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英文原文
God speaks once, yea, twice, and it were well if man would even then perceive it; God, in this psalm, speaks twice, for this is the same almost verbatim with the fourteenth psalm. The scope of it is to convince us of our sins, to set us a blushing and trembling because of them; and this is what we are with so much difficulty brought to that there is need of line upon line to this purport. The word, as a convincing word, is compared to a hammer, the strokes whereof must be frequently repeated. God, by the psalmist here, I. Shows us how bad we are, Ps 53:1. II. Proves it upon us by his own certain knowledge, Ps 53:2,3. III. He speaks terror to persecutors, the worst of sinners, Ps 53:4,5. IV. He speaks encouragement to God's persecuted people, Ps 53:6. Some little variation there is between Ps 14:1-7,53:1-6, but none considerable, only between Ps 14:5,6,53:5, there, and Ps 14:5,6,53:5 here; some expressions there used are here left out, concerning the shame which the wicked put upon God's people, and instead of that, is here foretold the shame which God would put upon the wicked, which alteration, with some others, he made by divine direction when he delivered it the second time to the chief musician. In singing it we ought to lament the corruption of the human nature, and the wretched degeneracy of the world we live in, yet rejoicing in hope of the great salvation.
1-6
Human Depravity
人类的败坏
交与伶长，调用麻哈拉，训诲诗。大卫的诗。
¹ 愚顽人心里说：没有神。他们都是邪恶，行了可憎恶的罪孽；没有一个人行善。
² 神从天上垂看世人，要看有明白的没有，有寻求神的没有。
³ 他们各人都退后，一同变为污秽；并没有行善的，连一个也没有。
⁴ 作孽的没有知识吗？他们吞吃我的百姓如同吃饭一样，并不求告神。
⁵ 他们在无可惧怕之处，就大大害怕；因为神把那安营攻击你的敌人的骨头散开了。你使他们蒙羞，因为神藐视了他们。
⁶ 但愿以色列的救恩从锡安而出！神救回他被掳的子民时，雅各要快乐，以色列要欢喜。
本篇已经讲解过，因此此处只简要观察关于罪的一些事，好增加我们对罪的忧伤与恨恶。1. 罪的事实。这能证实吗？这控告能成立吗？是的，神是见证人，无可指摘的见证人：他从他的圣处垂看世人，看见他们中间善何其少（诗53:2）。他们心中和生活中一切的罪污，在他面前都是赤露敞开的。2. 罪的过错。罪有什么害处吗？有，它是「罪孽」（诗53:1,4），是不义之事；它是其中毫无善美之事（诗53:1,3）；它是恶事；是诸恶中至恶者；正是它使这世界成为如今这样的恶世；它是「退后」离开神（诗53:3）。3. 罪的源头。人为何如此败坏？必是因为「他们眼中没有敬畏神」：他们「心里说：『没有神』来追究我们，没有我们需要敬畏的。」人的恶行源自他们的恶念；他们若口里承认认识神，行为上、心思上却否认他。4. 罪的愚妄。心存这般败坏之念的人，在神看来——他的判断我们确知是正确的——是愚顽人。无论在见解上或在行为上的无神论者，都是世上最大的愚妄人。不寻求神的人就不明白；他们如同没有悟性的畜类一般；因为人之所以有别于走兽，与其说在于理性的能力，不如说在于宗教的潜能。「作孽的」无论怎样自夸，「没有知识」；不认识神的人，可说是真正一无所知（诗53:4）。5. 罪的污秽。罪人是「败坏」的（诗53:1）；他们的本性已经败坏损坏，而本性越高贵，败坏时就越可憎，如天使的本性。「至善之物一旦败坏，便成至恶之物。」他们的罪孽是「可憎恶的」；在圣洁的神眼中是可憎的，也使他们成为可憎；若非如此，他「所造的，没有一样是他恨恶的」。罪使人污秽，全然污秽。故意犯罪的人在天空的神和圣天使鼻中是发臭的。骄傲的罪人无论自诩何等体面，恶确是世上最大的玷污，这是确定的。6. 罪的果子。看罪至终把人带到何等野蛮的地步；当人的心因罪的迷惑而刚化，就看见他们待骨肉之亲的弟兄何等残忍——因为他们不肯「与他们一同奔放纵私欲的邪路」，就「把他们如吃饼一般吞吃」；仿佛他们不仅成了走兽，更成了猛兽。同时也看他们此时对神的轻慢。「他们不求告」他，反不屑于向他求恩。7. 伴随罪的恐惧与羞愧（诗53:5）：「那些与神为敌的人」就「大大害怕」；他们自己的良心控告他们，使他们惊恐，使他们充满战栗，尽管别无明显的可惧之由。「恶人虽无人追赶也逃跑。」看这恐惧的根源；是因为神从前「散了那安营攻击」他百姓之人的骨头，不仅折断了他们的权势、击溃了他们的军兵，更击杀了他们，使他们的尸身化为枯骨，如同「散在墓旁的」骨头（诗141:7）。凡围攻「圣徒的营与蒙爱的城」的人，结局也必如此（启20:9）。想到这些，那些吞吃神百姓的人不能不惊惶。因此锡安的处女、锡安的女子得以使他们蒙羞，揭露他们的本相，「因为神藐视了他们」，可以嗤笑他们，因为坐在天上的也嗤笑他们。神所轻看的仇敌，我们不必用惧怕的眼光看他们；他若藐视他们，我们也可以。8. 圣徒的信心，以及他们对付这大恶时所怀的盼望与能力（诗53:6）。将有一位救主来临，一次大拯救，是从罪中拯救出来的拯救。但愿这事速速成就！因为它将带来荣耀喜乐的日子。在旧约时代，就有人仰望并盼望、祈求并等候这救赎。（1）神必在所定之时，拯救他的教会脱离仇敌罪恶的毒恨，这将使长久处于哀伤忧郁之中的雅各与以色列欢喜。这样的拯救常常施行，都是那荣耀教会永远得胜的预表。（2）他必拯救一切信徒脱离自己的罪孽，使罪不再辖制他们，这将成为他们永远喜乐的缘由。救赎主正是因此得名——「耶稣」，「因他要将自己的百姓从罪恶里救出来」（太1:21）。
英文原文
Human Depravity
To the chief musician upon Mahalath, Maschil. A psalm of David.
