Psalm 53:3 kjv
Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Psalm 53:3 nkjv
Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.
Psalm 53:3 niv
Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Psalm 53:3 esv
They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Psalm 53:3 nlt
But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
not a single one!
Psalm 53 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rom 3:10-12 | "as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one... all have turned aside; together they have become worthless...'" | Direct quote of Ps 14/53 |
| Rom 3:23 | "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" | Universal sinfulness |
| Rom 5:12 | "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned" | Adam's sin and humanity's fallen state |
| Eph 2:1 | "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins" | Spiritual death of humanity |
| Eph 2:3 | "among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh... and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." | Universal sinful nature |
| Ecc 7:20 | "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins." | No human is truly righteous |
| Gen 6:5 | "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." | Early biblical depiction of human depravity |
| Jer 17:9 | "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" | The corrupt human heart |
| Mk 10:18 | "Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.'" | Goodness belongs to God alone |
| Isa 64:6 | "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." | Human good deeds are tainted |
| Ps 14:1 | "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good." | Parallel Psalm |
| Ps 130:3 | "If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" | No one can stand before God's judgment |
| Ps 33:13-15 | "The LORD looks down from heaven... He considers all their works." | God observes human actions and hearts |
| Prov 14:12 | "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." | Human understanding of goodness is flawed |
| Jer 2:13 | "for My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." | Turning away from God's life-giving source |
| Tit 3:3-5 | "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray... But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness..." | Human depravity before divine salvation |
| Job 14:4 | "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one." | Inability of man to achieve purity |
| 2 Cor 5:17 | "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." | Transformation needed for true goodness |
| Jn 3:19-20 | "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." | Preference for evil over light |
| Ps 58:3 | "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies." | Innately sinful nature |
| Ps 51:5 | "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." | Born into a state of sin |
| Isa 59:8 | "The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace." | Consequence of evil ways |
| Phil 3:9 | "and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" | Human unrighteousness vs. God's righteousness |
Psalm 53 verses
Psalm 53 3 Meaning
Psalm 53:3 asserts the universal and profound moral corruption of humanity from God's perfect perspective. It declares that all individuals, without exception, have deviated from God’s path and become spiritually rotten, demonstrating no true goodness in His sight. This statement underlines humanity's inherent fallen nature, signifying a deep-seated depravity that impacts every aspect of human existence.
Psalm 53 3 Context
Psalm 53 is almost identical to Psalm 14, sharing the theme of humanity's universal depravity and the pervasive atheism ("The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'") that underpins such corruption. This psalm paints a picture of societal decay where a fundamental denial of God's existence and authority leads to widespread evil and oppression. The context includes God's "looking down from heaven" to observe humanity, finding no one truly seeking Him or doing good. The verse 53:3 specifically highlights the result of this foolish rejection of God, portraying a world collectively marred by moral deviation and decay. The historical backdrop for these Psalms often relates to periods of national unfaithfulness and injustice within Israel, where the rejection of God's covenant led to societal corruption and a failure to care for the oppressed. It challenges any humanistic idea of inherent moral purity.
Psalm 53 3 Word analysis
- They have all: Hebrew: `kullō` (כֻּלּוֹ). This signifies the totality and universality of the statement. It indicates that the corruption is not partial or affecting only some, but is all-encompassing across humanity. From God's viewpoint, there are no exceptions to this spiritual state of rebellion and defilement.
- turned aside: Hebrew: `sag` (סָג), from the root `sug` (סוּג), meaning "to turn aside, to backslide, to withdraw, to deviate." It denotes a departure from the right path, specifically God's commandments and righteous ways. This is a moral deviation, indicating that humanity has moved away from its intended alignment with divine truth and holiness. It suggests a wilful straying.
- together: Hebrew: `yaḥdāw` (יַחְדָּו). This emphasizes the collective and unified nature of this corruption. It's not just individuals sinning in isolation, but humanity as a whole, exhibiting a pervasive and interconnected defilement. It highlights the widespread and universal extent of the fallen state.
- have become corrupt: Hebrew: `ne'ěláḥū` (נֶאֱלָחוּ), from the root `'ālaḥ` (אָלַח), meaning "to be putrid, to be foul, to decay, to become morally corrupt." This is a strong word describing a state of severe, internal, and spiritual rot. It signifies not just a surface flaw but a deep-seated defilement that makes humanity loathsome in God's eyes, akin to something decaying and emitting an offensive odor. It's a complete internal moral decomposition.
- there is none who does good: Hebrew: `ên 'ōśēh ṭôḇ` (אֵין עֹשֵׂה־טוֹב). This is an absolute negation. The "good" here (`ṭôḇ`) refers to true goodness as defined by God's holy standard, not merely acts of human kindness or benevolence. It means that no one inherently possesses or produces righteousness that would satisfy divine perfection. All actions, when viewed by God's standard, are tainted by sinful motives or nature.
- not even one: Hebrew: `ên gam-'eḥāḏ` (אֵין גַּם־אֶחָד). This phrase serves as an emphatic reinforcement of the previous statement. It explicitly rules out any single exception, leaving no room for anyone to claim inherent righteousness. It underscores the utter totality of human failure and confirms the universal nature of the spiritual decay described.
- They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt: This phrase encapsulates the doctrine of universal and total depravity. "Turned aside" points to humanity's wilful rebellion and deviation from God's perfect law, while "become corrupt" signifies the pervasive internal moral decay resulting from this deviation. The inclusion of "all" and "together" underscores the comprehensive reach of sin, impacting every person and fostering a corrupted collective state. This state makes humanity inherently antithetical to God's holiness.
- there is none who does good, not even one: This declares a profound spiritual bankruptcy. It's not that humans are incapable of any form of temporal kindness or civic duty, but that from God's absolute standard, no one performs true goodness that is pure in motive and deed, fully honoring Him. Every action is fundamentally flawed due to a heart that is not wholly consecrated to God. This leaves humanity without any ground for self-righteousness before God, highlighting the complete absence of meritorious works.
Psalm 53 3 Bonus section
This verse, along with its counterpart in Psalm 14, provides foundational biblical support for the theological doctrine of "total depravity." This doctrine, when correctly understood, does not mean humans are as bad as they can possibly be, or that they cannot perform outwardly good deeds in society. Rather, it means that every aspect of a person—their mind, emotions, will, and conscience—is affected by sin. Even the "good" deeds done by those outside of Christ are tainted because their ultimate motive and orientation are not perfectly aimed at glorifying God or springing from a regenerated heart, thus falling short of God's perfect standard. The declaration "there is none who does good, not even one" clarifies that what may appear good to human eyes is fundamentally insufficient in God's sight. This profound statement eliminates any room for human pride in achieving righteousness and powerfully underscores the indispensable need for God's saving grace to rescue humanity from this state of inherent corruption and moral decay.
Psalm 53 3 Commentary
Psalm 53:3 presents a stark, divine assessment of humanity, revealing a profound and pervasive spiritual sickness. It goes beyond mere individual failings to declare a collective and inherent moral corruption. Humanity, when viewed from heaven, is found to have completely veered off the path God intended, collectively sinking into a state of moral rottenness. This isn't merely about people doing bad things; it's about their intrinsic nature being thoroughly defiled. The emphatic repetition ("none... not even one") leaves no doubt regarding the totality of this spiritual ailment, emphasizing that no one, on their own merit, lives up to God's perfect standard of goodness. This fundamental declaration serves as the bedrock for understanding humanity's absolute need for divine intervention and the redeeming grace found only in the person and work of Christ. It illustrates that true righteousness must come from an outside source, namely God Himself, as no human can produce it on their own.