Psalm 50:16
New International Version
But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?

New Living Translation
But God says to the wicked: “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant?

English Standard Version
But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?

Berean Standard Bible
To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?

King James Bible
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

New King James Version
But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth,

New American Standard Bible
But to the wicked God says, “What right do you have to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?

NASB 1995
But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?

NASB 1977
But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes, And to take My covenant in your mouth?

Legacy Standard Bible
But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to recount My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?

Amplified Bible
But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite My statutes Or to take My covenant on your lips?

Christian Standard Bible
But God says to the wicked: “What right do you have to recite my statutes and to take my covenant on your lips?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But God says to the wicked:” What right do you have to recite My statutes and to take My covenant on your lips?

American Standard Version
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, And that thou hast taken my covenant in thy mouth,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
God says to the sinner, "What business do you have with The Books of my Commandments, that you have taken my Covenant in your mouth?"

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But to the sinner God has said, Why dost thou declare my ordinances, and take up my covenant in thy mouth?

Contemporary English Version
But to the wicked I say: "You don't have the right to mention my laws or claim to keep our agreement!

Douay-Rheims Bible
But to the sinner God hath said: Why dost thou declare my justices, and take my covenant in thy mouth ?

English Revised Version
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes; and that thou hast taken my covenant in thy mouth?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But God says to wicked people, "How dare you quote my decrees and mouth my promises!

Good News Translation
But God says to the wicked, "Why should you recite my commandments? Why should you talk about my covenant?

International Standard Version
As for the wicked, God says, "How dare you recite my statutes or speak about my covenant with your lips!

JPS Tanakh 1917
But unto the wicked God saith: 'What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, And that thou hast taken My covenant in thy mouth?

Literal Standard Version
And to the wicked God has said: What to you—to recount My statutes? That you lift up My covenant on your mouth?

Majority Standard Bible
To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?

New American Bible
But to the wicked God says: “Why do you recite my commandments and profess my covenant with your mouth?

NET Bible
God says this to the evildoer: "How can you declare my commands, and talk about my covenant?

New Revised Standard Version
But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?

New Heart English Bible
But to the wicked God says, "What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips,

Webster's Bible Translation
But to the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

World English Bible
But to the wicked God says, “What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips,

Young's Literal Translation
And to the wicked hath God said: What to thee -- to recount My statutes? That thou liftest up My covenant on thy mouth?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Mighty One Calls
15Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.” 16To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips? 17For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.…

Cross References
Psalm 94:20
Can a corrupt throne be Your ally--one devising mischief by decree?

Isaiah 29:13
Therefore the Lord said: "These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

Jeremiah 44:26
Nevertheless, hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah living in Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that never again will any man of Judah living in the land of Egypt invoke My name or say, 'As surely as the Lord GOD lives.'


Treasury of Scripture

But to the wicked God said, What have you to do to declare my statutes, or that you should take my covenant in your mouth?

wicked

Isaiah 48:22
There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

Isaiah 55:6,7
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: …

Ezekiel 18:27
Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

What

Proverbs 26:7
The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

Isaiah 1:11-15
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats…

Isaiah 48:1,2
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness…

thou shouldest

Psalm 25:14
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Psalm 78:36-38
Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues…

Ezekiel 20:37,38
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: …

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Psalm 50
1. The majesty of God in the church
5. His order to gather his saints
7. The pleasure of God is not in ceremonies
14. but in sincerity of obedience














(16) But.--The psalm here turns to address a worse class, those who, while undisguisedly wicked, shelter themselves under the name of the covenant.

What hast thou to do?--i.e., how darest thou?

Verses 16-21. - While even the more godly among the Israelites have been thus, to a certain extent, reproved (vers. 8-14), the psalmist now addresses to the ungodly, the open and wilful transgressors, a far sterner rebuke. They claim the privileges of God's covenanted servants (ver. 16), but perform none of the duties (vers. 17-20), thus bringing down upon themselves a terrible menace. Verse 16. - But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? The wicked assumed that they were true Israelites. They were familiar with the words of God's statutes, and with the terms of the covenant. They claimed the right of enforcing them against others (Romans 2:18-20), while in their own persons they set them at nought (vers. 18-20). God declares that they have no right to assume to be teachers of others until they have taught themselves - they are unfit even to "take his covenant in their mouth."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
To the wicked, however,
וְלָ֤רָשָׁ֨ע ׀ (wə·lā·rā·šā‘)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

God
אֱלֹהִ֗ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

says,
אָ֘מַ֤ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“What right
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

have you
לְּ֭ךָ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

to recite
לְסַפֵּ֣ר (lə·sap·pêr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

My statutes
חֻקָּ֑י (ḥuq·qāy)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2706: Something prescribed or owed, a statute

and to bear
וַתִּשָּׂ֖א (wat·tiś·śā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

My covenant
בְרִיתִ֣י (ḇə·rî·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1285: A covenant

on
עֲלֵי־ (‘ă·lê-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

your lips?
פִֽיךָ׃ (p̄î·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to


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OT Poetry: Psalm 50:16 But to the wicked God says What (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 50:15
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