Psalms 50:18 · Bible study
Psalms 50:18 Commentary: The Sin of Silent Approval
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why God condemns being pleased with a thief and sharing a portion with adulterers. Exegesis of complicity, hypocrisy, and hidden sin in Psalm 50:18.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Condemning those who approve of theft and adultery while professing to serve God.
- Key words: “saw” (ra’ah), deliberate looking; “consented” (ratsah), to be pleased, to take delight; “portion” (chelek), shared inheritance or fate.
- Main debate: Whether “consented” implies active participation in the deed (Barnes, Gill) or inner approval that does not require joining the act (Keil & Delitzsch).
- Theological theme: God judges the heart behind the pretense; true worship requires integrity of life.
- Best use: Preaching on hidden sin, hypocrisy, and the nature of true devotion.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
When you see a thief, you befriend him, and throw in your lot with adulterers.
WEB World English Bible 2000
When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have participated with adulterers.
KJV King James Version 1769
When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with him, And hast been partaker with adulterers.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
If thou hast seen a thief, Then thou art pleased with him, And with adulterers is thy portion.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
When thou sawest a thief, thou didst take pleasure in him, and thy portion was with adulterers;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Si veías al ladrón, tú corrías con él; y con los adúlteros era tu parte.
Se vês ao ladrão, tu consentes com ele; e tens tua parte com os adúlteros.
Si tu vois un voleur, tu te plais avec lui,
Wenn du einen Dieb siehst, so läufst du mit ihm und hast Gemeinschaft mit den Ehebrechern.
Indien gij een dief ziet, zo loopt gij met hem; en uw deel is met de overspelers.
Se vedi un ladro, tu ti diletti nella sua compagnia, e sei il socio degli adulteri.
Widziszli złodzieja, bieżysz z nim, a z cudzołożnikami masz skład twój.
ибо жертвы Ты не желаешь, - я дал бы ее; к всесожжению не благоволишь.
你見了 盜賊 就樂意 與他同夥，又與 行姦淫的人 一同有分。
When you saw a thief, you were in agreement with him, and you were joined with those who took other men's wives.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 50:18
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The commentators agree that the core sin here is not theft or adultery itself but the inner approval and partnership with those who commit them, especially under a cloak of religious piety. Barnes notes that the phrase “when you saw a thief” implies a readiness to engage with him at first sight, not passive observation. Keil and Delitzsch argue that the verb vatiretz (from ratsah) means “to have pleasure in intercourse with anyone,” making the sin one of delighting in the sinner’s company. Gill adds that consenting with the thief means “joining and agreeing in the commission of the same things,” and he connects this to the scribes and Pharisees who outwardly prayed while devouring widows’ houses. Matthew Henry frames the entire passage (vv. 16-21) as a divine indictment of hypocrites who take God’s covenant on their lips but cast His words behind them. All these readings stress that God judges not only actions but the heart that secretly takes pleasure in what He forbids.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Explicit complicity: Barnes and Gill argue the language implies active partnership: the person joins in the theft and adultery in some form.
- Internal approval: Keil & Delitzsch stress that the verb <em>ratsah</em> means to take pleasure, indicating the sin is primarily a heart-attitude of delight rather than a deed.
What is clear: God condemns those who, while professing to follow Him, give approval to sin either in heart or action, and He holds them accountable for that approval.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the 'wicked' in v.16 | They are distinct from the 'formalists' addressed in v.7; they openly break commandments while claiming covenant allegiance. | Some older interpreters (e.g., Matthew Henry, following a traditional reading) see them as the same group, viewing v.16 as a shift from instruction to indictment of the same people. |
| Meaning of the Hebrew verb in the first line | The Masoretic text points to a verb from <em>ratsah</em> (to be pleased), not from <em>rutz</em> (to run). | A few ancient versions (Septuagint, Syriac, Targum) read 'ran with him,' implying active pursuit. Keil & Delitzsch argue strongly for <em>ratsah</em>, but some commentators consider the reading uncertain. |
| Severity of the sin | The sin is serious enough to draw God's direct judgment; the person is treated as guilty as the actual thief and adulterer. | Whether the guilt is equal in legal terms or in relational terms (honor/shame) is debated. Barnes treats it as moral guilt that condemns the soul, while others focus on the hypocrisy of claiming piety while approving evil. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 50 is structured as a covenant lawsuit, a prophetic form where God summons heaven and earth as witnesses and judges His people. In verses 7, 15, God addresses the “formalists”, people who diligently offer sacrifices but neglect the inner spirit of worship. Then, beginning in verse 16, the tone shifts sharply. God now speaks to “the wicked”, a distinct group who, in Keil and Delitzsch’s reading, “take the word of God upon their lips” while openly violating the commandments.
The eighth and seventh commandments (against theft and adultery) are specifically cited. The surrounding culture of ancient Israel was honor-based; association with a thief or adulterer contaminated one’s own honor and, more gravely, dishonored the God whose covenant name they bore. The word chelek (“portion”) in the second line evokes the idea of sharing a lot or inheritance, companionship so intimate that one’s destiny is bound up with the sinner’s.
Calvin, in his introduction to the psalm, explains that the prophet “exposes in severe terms the dishonor cast upon God by confounding ceremony with religion.” The historical setting likely reflects a period when outward ritual flourished while moral corruption thrived, a condition the prophets consistently denounced. Verse 18 is not an isolated moral scolding; it is part of a comprehensive charge that the very people who profess God’s covenant are living as if He does not see.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note a minor textual variant in the first verb of the Hebrew: the Masoretic Text has vatiretz (from ratsah, “to be pleased”), while the Septuagint, Syriac, and Targum read “you ran with him” (from rutz). Keil and Delitzsch maintain that the consonantal text and the pointing support ratsah, and the overall sense of complicity is not materially changed. No other significant variants are reported for this verse.
