Psalm 50:17 kjv
Seeing thou hatest instruction, and casteth my words behind thee.
Psalm 50:17 nkjv
Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?
Psalm 50:17 niv
You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.
Psalm 50:17 esv
For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.
Psalm 50:17 nlt
For you refuse my discipline
and treat my words like trash.
Psalm 50 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 50:16 | But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes...?” | God challenges hypocrisy and questions the right of the wicked to speak of His law. |
| Prov 1:7 | The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. | Directly links despising instruction with foolishness and lacking reverence for God. |
| Prov 1:24-25 | "Because I have called and you refused... you ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof." | Describes the consequences of refusing God's wisdom and counsel. |
| Prov 5:12-13 | and say, "How I hated discipline! My heart spurned reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers..." | An individual confessing their past rejection of discipline and instruction, aligning with Psalm 50:17's theme. |
| Prov 15:32 | Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gets understanding. | Underscores the self-damaging nature of rejecting divine guidance. |
| Hos 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge... | Links destruction to rejecting knowledge, echoing the theme of rejecting God's instruction. |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? | God values obedience over sacrifice, directly correlating with Ps 50's core message. |
| Isa 1:11-17 | "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices... Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds..." | Prophetic critique of empty rituals without internal righteousness, similar to Ps 50. |
| Jer 7:21-23 | "For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers concerning burnt offerings... but this command I gave them: Obey My voice..." | Emphasizes obedience as primary over sacrifices, aligning with Ps 50. |
| Zech 7:11-12 | "But they refused to pay attention... making their hearts as hard as diamond, so that they might not hear the law and the words..." | Describes active resistance and refusal to hear God's word, similar to "cast My words behind you." |
| Num 15:31 | "Because he has despised the word of the LORD..." | Refers to punishment for despising God's word, reinforcing the gravity of Ps 50:17. |
| Deut 32:18-19 | "You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you... And the LORD saw and spurned them..." | Shows God's response to those who are neglectful and disregard Him. |
| Isa 5:24 | Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble... so their root will be as rottenness... because they have rejected the law of the LORD... | Consequence of rejecting God's law, showing that casting words behind carries judgment. |
| Matt 7:26 | "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man..." | Illustrates the foolishness and destructive outcome of hearing but not obeying God's words. |
| Jas 1:22-24 | "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." | Warns against merely hearing the word without active obedience, reflecting the hypocrisy addressed. |
| Luke 6:46 | "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?" | Jesus questions superficial lip service without corresponding obedience, echoing the theme in Ps 50. |
| Rom 2:4-5 | Or do you despise the riches of his kindness...? Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? | Highlights that rejecting God's instruction and patience leads to hardening hearts and storing up wrath. |
| Heb 12:5-8 | "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him." | Encourages embracing discipline from the Lord as a sign of true sonship, contrasting with those who hate it. |
| 2 Pet 3:3-4 | knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. | Connects contempt for God's word with those who reject truth and follow their own ways. |
| Ps 78:5-7 | He established a testimony in Jacob... that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God... | Reminds of the purpose of God's law: to lead to hope and remembrance, the opposite of rejecting it. |
| 2 Chron 36:15-16 | "But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets..." | Shows a historical pattern of despising God's words through His messengers, leading to divine wrath. |
| John 12:48 | "The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day." | Jesus clarifies that His words, if rejected, will be the basis for judgment. |
Psalm 50 verses
Psalm 50 17 Meaning
Psalm 50:17 signifies God's indictment of those who engage in outward religious observance (as previously noted in Ps 50:8-15) yet harbor an inward, active aversion to His divine teachings and corrective discipline. They are shown to actively detest the moral instruction and correction given by God, deliberately disregarding His commands and revealed will as if they were inconsequential and worthy of being cast away. This verse highlights the deep hypocrisy of superficial worship, revealing that what God truly desires is heartfelt obedience and submission to His word, not just external rituals.
Psalm 50 17 Context
Psalm 50 stands as a divine oracle, distinct from traditional lament or praise psalms. It presents a divine courtroom scene where God Himself, depicted as the ultimate Judge, calls both heaven and earth to witness His judgment upon His people, Israel (vv. 1-6). The first section (vv. 7-15) addresses those who diligently offer sacrifices but misunderstand their purpose. God clarifies that He does not need their sacrifices for sustenance but desires true thanksgiving and faithfulness, along with fulfillment of vows. The second section (vv. 16-21), which includes verse 17, is directed at the "wicked" among His people, specifically those who outwardly conform to religious ritual but inwardly live in profound rebellion against His moral law. This section indicts them for a range of ethical failings—including theft, adultery, and slander—and highlights their underlying contempt for God's explicit commands and His correcting guidance. The Psalm contrasts superficial religiosity with sincere obedience, serving as a powerful prophetic critique against hypocrisy and externalism.
Psalm 50 17 Word analysis
For / Seeing you hate (kiy saneta - כִּי שָׂנֵאתָ):
- kiy (כִּי): Often translates to "for," "because," or "indeed," introducing the reason for God's challenge in the preceding verse (v. 16). It establishes a direct cause for God's indignation.
