A senseless man does not know, and a fool does not understand,
Parallel translations
- WEB A senseless man doesn’t know, neither does a fool understand this:
- KJV A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
- NKJV A senseless man does not know, Nor does a fool understand this.
- NASB A stupid person has no knowledge, Nor does a foolish person understand this:
- NLT Only a simpleton would not know, and only a fool would not understand this:
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
The senseless and foolish cannot understand God's deep works and purposes. Spiritual dullness, not lack of evidence, blinds people to God's wisdom.
Overview
This verse sets up a contrast: the depth of God's thoughts (v.5) is missed by those without spiritual understanding. The 'fool' in Scripture is not unintelligent but morally and spiritually obtuse, refusing the fear of the LORD. True understanding comes only as God grants wisdom, supremely through Christ in whom all wisdom is hidden (1 Corinthians 2:14; Colossians 2:3).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 73:22I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You.
- Ps 94:8Take notice, O senseless among the people! O fools, when will you be wise?
- 1 Cor 2:14The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- Prov 1:22“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge?
- Ps 49:10For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others.
- Prov 24:7Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
- Ps 14:1For the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good.
- Prov 30:2Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man.
- Luke 12:20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
- Jer 10:14Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a fraud, and there is no breath in them.
- Ps 32:9Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding; they must be controlled with bit and bridle to make them come to you.
- Isa 1:3The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.”
- Ps 75:4I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 92:6 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.