STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS
| NASB | NKJV | NRSV | TEV | NJB |
| Folly and Wickedness MT Intro For the choir director. According to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. |
Folly of the Godless, and Restoration of Israel | Condemnation of a Cynical and Unrighteous Age | Human Wickedness | The Fate of the Godless |
| 53:1-3 | 53:1 | 53:1 | 53:1 | 53:1 |
| 53:2-3 | 53:2 | 53:2-3 | 53:2 | |
| 53:3 | 53:3 | |||
| 53:4-6 | 53:4-5 | 53:4 | 53:4 | 53:4 |
| 53:5 | 53:5 | 53:5 | ||
| 53:6 | 53:6 | 53:6 | 53:6 |
*This Psalm is almost exactly a duplicate of Psalm 14, except YHWH has
been changed to Elohim. See notes there.
READING CYCLE THREE (see
“Bible
Interpretation Seminar”)
FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL
This is a study guide commentary, which
means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the
light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not
relinquish this to a commentator.
Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare
your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is
the key to following the original author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every
paragraph has one and only one subject.
- First paragraph
- Second paragraph
- Third paragraph, etc.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 53:1-3
1The
fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,”
They are corrupt, and have committed
abominable injustice;
There
is no one who does good.
2God
has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is anyone who
understands,
Who seeks
after God.
3Every
one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not
even one.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 53:4-6
4Have
the workers of wickedness no knowledge,
Who
eat up My people as though they ate bread
And have not called upon God?
5There they were in great
fear where no fear had been;
For
God scattered the bones of him who encamped against you;
You put them to shame,
because God had rejected them.
6Oh,
that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores His captive
people,
Let Jacob rejoice,
let Israel be glad.
This Psalm is almost exactly a duplicate of Psalm 14, except “YHWH”
has been changed to “Elohim.” See notes the exegetical there.
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Lessons International