The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that does good.
Read Chapter 53
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
2. "The unwise man hath said in his heart, There is no God" (ver. 1). Such sort is it of men amid whom is pained and groaneth the Body of Christ. If such is this sort of men, of not many do we travail; as far as seemeth to occur to our thoughts, very few there are; and a difficult thing it is to meet with a man that saith in his heart, "There is no God;" nevertheless, so few there are, that, fearing amid the many to say this, in their heart they say it, for that with mouth to say it they dare not. Not much then is that which we are bid to endure, hardly is it found: uncommon is that sort of men that say in their heart, "There is no God." But, if it he examined in another sense, is not that found to be in more men, which we supposed to be in men few and uncommon, and almost in none? Let them come forth into the midst that live evil lives, let us look into the doings of profligate, daring, and wicked men, of whom there is a great multitude; who foster day by day their sins, who, their ac...
1. Of this Psalm we undertake to treat with you, as far as the Lord supplieth us. A brother biddeth us that we may have the will, and prayeth that we may have the power. If anything in haste perchance I shall have passed over, He that even to us deigneth to give what we shall be enabled to say, will supply it in you. The title of it is: "At the end, for Maeleth, understanding to David himself." "For Maeleth," as we find in interpretations of Hebrew names, seemeth to say, For one travailing, or in pain. But who there is in this world that travaileth and is in pain, the faithful acknowledge, because thereof they are. Christ here travaileth, Christ here is in pain: the Head is above, the members below. For one not travailing nor in pain would not say, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Him, with whom when persecuting He was travailing, being converted, He made to travail. For he also was himself afterwards enlightened, and grafted on those members which he used to persecute; being pre...
Maeleth, or Machalath. A musical instrument, or a chorus of musicians: for St. Jerome renders it, per chorum; (Challoner) and Aquila, "for dancing. "Sixtus V, read incorrectly, "for Amalec. "
The psalm is nearly the same with the 13th, (Calmet) except ver. 6. (Menochius)
We know not the reason why David gave this second copy, omitting the name of Jehovah. (Berthier)
St. Augustine explains it of the dangers of the latter times. (Worthington)
It seems to speak of the return from captivity, ver. 7. (Calmet)
