Psalms 94:11
in Psalms 94The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Jehovah knoweth the thoughts of man, That they are vanity.
KJV
The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
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This verse in Psalms 94
Commentary
13 notes on this verse"The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain." We read in a secular poet: "O the cares of men, O how much emptiness there is in things!" Both the Gentiles and the philosophers lift this little verse to heaven. And what do they say? Nothing could be said more prudently. Behold, our rustic Hebrew, so many ages before, spoke this. And what did he say? "The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain." Do you want to know that the thoughts of men are vain?
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
The LORD knows the thoughts of man
Futile is the Hebrew word for breath or vapor, the word Ecclesiastes uses for vanity. The wicked said God does not see, and the psalm answers that He sees even their thoughts. Paul quotes it at 1 Corinthians 3:20.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
People argue against this evident truth. What else, after all, could you expect from mere people, who savor the things of humankind, but to argue about God against God? I mean, he is God, they are mere individuals. But God "knows the thoughts of people, that they are vain." With worldly, materialistic people, what they are in the habit of observing entirely governs their manner of understanding. What they are accustomed to see, they can believe; what they aren't, they can't. God performs miracles that go beyond what we are accustomed to, because he is God. It is in fact a greater miracle, so many people being born every day who did not previously exist, than a few having risen again, who did exist; and yet this kind of miracle is not seriously considered and appreciated, but being so common is disregarded as uninteresting. Christ rose again; the case is complete and closed. He was body, he was flesh, which hung on the cross, gave up the soul, was placed in the tomb. He presented it alive, seeing he lived in it. Why are we astonished, why don't we believe? It is God who did it. Reflect on the one who brought it about, and you eliminate all possibility of doubt.
"The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain." Men marvel at the philosophers and poets who say: "O the cares of men! O how much emptiness there is in things!" Behold, the psalm of David, many ages before, spoke the same sentiment. "The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain." As long as we are men, we have vain thoughts. "I said, You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High."
"The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are but vain" [Psalm 94:11]. For although you know not the thoughts of God, that they are righteous; "He knows the thoughts of man, that they are but vain." Even men have known the thoughts of God: but those to whom He has become a friend, it is to them He shows His counsel. Do not, brethren, despise yourselves: if you approach the Lord with faith, you hear the thoughts of God; these you are now learning, this is told you, and for this reason you are taught, why God spares the wicked in this life, that you may not murmur against God, who teaches man knowledge. "The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are but vain." Abandon therefore the thoughts of man, which are vain: that you may take hold on the thoughts of God, which are wise. But who is he who takes hold on the thoughts of God? He who is placed in the firmament of heaven. We have already chanted that Psalm, and have expounded this expression therein.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? 21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. 22 But the L ORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
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The oppression they were under bore very hard upon them, and oppressed their spirits too. Let not suffering saints despair, though, when they are persecuted, they find themselves perplexed and cast down; it was so with the psalmist here: His soul had almost dwelt in silence (
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5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man,....
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Whether men admit or deny that God knows, one thing is here declared, namely, that The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. Not their words alone are heard, and their works seen, but he reads the secret motions of their minds, for men themselves are not hard to be discerned of him, before his glance they themselves are but vanity. It is in the Lord's esteem no great matter to know the thoughts of such transparent pieces of vanity as mankind are, he sums them up in a moment as poor vain things.
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.
Whether men admit or deny that God knows, one thing is here declared, namely, that The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. Not their words alone are heard, and their works seen, but he reads the secret motions of their minds, for men themselves are not hard to be discerned of him, before his glance they themselves are but vanity. It is in the Lord's esteem no great matter to know the thoughts of such transparent pieces of vanity as mankind are, he sums them up in a moment as poor vain things. This is the sense of the original, but that given in the authorised version is also true—the thoughts, the best part, the most spiritual portion of man's nature, even these are vanity itself, and nothing better. Poor man! And yet such a creature as this boasts, plays at monarch, tyrannises over his fellow worms, and defies his God! Madness is mingled with human vanity, like smoke with the fog, to make it fouler but not more substantial than it would have been alone. How foolish are those who think that God does not know their actions, when the truth is that their vain thoughts are all perceived by him! How absurd to make nothing of God when in fact we ourselves are as nothing in his sight.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man - That is, He who teaches people all that they know Psa 94:10, must understand all that there is in the mind. See the notes at 1Co 3:20. That they are vanity - That is, that they are foolish, vain, unwise, wicked. The knowledge of the thoughts themselves carries with it also the knowledge that they are vain and foolish - for that is their character, and to know them truly is to know this of them. They do not appear to him as they do to people themselves. They are to his view stripped of all that is flattering and illusive, and are seen to be vain and foolish.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
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.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Fortunate is the man Fortunate are the righteous who are afflicted under Your hands, provided that they engage in Torah and mitzvoth.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְֽהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| יֹ֭דֵעַ | yodea' | [is] knowing | H3045 → | 945 times |
| מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת | machshevot | [the] thoughts of | H4284 → | 56 times |
| אָדָ֑ם | ʾadam | a person | H120 → | 551 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הֵ֥מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| הָֽבֶל׃ | havel | [are] a breath | H1892 → | 73 times |
יְֽהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
יֹ֭דֵעַ[is] knowing
yodea'H3045 →945 times
מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת[the] thoughts of
machshevotH4284 →56 times
אָדָ֑םa person
ʾadamH120 →551 times
כִּי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
הֵ֥מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
הָֽבֶל׃[are] a breath
havelH1892 →73 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
1 Corinthians 1:19For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 29:14
Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”
- Jeremiah 8:9
The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?
- 1 Corinthians 3:19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
- Job 5:12–13
He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success.
- Isaiah 19:11
The princes of Zoan are mere fools; Pharaoh’s wise counselors give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise, a son of eastern kings”?
- Isaiah 29:14
Through
1 Corinthians 1:25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
it leads to
- Romans 11:33–36
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
- 1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
- Romans 11:33–36
Through
1 Corinthians 1:21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
it leads to
- Luke 10:21
At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them…
- Luke 10:21
About Psalms
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on 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, SERMON 242:1; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 94; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 4; 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) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.