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The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
Psalms 10:4 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB The wicked, in the pride of his face, has no room in his thoughts for God.
  • BSB In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.
  • ESV In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
  • NKJV The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.
  • NASB The wicked, in his haughtiness, does not seek Him. There is no God in all his schemes.
  • NLT The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

In his pride the wicked has no room for God in his thoughts. Practical atheism flows from arrogance.

Overview

The psalmist locates the source of evil in pride that crowds God out of one's thinking. This is not always denial of God's existence but a life lived as though He were irrelevant. Scripture calls such heart-attitude folly (Psalm 14:1), the opposite of the fear of the Lord that begins wisdom.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 27

  • Ps 14:1–2The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
  • Rom 1:28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
  • Acts 8:22Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
  • Gen 6:5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
  • Rom 1:21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
  • Deut 8:14Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
  • Job 22:17Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
  • Exod 5:2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
  • Ps 53:1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
  • Isa 65:2I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
  • Mark 7:21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
  • Prov 21:4An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
  • Prov 30:9Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
  • Ps 18:27For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
  • Ps 36:1The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
  • Prov 6:17A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
  • Ps 27:8When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
  • Zeph 2:3Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.
  • Isa 59:7Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
  • Prov 30:13There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
  • Isa 3:9The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
  • Jer 2:31O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?
  • Ps 101:5Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
  • Isa 2:11The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
  • Eph 2:12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
  • Jer 4:14O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
  • Dan 5:22–23And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 10:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 10:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.