American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Psalm 50
1
The mighty God, even the LORD, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof.
2
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined.
3
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
4
He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.
5
Gather my saints together to me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
6
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
7
Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, even your God.
8
I will not reprove you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.
9
I will take no bullock out of your house, nor he goats out of your folds.
10
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
12
If I were hungry, I would not tell you: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof.
13
Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14
Offer to God thanksgiving; and pay your vows to the most High:
15
And call on me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
16
But to the wicked God said, What have you to do to declare my statutes, or that you should take my covenant in your mouth?
17
Seeing you hate instruction, and casts my words behind you.
18
When you saw a thief, then you consented with him, and have been partaker with adulterers.
19
You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
20
You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.
21
These things have you done, and I kept silence; you thought that I was altogether such an one as yourself: but I will reprove you, and set them in order before your eyes.
22
Now consider this, you that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
23
Whoever offers praise glorifies me: and to him that orders his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.
Summary of Psalm 50
Psalm 50 is a powerful courtroom-like declaration in which God calls His covenant people before Him and exposes the difference between outward religious activity and genuine faithfulness, emphasizing that God does not need sacrifices, possessions, rituals, or religious language for His own benefit because everything in creation already belongs to Him, and therefore what He desires from His people is a life characterized by thanksgiving, trust, obedience, integrity, and sincere dependence upon Him.
The psalm begins with an extraordinary picture of God summoning the entire earth, from sunrise to sunset, while the heavens and earth themselves become witnesses to His judgment. God appears from Zion surrounded by imagery of fire, storm, and divine majesty, creating the atmosphere of a royal courtroom in which the Creator and Judge is about to address His people.
The first group addressed is the covenant community that continues to offer sacrifices. God makes it clear that their problem is not a lack of religious activity. They have continued bringing sacrifices, but their sacrifices are not what God fundamentally needs because every animal in the forests, every creature on the mountains, and everything that lives in the fields already belongs to Him.
This produces one of the chapter's most important teachings: God cannot be reduced to a deity who depends upon human offerings. He does not need animals as food, nor does He become richer because people bring Him possessions that already belong to Him.
Instead, God calls His people to offer thanksgiving and to keep their promises to Him. He also invites them to call upon Him when trouble comes, promising that He will deliver those who genuinely trust Him, and the proper response to that deliverance will be to glorify Him.
The psalm then turns toward a different group, the religiously hypocritical. These people know God's laws, speak about them, and appear religious, but their lives contradict what they claim to believe. They reject correction, associate with thieves and adulterers, use deceptive speech, and even speak against members of their own families.
The problem is therefore much deeper than imperfect religious practice. These people have attempted to separate religious identity from moral behavior.
God then explains that His apparent silence has been misunderstood. Because judgment did not immediately arrive, the wicked assumed that God approved of their behavior. God warns them that His patience should never be interpreted as acceptance, because He has seen their actions and will eventually bring their wrongdoing into the open.
The final verses provide a clear contrast between the two paths. Those who forget God are warned about judgment, while those who offer thanksgiving and live according to God's ways are promised salvation.
Historically, Psalm 50 reflects the 10th–5th centuries BC and is attributed to Asaph, whose name is associated with a prominent tradition of Israelite temple musicians and worship leaders.
The psalm begins with an extraordinary picture of God summoning the entire earth, from sunrise to sunset, while the heavens and earth themselves become witnesses to His judgment. God appears from Zion surrounded by imagery of fire, storm, and divine majesty, creating the atmosphere of a royal courtroom in which the Creator and Judge is about to address His people.
The first group addressed is the covenant community that continues to offer sacrifices. God makes it clear that their problem is not a lack of religious activity. They have continued bringing sacrifices, but their sacrifices are not what God fundamentally needs because every animal in the forests, every creature on the mountains, and everything that lives in the fields already belongs to Him.
This produces one of the chapter's most important teachings: God cannot be reduced to a deity who depends upon human offerings. He does not need animals as food, nor does He become richer because people bring Him possessions that already belong to Him.
Instead, God calls His people to offer thanksgiving and to keep their promises to Him. He also invites them to call upon Him when trouble comes, promising that He will deliver those who genuinely trust Him, and the proper response to that deliverance will be to glorify Him.
The psalm then turns toward a different group, the religiously hypocritical. These people know God's laws, speak about them, and appear religious, but their lives contradict what they claim to believe. They reject correction, associate with thieves and adulterers, use deceptive speech, and even speak against members of their own families.
The problem is therefore much deeper than imperfect religious practice. These people have attempted to separate religious identity from moral behavior.
God then explains that His apparent silence has been misunderstood. Because judgment did not immediately arrive, the wicked assumed that God approved of their behavior. God warns them that His patience should never be interpreted as acceptance, because He has seen their actions and will eventually bring their wrongdoing into the open.
The final verses provide a clear contrast between the two paths. Those who forget God are warned about judgment, while those who offer thanksgiving and live according to God's ways are promised salvation.
Historically, Psalm 50 reflects the 10th–5th centuries BC and is attributed to Asaph, whose name is associated with a prominent tradition of Israelite temple musicians and worship leaders.