A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
Parallel translations
- WEB A senseless man doesn’t know, neither does a fool understand this:
- BSB A senseless man does not know, and a fool does not understand,
- 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 73:22So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.
- Ps 94:8Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
- 1 Cor 2:14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- Prov 1:22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
- Ps 49:10For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
- Prov 24:7Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.
- Ps 14:1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
- Prov 30:2Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
- Luke 12:20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
- Jer 10:14Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
- Ps 32:9Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
- Isa 1:3The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
- Ps 75:4I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 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.