Psalms 94:10
in Psalms 94He who admonishes the nations, does He not discipline? He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that chastiseth the nations, shall not he correct, Even he that teacheth man knowledge?
KJV
He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
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This verse in Psalms 94
Commentary
15 notes on this verseHe that chastiseth the Heathen,.... As he did the old world, by bringing a flood upon it, and sweeping away its inhabitants at once; and Sodom and Gomorrah, by raining fire and brimstone upon them, and consuming them from off the earth; and the old inhabitants of Canaan, by ejecting them out of their land for their abominations, with other similar instances: shall he not correct? such audacious wretches, guilty of such atrocious crimes, such horrid murders, and gross atheism? certainly he will, as he has both a right and power to do it.
This site's exposition
O senseless among the people
on Psalms 94:8-11
The answer is an argument from the body. The ear was fixed and the eye moulded like a potter's work, so the Maker hears and sees, and the One who teaches man knows. Verse 11 turns that scrutiny on the wicked, whose thoughts the LORD calls futile.
This site's exposition
He who admonishes the nations
The argument moves from the body to history. God disciplines whole nations, so He can correct the men of verse 4. The One who taught man all he knows is not short of knowledge Himself.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
When, then, that man, so learned in the Scriptures, was commenting on the psalm where it says, "Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools be wise at last. He who has planted the ear, shall he not hear? or he who has formed the eye, does he not consider?" He said, among other things, "This passage is directed chiefly against the anthropomorphists who say that God has members such as we have. For example, God is said to have eyes: the eyes of the Lord look on all things; the hand of the Lord makes all things; and it says, "Adam heard the footsteps of the Lord walking in paradise." They take these expressions literally, and they attribute our human inadequacies to the magnificence of God. But I say that God is all eye, he is all hand, he is all foot. He is all eye because he sees all things; he is all hand because he effects all things; he is all foot because he is everywhere present. See, then, what it says, "He who has planted the ear, does he not hear?" It does not say, "He who has planted, does he not then have an ear?" and it does not say, "Does he not then have eyes?" What does it say? "He who has planted the ear, shall he not hear? He who has formed the eye, does he not consider?" He brought together the members, he gave the faculties.
So this Peter, playing the great part I have suggested to you, is questioned by the Lord after the resurrection, as we had it read to us, and he said to him, "Simon of John"—you see, he was called Simon when he was born; he was the son of John—"Simon of John, do you love me more than these?" Who is doing the questioning? The one who knew everything. Is he like someone who does not know, this one "who has passed on knowledge"? It was not that the Lord wanted to be informed, but that he wanted Peter to confess.
"He who chastises the nations, shall he not reprove?" He who teaches others, does he then himself not know? "He who teaches man knowledge." It is understood: does he then himself not have knowledge?
"He who instructs the nations, shall he not reprove?" This is what he says: he who gave the law, gave it for this purpose, that he might instruct those who hear, or punish those who despise. "He who teaches man knowledge." He did not add, "Shall he himself not have knowledge?" But what did he say?
"He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? Or He that made the eye, does He not consider?" [Psalm 94:9] "or He that instructs the nations, shall He not reprove?" [Psalm 94:10]. This is what God is at present doing: He is instructing the nations: for this reason he sent His word to man throughout the world: He sent it by Angels, by Patriarchs, by Prophets, by servants, through so many heralds going before the Judge. He sent also His own Word Himself, He sent His own Son in Person: He sent the servants of His Son, and in these very servants His own Son. Throughout the world is everywhere preached the word of God. Where is it not said unto men, Abandon your former wickedness, and turn yourselves to right paths? He spares, that you may correct yourselves: He punished not yesterday, in order that today ye may live well. He teaches the heathen, shall He not therefore reprove? will He not hear those whom He teaches? will He not judge those to whom He has beforehand sent and sown lessons of warning? If you were in a school, would you receive a task, and not repeat it? When therefore you receive it from your master, you are being taught: the Master gives your task into your hands, and shall He not exact it from you when you come to repeat it? Or when you have begun to repeat it, shall you not be in fear of stripes? At present then we are receiving our work: afterwards we are placed before the Master, that we may give up to Him all our past tasks, that is, that we may give an account of all those things which are now being bestowed upon us. Hear the Apostle's words: "We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ," etc. "It is He that teaches man knowledge." Does He not know, who makes you to know?
7 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 4 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
"He who chastises the nations, shall he not rebuke, he who teaches man knowledge?" The Psalm of David says that the great teacher of knowledge is God. You know that if someone must draw water, he more willingly draws it from its original source than …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
In vain was the law given if there will not be a judgment upon it." And it is true that the same word signifies to chastise and to instruct, because chastisement is intended for instruction and instruction should go along with chastisement. (3.) From the works of grace: He that teaches man knowledge, shall he not know?
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? He reproves whole nations, can he not reprove individuals? All history shows that he visits national sin with national judgment, and can he not deal with single persons? The question which follows is equally full of force, and is asked with a degree of warmth which checks the speaker, and causes the inquiry to remain incomplete. It begins, He that teacheth man knowledge, and then it comes to a pause, which the translators have supplied with the words, shall not he know?
