Psalms 53:2

2 God looks down from heaven on all people. He wants to see if there are any who understand. He wants to see if there are any who trust in God.

Psalms 53:2 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 53:2

God looked down from heaven upon the children of men
In ( Psalms 14:2 ) , it is read, "the Lord" or "Jehovah"; in everything else there is an agreement in this verse; (See Gill on Psalms 14:2);

to see if there were [any] that did understand;
the Targum is, "that were understanding" in the law; it doubtless means understanding in divine and spiritual things;

that did seek God;
the above paraphrase is, "seeking doctrine from before the Lord".

Psalms 53:2 In-Context

1 Foolish people say in their hearts, "There is no God." They do all kinds of horrible and evil things. No one does anything good.

2 God looks down from heaven on all people. He wants to see if there are any who understand. He wants to see if there are any who trust in God.

3 All of them have turned away. They have all become evil. No one does anything good, no one at all.

4 Won't those who do evil ever learn? They eat up my people as if they were eating bread. They don't call out to God for help.

5 Just look at them! They are filled with terror even when there is nothing to be afraid of! People of Israel, God will scatter the bones of those who attack you. You will put them to shame, because God hates them.