Old Testament Commentary - Psalms 14

by Don R. Hender

David, with or without understanding, doth site and quote various scriptures of the prophets in order to create this hymn. Though the captivity of the scattering of Israel is still some 300 years off and the restoration of all things in the latter-days nearly 3,000 years away, David speaks of them from the words of such prophets which are likely lost to our Jewish Old Testament. He speaks of the 'salvation of Israel which is to come out of Zion' in the latter-days, when the LORD gathers and restores his people back from their captivity. David had obviously longed for the far off latter-day fortold by certain of the prophets that it should one day come.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial] Commentary & Explanation Footnotes ~ References ~ JST

CHAPTER 14
David acclaims: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God—Israel shall rejoice in the day of restoration.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David

1 ^aTHE ^bfool hath said in his heart, There is ^cno ^dGod. They are ^ecorrupt, they have done abominable works, there is ^fnone that doeth good.

2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become ^afilthy: there is ^bnone that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6 Ye have ^ashamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
7 **Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!^a when the LORD bringeth back the ^acaptivity of his people^b**, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. **7^a Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! The promised covenant of Abraham was that the nations of the earth would be blessed by his seed in the latter-day. Were as Ether of the Jaredites had knowledge and understanding concerning the workings of the restoration in the latter-days and the building of the New Jerusalem upon the land of Joseph (see Ether 13), so did the prophets of the Old Testament in the land of Israel, for David speaks of longing for that latter-day when 'the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion' unto all the earth and fill it as told by Daniel in interpreting the Dream of Nebuchadnezzar. It is the long awaited day, the despensation of the fullness of times, after such long periods when those of the earth have for the most part carried forth corrupt doctrine, abominable works and even denied saying, 'There is no God'.
7^b when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people** David here speaks of the future day when the LORD would bring back his people out of their scattered captive state. David lived around 1,000 B.C., some 300 years before the captivity and scattering of Israel and some 400 years before the captivity of Judah in Babylon. Yet he, even in his day knew of its coming and of that long awaited day when Israel would be gathered back, brought back at a time in the last days when 'salvation would come out of Zion, that Zion of the New Jerusalem, when the blessings of Abraham would be taken to the world, initially and primarily upon the work of Ephraim, the Firstborn of Israel. That the full passages of scriptures which David sings from is lost is a shame. That they are presured in the 'Hymns of Ancient Israel' is a testament that such things were had and were there to be know of the people in the Old Testament times of the 'Old World' just as they were had and known by the peoples of the Book of Mormon. The Brass Plates will most likely shed great light, knowledge and understanding upon this and that both David in his Psalms and the Nephites in there writings, did have many of the words of the prophets from which they spoke which have been lost to the Biblical texts of today.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 14 David acclaims: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God—Israel shall rejoice in the day of restoration.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David
1 ^aTHE ^bfool hath said in his heart, There is ^cno ^dGod. They are ^ecorrupt, they have done abominable works, there is ^fnone that doeth good.
2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become ^afilthy: there is ^bnone that doeth good, no, not one. 4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous. 6 Ye have ^ashamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge. 7 *Oh that the salvation of Israel were come* out of Zion!^a when the LORD bringeth back the ^acaptivity of his people^b*, Jacob shall rejoice, and* Israel shall be glad.	*7^a Oh that the salvation of Israel were come* out of Zion! The promised covenant of Abraham was that the nations of the earth would be blessed by his seed in the latter-day. Were as Ether of the Jaredites had knowledge and understanding concerning the workings of the restoration in the latter-days and the building of the New Jerusalem upon the land of Joseph (see Ether 13), so did the prophets of the Old Testament in the land of Israel, for David speaks of longing for that latter-day when 'the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion' unto all the earth and fill it as told by Daniel in interpreting the Dream of Nebuchadnezzar. It is the long awaited day, the despensation of the fullness of times, after such long periods when those of the earth have for the most part carried forth corrupt doctrine, abominable works and even denied saying, 'There is no God'. 7^b when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people** David here speaks of the future day when the LORD would bring back his people out of their scattered captive state. David lived around 1,000 B.C., some 300 years before the captivity and scattering of Israel and some 400 years before the captivity of Judah in Babylon. Yet he, even in his day knew of its coming and of that long awaited day when Israel would be gathered back, brought back at a time in the last days when 'salvation would come out of Zion, that Zion of the New Jerusalem, when the blessings of Abraham would be taken to the world, initially and primarily upon the work of Ephraim, the Firstborn of Israel. That the full passages of scriptures which David sings from is lost is a shame. That they are presured in the 'Hymns of Ancient Israel' is a testament that such things were had and were there to be know of the people in the Old Testament times of the 'Old World' just as they were had and known by the peoples of the Book of Mormon. The Brass Plates will most likely shed great light, knowledge and understanding upon this and that both David in his Psalms and the Nephites in there writings, did have many of the words of the prophets from which they spoke which have been lost to the Biblical texts of today.