The Meaning of Psalms 92:6 Explained

Psalms 92:6

KJV: A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.

YLT: A brutish man doth not know, And a fool understandeth not this; --

Darby: A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand it.

ASV: A brutish man knoweth not; Neither doth a fool understand this:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

A brutish  man  knoweth  not; neither doth a fool  understand  this. 

What does Psalms 92:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 92:1-15 - Gladness And Growth
The inscription alludes to the suitability of this psalm for the Sabbath day. Psalms 92:1-3 contain the general statement of the desirability of praise and thanksgiving. Psalms 92:4-5 suggest that God's work in creation, providence, and grace should elicit perpetual thanksgiving; but that the thoughts and purposes which underlie them are too deep for our fathoming.
Two classes of men are here mentioned: the brutish and wicked, Psalms 92:6-9; the servants of God, Psalms 92:10-15. The former are like grass, which soon grows to maturity and is then cut down; the latter are as the palm and cedar. There is no part of the palm which is not utilized in some way. The cedar is one of the largest of living trees. A thousand years is no uncommon duration, and its fiber is practically incorruptible.
The witness of an aged saint to the faithfulness of God is very delightful. When Charles H. Spurgeon was a young man, he was preaching upon this subject in his grandfather's pulpit. Halfway through the sermon, the veteran man of God advanced to the front and said, "My grandson is preaching what he has read and heard about; but I have proved for eighty-four years that God is faithful to His servants and true to His Word. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 92

1  The prophet exhorts to praise God
4  For his great works
6  For his judgments on the wicked
10  And for his goodness to the godly

What do the individual words in Psalms 92:6 mean?

A man stupid not does know and a fool nor does understand - this
אִֽישׁ־ בַּ֭עַר לֹ֣א יֵדָ֑ע וּ֝כְסִ֗יל לֹא־ יָבִ֥ין אֶת־ זֹֽאת

אִֽישׁ־  A  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
בַּ֭עַר  stupid 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: בַּעַר  
Sense: brutishness, stupidity, brutish (person).
יֵדָ֑ע  does  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
וּ֝כְסִ֗יל  and  a  fool 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּסִיל  
Sense: fool, stupid fellow, dullard, simpleton, arrogant one.
לֹא־  nor 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָבִ֥ין  does  understand 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בִּין  
Sense: to discern, understand, consider.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
זֹֽאת  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.