- saneta (שָׂנֵאתָ): The verb sane (שָׂנֵא) means to hate, detest, or be an enemy of. It's a strong term indicating not mere apathy or oversight, but an active, settled animosity in the heart towards something. It conveys a deep-seated revulsion and an active choice to be against. This highlights the severe internal disposition.
instruction (musar - מוּסָר):
- A significant Hebrew term referring to discipline, instruction, correction, moral training, and reproof. It's a comprehensive term for God's guidance, aimed at shaping character and behavior for righteousness. Musar is closely associated with wisdom literature, signifying divine teaching that trains and chastises, intended for growth and spiritual formation. It’s not just theoretical knowledge but practical guidance for living. Hating musar means hating the very process by which God seeks to bring His people to spiritual maturity and moral integrity.
and cast (w’tashliḵ - וַתַּשְׁלֵךְ):
- The Hebrew verb shalak (שָׁלַךְ) means to throw, cast, hurl, or cast away. The form here implies a deliberate and decisive act. The imagery is vivid, suggesting a forceful rejection or abandonment. It conveys an act of contempt and dismissal, as if God's words are worthless trash to be tossed aside.
My words (d'varay - דְבָרָי):
- From davar (דָּבָר), meaning "word," "speech," "thing," "matter," or "decree." In this context, it specifically refers to God's revealed commandments, His laws, prophetic messages, and His entire divine revelation. These are not human suggestions but authoritative, life-giving utterances from the Creator of the universe. To cast d'varay away is to spurn God's very authority and divine communication.
behind you (achōreykha - אַחֲרֶיךָ):
- Literally "to your back." This idiom indicates complete disregard, contempt, and intentional abandonment. It suggests turning one's back on something, ignoring it, or pushing it out of one's sight and consideration. It’s an act of wilful turning away, demonstrating a defiant posture towards God’s revealed will, contrasting sharply with paying attention or keeping something before one's eyes (Deut 6:6-8). This is not mere forgetfulness but a deliberate, contemptuous rejection.
Words-group Analysis:
- "you hate instruction, and cast My words behind you": This pairing is a powerful example of synonymous parallelism, intensifying the condemnation. "Hate instruction" speaks to the internal attitude and emotional rejection of divine teaching. "Cast My words behind you" speaks to the outward manifestation and active disregard of that teaching. Both aspects reveal a rebellious heart. The language implies an active, hostile disavowal of God’s benevolent guidance, making the recipient spiritually impervious and willfully ignorant. The dual emphasis on an inner disposition of "hate" and an outer action of "casting behind" points to the depth of their rebellion.
Psalm 50 17 Bonus Section
- The prophetic voice in Psalm 50:17 aligns closely with other Old Testament prophets (e.g., Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah) who consistently rebuked Israel for ritualistic piety devoid of moral rectitude and social justice. The theme of rejecting God's word and instruction as a central sin leading to national calamity is pervasive throughout the prophetic literature.
- The scene set in Psalm 50 is often interpreted as a "covenant lawsuit" (riv in Hebrew), where God, as the wronged party, brings charges against His covenant people. Verse 17 represents one of the specific counts in this indictment, establishing the fundamental breach of covenant loyalty through contempt for His law.
- The deliberate action of "casting My words behind you" speaks to accountability. It's not passive ignorance, but an active, conscious decision to ignore and dismiss divine truth, which escalates the offense from simple sin to willful rebellion. This highlights the boundary that once crossed, invites severe judgment.
- The importance of musar (discipline/instruction) throughout the book of Proverbs cannot be overstated; it is fundamental to the wisdom tradition, depicting a loving Father's desire to train His children. To hate it, as depicted in this Psalm, is to reject spiritual formation itself.
Psalm 50 17 Commentary
Psalm 50:17 sharply criticizes a deep spiritual disease: the profound hypocrisy of practicing outward religion while inwardly despising God’s truth. The "wicked" described are not necessarily those outside the covenant community, but those within it who have fundamentally misjudged the nature of their relationship with God. They engage in the prescribed rituals, perhaps even extensively (as hinted in Ps 50:8-13), yet their heart attitude toward divine instruction is one of active hatred (saneta). This hatred manifests in contemptuously discarding God's commands (d'varay), symbolically "casting them behind" themselves—a vivid image of turning one's back on the divine will, treating it as inconsequential or an irritant rather than a guide for life.
God is not mocked; He looks beyond burnt offerings to the heart. This verse reveals that sincerity in obedience and acceptance of divine discipline are far more crucial than ritualistic observance. The term musar (instruction/discipline) points to God's patient yet firm work of moral correction and guidance, which the wicked actively resist. By rejecting musar and d'varay, they reject God Himself and His sovereign authority. Their actions show a blatant refusal to align their lives with His moral standard, rendering all their religious gestures meaningless in God’s sight. The verse is a profound call for authentic devotion, emphasizing that a truly worshipping heart loves God's discipline and embraces His every word.