Psalm 14, of which Psalm 53 is a somewhat revised duplicate, is a lament about the foolishness of "practical atheism." The fool (nabal, wicked, impious person) convinces himself, "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1)—or at least no God who would deign to impact his life. Determining the concept of God to be essentially irrelevant, the fool "intentionally flouts his independence from God and his commandments" (Expositor's Bible Commentary, note on verse 1).

The Zondervan NIV Study Bible comments on Psalm 14: "This psalm brings to closure the collection of prayers that began with Psalm 3.... Five psalms (and 64 Hebrew poetic lines) after Psalm 8's surprising evocation of humanity's 'glory and honor' (Psalm 8:5), this psalm highlights their disgrace.... In this it serves as a counterpoint to that earlier recollection of humanity's high dignity and thereby exposes more sharply the depth of their disgrace—from which the petitioners in this and the preceding psalms have suffered."

While fools go about denying God's existence, He looks down on humanity, assessing its wickedness (Psalm 14:2). David says that God has found everyone corrupt (verses 1-3). The apostle Paul will quote this verdict in Romans 3:10-12. It is not clear if David intends to include in this indictment those he refers to as "the generation of the righteous" (verse 5). No doubt he realizes that they were not righteous to begin with but had needed to come to God in repentance. Paul's use of this passage is to show that all are guilty of sin and in need of God's grace. Yet those who respond in faith become the godly in contrast to the godless hosts of mankind.

Eventually the wicked of every age who refuse to repent will face the consequences of their foolishness. "There," at a specific time of judgment, they will greatly fear (verse 5). And at that time, God's people, those who repent of their wayward human nature, will be saved (verses 6-7).