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The evidence of God's providential government is found in His creative power and omniscience, which also assure us that He can punish the wicked in regard to all their vain purposes. On the other hand He favors though He chastens, the pious, and will teach and preserve them till the prosperous wicked are overthrown.
He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? He reproves whole nations, can he not reprove individuals? All history shows that he visits national sin with national judgment, and can he not deal with single persons? The question which follows is equally full of force, and is asked with a degree of warmth which checks the speaker, and causes the inquiry to remain incomplete. It begins, He that teacheth man knowledge, and then it comes to a pause, which the translators have supplied with the words, shall not he know? but no such words are in the original, where the sentence comes to an abrupt end, as if the inference were too natural to need to be stated, and the writer had lost patience with the brutish men with whom he had argued. The earnest believer often feels as if he could say, "Go to, you are not worth arguing with! If you were reasonable men, these things would be too obvious to need to be stated in your hearing. I forbear." Man's knowledge comes from God. Science in its first principles was taught to our progenitor Adam, and all after advances have been due to divine aid; does not the author and revealer of all knowledge himself know?
He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? - You, who are heathens, and heathens of the most abandoned kind. He that teacheth man knowledge - We here supply shall not he know? But this is not acknowledged by the original, nor by any of the Versions. Indeed it is not necessary; for either the words contain a simple proposition, “It is he who teacheth man knowledge,” or this clause should be read in connection with Psa 94:11: “Jehovah, who teacheth man knowledge, knoweth the devices of man, that they are vanity.” As he teaches knowledge to man, must he not know all the reasonings and devices of the human heart?
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
He that chastiseth the heathen - More literally, “Shall not the Reprover of nations - shall he not chastise - he that teaches man knowledge?” The idea is, that God exercises a government over the nations of the earth; that he has them under his control; that he brings heavy judgments on them; that he thus conveys great lessons to man. And shall not such a Being, in individual cases, reprove and correct for sin? It is assumed here that God, in fact, brings judgments on nations; that he does this by fire, flood, famine, pestilence; that these things are proofs that he presides over the nations of the earth; and the question here is, whether he that does this on the large scale must not be expected to do it in individual cases, so that the offender will not escape. Shall not he correct? - Shall he not chastise, or bring judgments on offenders? He that teacheth man knowledge ... - The idea in our translation, that he who imparts knowledge to mankind must himself possess intelligence, is a true one, but it is probably not that which is in the original. The sense is probably merely that God is the great Teacher, and this is the impression which it is intended should be impressed on the mind, leaving the consequences of this to be supplied by the reader: “He that teaches man all the knowledge that he has!” - reflect on the consequences of this, or what must follow from this! Such a Being cannot be ignorant; he must understand all things; he must, therefore, see human conduct everywhere as it is. The consequence - the result - of this is staffed in the next verse, that he must see the thoughts of man, and understand his real character.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
The Lord knows your thoughts, that you are thinking to be haughty with the crown of the kingdom, and you should know that they [your thoughts] are vanity.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הֲיֹסֵ֣ר | hayoser | ¿ [the] discipliner of | H3256 → | 43 times |
| גּ֭וֹיִם | goyim | nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| הֲלֹ֣א | halo' | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יוֹכִ֑יחַ | yokhiach | does he rebuke | H3198 → | 59 times |
| הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד | hamlamed | the [one who] teaches | H3925 → | 85 times |
| אָדָ֣ם | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| דָּֽעַת׃ | daat | knowledge | H1847 → | 92 times |
הֲיֹסֵ֣ר¿ [the] discipliner of
hayoserH3256 →43 times
גּ֭וֹיִםnations
goyimH1471 →561 times
הֲלֹ֣א¿ not
halo'H3808 →5168 times
יוֹכִ֑יחַdoes he rebuke
yokhiachH3198 →59 times
הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖דthe [one who] teaches
hamlamedH3925 →85 times
אָדָ֣םhumankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
דָּֽעַת׃knowledge
daatH1847 →92 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Habakkuk 1:12Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O LORD, You have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, You have established them for correction.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
- Psalms 90:2
Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
- Jeremiah 46:28
And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid, declares the LORD, for I am with you. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have banished you, I will not…
- Jeremiah 30:11
For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have scattered you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will…
- Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
- Deuteronomy 32:4
Through
Job 35:11who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’
it leads to
- Psalms 94:12
Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD, and teach from Your law,
- Psalms 94:12
Through
Psalms 44:2With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out.
it leads to
- Exodus 15:17
You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance—the place, O LORD, You have prepared for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established.
- Psalms 78:55
He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
- Exodus 15:17
About Psalms
This page draws on 16 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, LETTER 148; Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 229P.2; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 94; Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 4; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 4; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Homily 22, on Psalm 93; Jerome, Homily 71, on Psalm 93 (Alternate Series); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.