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Psalms 51

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A Humble Plea for Mercy and Cleansing 1–6

1
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. ​
2
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. ​
5
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. ​
6
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

A Prayer for Spiritual Restoration 7–12

7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ​
8
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. ​
9
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. ​
11
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. ​
12
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Vows of Praise and Witness 13–15

13
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. ​
14
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. ​
15
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

The Acceptable Sacrifice 16–17

16
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. ​
17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. ​

Prayer for Zion's Restoration 18–19

18
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. ​
19
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalms 51

Verse 1

blot out my transgressions — The heading, 'after he had gone in to Bathsheba' (the event of 2 Sam 11:4), places the psalm after Nathan's visit (2 Sam 12:1–13). Chesed, covenant love, and rachamim, compassion (a plural that also gives 'womb'), stand together in Ps 25:6. 'Blot out' is machah, to wipe away, as in Isa 43:25.

Verse 4

Against thee, thee only — David had said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the LORD' (2 Sam 12:13), after Uriah's death (12:9). Joseph spoke of sin 'against God' (Gen 39:9). Paul quotes the second half: 'That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged' (Rom 3:4).

Verse 5

shapen in iniquity — Chul, to writhe, the word used of travail and birth. The verse traces the sin back to his origin, not to one act. Job 14:4 asks, 'Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one'; Ps 58:3 says the wicked 'are estranged from the womb'; Rom 5:12 gives the root, 'by one man sin entered into the world'.

Verse 7

Purge me with hyssop — 'Purge' is chata, the root of 'sinned' in v.4, here meaning to purify from sin. Hyssop was dipped and sprinkled to cleanse the leper (Lev 14:4–7) and one defiled by the dead (Num 19:18). Isa 1:18 gives the end: 'though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow'.

Verse 8

the bones which thou hast broken — Dakah, to crush: the verb rendered 'contrite' in v.17. The bones stand for the whole frame, as in Ps 32:3, 'my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long'. The same hand that broke them is asked to make them 'rejoice'.

Verse 10

Create in me a clean heart — Bara, the verb of Gen 1:1, 'God created the heaven and the earth', and of Isa 65:17, 'I create new heavens and a new earth'. The promise is stated in Ezek 36:26: 'A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.'

Verse 11

thy holy spirit — The words 'holy spirit' are found in the Old Testament, in the KJV, only here and in Isa 63:10–11, where Israel 'vexed his holy Spirit'. David had received the Spirit at his anointing (1 Sam 16:13), and 'the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul' (1 Sam 16:14). Paul says, 'grieve not the holy Spirit of God' (Eph 4:30).

Verse 13

converted unto thee — Shub, to turn back, the verb of return. 'Transgressors' (pasha) are rebels, from the root of 'transgressions' in v.1. The restored man teaches others, as Christ tells Peter, 'when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren' (Luke 22:32).

Verse 14

bloodguiltiness — The charge was put in 2 Sam 12:9, 'thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword', after the letter of 11:15. 'Righteousness' (tsedaqah) shares its root with 'justified' (tsadaq) in v.4, and 'salvation' is teshuah, deliverance or rescue, kin to the yesha of v.12.

Verse 16

thou desirest not sacrifice — 'Desirest' is chaphets, the verb of v.6, 'thou desirest truth in the inward parts', and of v.19, 'then shalt thou be pleased'. Ps 40:6 says, 'Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire', and Hos 6:6, 'I desired mercy, and not sacrifice'.

Verse 17

a broken spirit — 'Broken' is shabar, and 'contrite' is dakah, the verb of 'broken' in v.8. The LORD is 'nigh unto them that are of a broken heart' (Ps 34:18) and looks 'to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word' (Isa 66:2).

Verse 18

build thou the walls of Jerusalem — 'Good pleasure' (ratson) shares a root with 'delightest' in v.16. The prayer turns from the man to the city, which the LORD himself builds: 'The LORD doth build up Jerusalem' (Ps 147:2); 'When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory' (Ps 102:16).

Verse 19

sacrifices of righteousness — The phrase occurs also in Deut 33:19 and Ps 4:5, 'Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD'. 'Be pleased' (chaphets) answers 'desirest' in v.16. 'Whole burnt offering' is kalil, an offering wholly consumed.