In the study of the Hebrew Bible, one sometimes encounters so called doublets. An example of such a doublet is Ps 14 and Ps 53. These psalms have commonly been understood as reflecting a common written text, a conclusion that, in my opinion, is far too unsatisfactory due to the fact that it does not do justice to the textual evidence. The attempts to reconstruct an original written text bear witness of a too speculative reasoning. The thesis of this paper is that the similarities are better explained by an assumed oral tradition, and that the two psalms are separate modifications of that tradition in order to adapt the tradition to new historical circumstances. By an overview of three textual strands as represented by the Masoretic text; the Qumran scrolls 4QPsa, 4QPsc, 11QPsc; and the LXX, I conclude that the minor and major differences are best understood on theological, and not linguistic grounds. Each psalm seems to make some specific theological emphasis; while Ps 14 focuses on the tension between the fool and the righteous, Ps 53 focuses more on an “external” threat directed towards the people of God.