Reception History
Jewish tradition read this verse within the Asaph psalms as a warning that covenant membership does not shield a person from judgment when they delight in sin. The early church (noted in patristic citations of Psalm 50) used it to expose hypocrisy among professing believers. Reformation commentators, especially Calvin, saw it as a key text against trusting in outward ceremonies: religion without moral obedience is a lie. In later evangelical preaching, the verse has been applied to warn against subtle forms of complicity, laughing at sin, benefiting from injustice, or staying silent when wrong is done. The consistent thread across traditions is that God’s eye penetrates both the act and the hidden approval of the heart.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God sees what we approve in secret. The verb “saw” (ra’ah) implies more than casual notice; it is a deliberate looking with pleasure. The sin begins in the eye and the heart.
- Consent is complicity. Being “pleased with” the thief (ratsah) makes one a partner. We do not have to steal to share the guilt when we delight in the sin.
- Hypocrisy doubles the offense. The wicked man in Psalm 50:16 recites God’s statutes even as he “casts my words behind him” (v.17). The most dangerous sin is the one we commit while claiming to worship God.
Five-point outline
- The scenario: You see a thief, caught red-handed.
- The response: You are pleased; you run to join him (the Hebrew suggests eagerness).
- The extension: Your “portion” becomes the portion of adulterers, you share their destiny.
- The context: This happens while you are busy with religious duties (vv. 7, 15 are about sacrifices).
- The verdict: God declares, “I will rebuke you and set your sins in order before your eyes” (v.21).
Illustration hooks
- The office joke: You laugh at a crude remark about a colleague because you want to fit in. You did not tell the joke, but your laughter says you approve. The verse calls that participation.
- The “good deal”: A friend brags about cheating on his taxes. You say nothing or chuckle. You are not the one who cheated, but you are “consenting with the thief.”
- The gossip session: Sitting and speaking against a brother (v.20) is the natural next step after delighting in those who break God’s law.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it wrong to have friends who sin openly?
- What is the difference between showing grace and giving approval?
- How do I know if I am silently complicit in someone else’s wrongdoing?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 50:18 confronts us with a question: Can we be guilty of a sin we did not personally commit? This verse says yes, when we take pleasure in the sin of others, we share their guilt. As your group works through this text, focus on the difference between outward purity and inward approval. The goal is not to become suspicious of every friendship, but to let God search our hearts.
Discussion questions
- What does the phrase “when you saw a thief” suggest about the person’s attitude toward the crime?
- Why does God include “adulterers” in the same charge? What do theft and adultery have in common in this context?
- Read verses 16, 17. How does the sin in verse 18 relate to the sin of “declaring God’s statutes” while hating instruction?
- What does the word “portion” (chelek) tell us about how deeply one is identified with the sinners?
- In what situations today might a Christian “consent with a thief” without actually stealing?
- How does this verse challenge the idea that private thoughts and secret approval do not matter?
- What is one area of your life where you need to stop giving silent approval to something God calls sin?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 20:10 | “‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. |
| Job 31:9 | “If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door, |
| Job 31:11 | For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, |
| Proverbs 1:10 | My son, if sinners entice you, don’t consent. |
| Proverbs 1:19 | So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners. |
| Proverbs 2:16 | to deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words, |
| Proverbs 2:19 | None who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life. |
| Proverbs 7:19 | For my husband isn’t at home. He has gone on a long journey. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
When thou sawest a thief - Rapine, adulteries, and adulterous divines, were common among the Jews in our Lord's time. The Gospels give full proof of this.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes points out that the sinners described here were not caught off guard, but willingly ran to join a thief the moment they saw one. Their readiness to share stolen goods reveals a deeper delight in the crime itself, and this same corrupt heart made them partners with adulterers as well, all while keeping up a strict religious exterior.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists that true worship is spiritual, not a matter of outward ceremonies. He argues that hypocrites dishonor God by confusing ritual with religion itself, and he points to two essential elements: prayer and thanksgiving.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools note that God charges the hypocrite with deliberate slander, emphasized by the image of sitting to accuse. Slandering even one's own brother or mother's son shows a moral breakdown so severe that the closest family bonds are ignored.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes that sin includes not only direct acts but also complicity through association. To see a thief and run with him, or to join with adulterers, makes a person a partaker in their wrongdoing. Guilt extends to those who approve or participate.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill applies the accusation directly to the Scribes and Pharisees, providing concrete examples of their literal complicity with thieves and adulterers. He also interprets these charges spiritually, noting how they stole God's word through false teaching and committed figurative adultery by corrupting Scripture.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch draws a clear line between two kinds of sinners: those who trust in outward religious observance and a distinct group of open evildoers who still speak God's words. These manifest sinners deceive themselves into thinking God is like them, blind to their own hypocrisy. God will confront them by setting the real condition of their hearts plainly before their eyes.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange interprets the divine appearance in this Psalm as a prophetical vision, not a literal historical event. God shines forth from Zion to uncover the true spiritual meaning of the law,
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry reads this verse as God's direct challenge to hypocrites who profess religion yet live wickedly. The question forces them to justify by what right they claim God's covenant while their lives contradict it. Henry sees this as targeting those who use religious profession as a cloak for sin.