¹ The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
² God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
³ Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
⁴ Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
⁵ There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.
⁶ Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
This psalm was opened before, and therefore we shall here only observe, in short, some things concerning sin, in order to the increasing of our sorrow for it and hatred of it. 1. The fact of sin. Is that proved? Can the charge be made out? Yes, God is a witness to it, an unexceptionable witness: from the place of his holiness he looks on the children of men, and sees how little good there is among them, Ps 53:2. All the sinfulness of their hearts and lives in naked and open before him. 2. The fault of sin. Is there any harm in it? Yes, it is iniquity (Ps 53:1,4); it is an unrighteous thing; it is that which there is no good in (Ps 53:1,3); it is an evil thing; it is the worst of evils; it is that which makes this world such an evil world as it is; it is going back from God, Ps 53:3. 3. The fountain of sin. How comes it that men are so bad? Surely it is because there is no fear of God before their eyes: they say in their hearts, "There is no God at all to call us to an account, none that we need to stand in awe of." Men's bad practices flow from their bad principles; if they profess to know God, yet in works, because in thoughts, they deny him. 4. The folly of sin. He is a fool (in the account of God, whose judgment we are sure is right) that harbours such corrupt thoughts. Atheists, whether in opinion or practice, are the greatest fools in the world. Those that do not seek God do not understand; they are like brute-beasts that have no understanding; for man is distinguished from the brutes, not so much by the powers of reason as by a capacity for religion. The workers of iniquity, whatever they pretend to, have no knowledge; those may truly be said to know nothing that do not know God, Ps 53:4. 5. The filthiness of sin. Sinners are corrupt (Ps 53:1); their nature is vitiated and spoiled, and the more noble the nature is the more vile it is when it is depraved, as that of the angels. Corruptio optimi est pessima—The best things, when corrupted, become the worst. Their iniquity is abominable; it is odious to the holy God, and it renders them so; whereas otherwise he hates nothing that he has made. It makes men filthy, altogether filthy. Wilful sinners are offensive in the nostrils of the God of heaven and of the holy angels. What decency soever proud sinners pretend to, it is certain that wickedness is the greatest defilement in the world. 6. The fruit of sin. See to what a degree of barbarity it brings men at last; when men's hearts are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin see their cruelty to their brethren, that are bone of their bone—because they will not run with them to the same excess of riot, they eat them up as they eat bread; as if they had not only become beasts, but beasts of prey. And see their contempt of God at the same time. They have not called upon him, but scorn to be beholden to him. 7. The fear and shame that attend sin (Ps 53:5): There were those in great fear who had made God their enemy; their own guilty consciences frightened them, and filled them with horror, though otherwise there was no apparent cause of fear. The wicked flees when none pursues. See the ground of this fear; it is because God has formerly scattered the bones of those that encamped against his people, not only broken their power and dispersed their forces, but slain them, and reduced their bodies to dry bones, like those scattered at the grave's mouth, Ps 141:7. Such will be the fate of those that lay siege to the camp of the saints and the beloved city, Re 20:9. The apprehensions of this cannot but put those into frights that eat up God's people. This enables the virgin, the daughter of Zion, to put them to shame, and expose them, because God has despised them, to laugh at them, because he that sits in heaven laughs at them. We need not look upon those enemies with fear whom God looks upon with contempt. If he despises them, we may. 8. The faith of the saints, and their hope and power touching the cure of this great evil, Ps 53:6. There will come a Saviour, a great salvation, a salvation from sin. Oh that it might be hastened! for it will bring in glorious and joyful times. There were those in the Old-Testament times that looked and hoped, that prayed and waited, for this redemption. (1.) God will, in due time, save his church from the sinful malice of its enemies, which will bring joy to Jacob and Israel, that have long been in a mournful melancholy state. Such salvations were often wrought, and all typical of the everlasting triumphs of the glorious church. (2.) He will save all believers from their own iniquities, that they may not be led captive by them, which will be everlasting matter of joy to them. From this work the Redeemer had his name—Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins, Mt 1:21.
神一而再地说话,人那时才有所察觉便为有福;神在本篇中说两次,因本篇几乎逐字与第十四篇相同。其宗旨在使我们确知自己的罪,使我们因其脸红、因其战兢;这正是我们如此艰难才能达到的地步,故需要又一行又一行地重复此旨。圣言作为定罪之语,被比作锤子,其击打必须反复加增。神借诗人于此:一、向我们显示我们何等败坏(诗53:1);二、借他自己确实的鉴察将此事向我们证明(诗53:2,3);三、向逼迫者——罪人中最坏的——宣告可畏(诗53:4,5);四、向神受逼迫的百姓宣告勉励(诗53:6)。诗14:1-7与53:1-6之间略有出入,但都不重大;惟在(诗14:5,6;53:5)之间有别——那里所用关于恶人加于神百姓之羞辱的几句在此被删去,取而代之的是此处预言神将加于恶人之羞辱——他这些更改是当他第二次交付伶长之时,按神的指示而作。我们唱时当 悲叹 人性的败坏与我们所在世界的可悲堕落,却因那大拯救的盼望而喜乐。