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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
繁體中文
人的敗壞
交與伶長，調用麻哈拉，訓誨詩。大衛的詩。
¹ 愚頑人心裡說：沒有神。他們都敗壞，行了可憎惡的不義；沒有一個人行善。
² 神從天上垂看世人，要看有明白的沒有，有尋求神的沒有。
³ 他們各人都退後，一同變為污穢；並沒有行善的，連一個也沒有。
⁴ 作孽的沒有知識嗎？他們吞吃我的百姓如同吃飯一樣，並不求告神。
⁵ 他們在無可懼怕之處，就大大害怕；因為神把那安營攻擊你之人的骨頭散開了。你使他們蒙羞，因為神藐視了他們。
⁶ 但願以色列的救恩從錫安而出！神救回祂被擄的子民時，雅各要快樂，以色列要歡喜。
本篇詩篇此前已經解釋過，因此我們在此只簡短地觀察關於罪的幾件事，為要增加我們對罪的憂傷和恨惡。1. 罪的事實。這能證實嗎？這控訴能成立嗎？能，神是這事的見證——一位無可指摘的見證：從祂聖潔之處祂垂看世人，看見他們中間何等少有善行，詩53:2。他們心中和生活中一切的罪惡，在祂面前都是赤露敞開的。2. 罪的過犯。這有甚麼害處嗎？有，它是不義（詩53:1,4）；它是其中沒有良善的事（詩53:1,3）；它是邪惡的事，是諸惡中最大的惡；正是它使這世界成為如今這樣的惡世界；它是偏離神、退後離開神，詩53:3。3. 罪的源頭。人為何如此壞？無疑是因為他們眼中沒有對神的敬畏：他們心裡說：「沒有神」——沒有要究問我們的神，沒有我們當敬畏的。人的惡行來自他們的惡原則；他們若口裡認識神，卻在行為上——因為在思想上——否認祂。4. 罪的愚妄。那存著這般敗壞思想的人是愚頑人（在神的判斷中如此，我們確知祂的判斷是公正的）。無論在見解上或在行為上的無神論者，都是世上最大的愚頑人。那些不尋求神的人沒有明白；他們如無知的畜類一般；因為人之所以有別於畜類，與其說是在於理性的能力，不如說是在於宗教的可能性。作孽的，無論他們怎樣假裝，都沒有知識；那些不認識神的人，可以真正說是甚麼都不認識的，詩53:4。5. 罪的污穢。罪人是敗壞的（詩53:1）；他們的本性已經敗壞損毀；本性越尊貴，敗壞時就越卑劣，如天使的本性。「至善之物一經敗壞，便成至惡之物。」他們的不義是可憎的；它為聖潔的神所恨惡，也使他們成為可憎；否則祂「所造的，祂一樣也不恨惡」。罪使人污穢，全然污穢。故意犯罪的人在天地之神和聖天使的鼻孔中是臭的。無論驕傲的罪人多麼裝腔作勢講究體面，罪惡誠然是世上最大的玷污，這是確定的。6. 罪的果子。請看罪至終把人帶到何等野蠻的地步；當人心因罪的詭詐而剛硬之時，請看他們對待弟兄——那與他們骨肉相連之人——的殘忍：因為他們不肯「與他們同奔那放蕩無度的狂妄」，便「如吃飯一樣吞吃他們」；好像他們不僅成了野獸，更成了猛獸。同時又請看他們對神的藐視：他們並不求告祂，反恥於仰賴祂。7. 伴隨罪的恐懼和羞愧（詩53:5）：那些以神為仇敵的人大大害怕；他們自己的良心責備他們，使他們充滿恐懼，儘管別的方面並沒有明顯的懼怕緣由。惡人無人追趕也逃跑。請看這懼怕的根據：神從前曾「把那安營攻擊祂百姓之人的骨頭散開了」——不僅擊破他們的勢力、驅散他們的軍隊，更擊殺他們，使他們的身體化為枯骨，如「散在墳墓口的骨頭」，詩141:7。那些圍攻「聖徒的營與蒙愛的城」的人，結局也必如此，啟20:9。想到這事，不能不使那些吞吃神百姓的人驚惶。這使錫安的處女、錫安的女兒能羞辱他們、揭露他們——因為神藐視了他們——能嗤笑他們，因為坐在天上的主嗤笑他們。我們不必用恐懼的眼光看那些神以輕蔑眼光看的仇敵。祂若藐視他們，我們也可以。8. 聖徒的信心，以及他們關乎醫治這大惡的盼望和能力，詩53:6。必有一位救主來臨，一次極大的拯救——從罪中拯救出來的拯救。但願它能快快來到！因為它要帶來榮耀而喜樂的時代。舊約時代也有仰望和盼望、禱告和等候這救贖的人。(1) 神到了時候，必拯救祂的教會脫離仇敵罪惡的惡意，這要使久處哀傷憂鬱之中的雅各和以色列歡喜。這樣的拯救常常施行，都是那榮耀教會永遠誇勝的預表。(2) 祂要拯救一切信徒脫離自己的罪孽，使他們不被罪擄去，這對他們是永遠的喜樂緣由。救贖主正是從這工作上得名——耶穌，「因祂要將自己的百姓從罪惡裡救出來」，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.
神說了一次、兩次，人若那時就能察覺，就好了；神在本篇中說了兩次，因為它與第十四篇幾乎逐字相同。它的主旨是要使我們認識自己的罪，因罪而羞愧戰兢；然而我們是如此難被帶到這地步，以致需要反覆重申這樣的話。神的道作為責備人的話，被比作錘子，其擊打必須屢次重複。神在此藉詩人：（一）向我們顯明我們是何等敗壞（詩五十三1）。（二）憑祂自己確切的知識向我們證實這一點（詩五十三2–3）。（三）向逼迫人者——罪人中最壞的——宣告恐怖的話（詩五十三4–5）。（四）向神受逼迫的百姓宣告安慰的話（詩五十三6）。詩十四1–7與詩五十三1–6之間略有出入，但無關緊要；惟在詩十四5–6與詩五十三5之間，那裏所用論到惡人加於神百姓之羞辱的一些話語，在此被省略了，取而代之的是此處所預言神將加於惡人的羞辱；這更改連同其他一些更改，是他第二次將其交與伶長時，憑神的指示而作的。我們歌唱本篇時，當為人性的敗壞與我們所居之世的悲慘墮落而哀歎，卻仍因那極大救恩的盼望而喜樂。