properly · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
heaven
מִשָּׁמַיִם֮mi.sha.ma.Yim
H8064
the sky (as aloft · preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute
children
בְּנֵיbe.nei-
H1121
a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct
men
אָ֫דָ֥ם'a.Dam
H120
ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · noun, common masculine singular absolute
see
לִ֭רְאוֹתLir.'ot
H7200
to see · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
there
הֲיֵ֣שׁha.Yesh
H3426
there is or are (or any other form of the verb to be · interrogative particle + cardinal number, both genders singular absolute
understand
מַשְׂכִּ֑ילmas.Kil
H7919
to be (causatively · verb, hiphil active participle, masculine singular absolute
seek
דֹּ֝רֵשׁDo.resh
H1875
properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
God
אֱלֹהִֽים'E.lo.Him
H430
gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Psalms 33:13-14 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that…
Psalms 102:19-20 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
Genesis 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Matthew 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should se…
2 Chronicles 19:3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to…
Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise s…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Psalms 14:1-3
If we apply our hearts as Solomon did (Ecc 7:25) to search out the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness, these verses will assist us in the search and will show us that sin is exceedingly sinful. Sin is the disease of mankind, and it appears here to be malignant and epidemic.
1. See how malignant it is (Psa 14:1) in two things: -
(1.) The contempt it puts upon the honour of God: for there is something of practical atheism at the bottom of all sin. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. We are sometimes tempted to think, "Surely there never was so much atheism and profaneness as there is in our days;" but we see the former days were no better; even in David's time…
looked--in earnest enquiry.
understand--as opposed to "fool" [Psa 14:1].
John Gill on Psalms 14:2
The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men,.... As he did when all flesh had corrupted its way, and before he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly, Genesis 6:12. This is said in direct opposition to the atheistic thoughts and reasonings of wicked men, in Psalm 14:1. There is a God, and he takes notice of the children of men, and of what is done by them; though his throne is in the heavens, and his dwelling there, yet he looks down from thence, and takes cognizance of all human affairs. This must be understood consistent with the omniscience and omnipresence of God; it is an anthropopathy, or a speaking after the manner of men; and denotes the exact notice which God ta…
Psalm 14:2-3
2. Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see whether there were any that did understand, and seek after God. 3. Every one of them has gone aside, they have altogether become putrid, [or rotten;] there is none that doeth good, not even one,
2. Jehovah looked down from heaven. God himself is here introduced as speaking on the subject of human depravity, and this renders the discourse of David more emphatic than if he had pronounced the sentence in his own person. When God is exhibited to us as sitting on his throne to take cognisance of the conduct of men, unless we are stupified in an extraordinary degree, his majesty must strike us with terror. The effec…
The Church Fathers
"The Lord from heaven looked out upon the sons of men, to see if there be one understanding, or seeking after God" [Psalm 14:2]. It may be interpreted, upon the Jews; as he may have given them the more honourable name of the sons of men, by reason of their worship of the One God, in comparison with the Gentiles; of whom I suppose it was said above, "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God," etc. Now the Lord looks out, that He may see, by His holy souls: which is the meaning of, "from heaven." For by Himself nothing is hid from Him.
When you hear the Lord looks down from heaven, think not of his divine and incorporeal nature that he has bowed and bent down, or has bent his knee or nodded his head, but realize his visitation, forgiveness and kindness. Although he is said to have a head, ears, eyes, mouth and hands, and to sit and to rise, yet he is not altogether constituted of members and parts. So he does not literally look down but shows his own mercy. He looks down from heaven, not through fences and gates in the sky, but because from heaven he has visited humankind.… He sees them to serve them and to embrace them as a friend.… He appears to them who have faith in him in order that he may see who is sick and who needs the doctor and who is poor and who requires Christ, the storehouse of the Father.… Then after they see the Lord of the prophets has looked down from heaven so that he may see, … they say, "It is not enough, Lord, that you look down from heaven. Descend.… Come, … Son of the Father. Seek what is made in your image."
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Depravity Of Man · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Fall Of Man, The · Man in consequence of: Without understanding — Man in consequence of: Without understanding
Godlessness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Seekers · 5:8;8:5,6; — 5:8;8:5,6;
Seeking God · None, by nature, are found to be engaged in — None, by nature, are found to be engaged in
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
The second tristich appeals to the infallible decision of God Himself. The verb השׁקיף means to look forth, by bending one's self forward. It is the proper word for looking out of a window, Kg2 9:30 (cf. Niph. Jdg 5:28, and frequently), and for God's looking down from heaven upon the earth, Psa 102:20, and frequently; and it is cognate and synonymous with השׁגּיח, Psa 33:13, Psa 33:14; cf. moreover, Sol 2:9. The perf. is used in the sense of the perfect only insofar as the divine survey is antecedent to its result as given in Psa 14:3. Just as השׁהיתוּ reminds one of the history of the Flood, so does לראות of the history of the building of the tower of Babel, Gen 11:5, cf. Psa 18:21. God's j…
From heaven (33:13; 80:14; 102:19), the Lord sees the wicked, who stand out as vile sinners (11:3-5). The entire human race lacks wisdom and fails to live up to the glory originally given to them (10:4-11; see Rom 1–3).
Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 14:2
The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
"The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men." As from a watchtower, or other elevated place of observation, the Lord is represented as gazing intently upon men. He will not punish blindly, nor like a tyrant command an indiscriminate massacre because a rumour of rebellion has come up to his ears. What condescending interest and impartial justice are here imaged! The case of Sodom, visited before it was overthrown, illustrates the careful manner in which Divine Justice beholds the sin before it avenges it, and searches out the righteous that they perish not wit…
