but about "consenting" and even "running with" them, indicating a pleasure…
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Last reviewed October 2026
