Psalms — Chapter 32

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1Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

2Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long.

4For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah

5Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

6Therefore let all the godly pray to You while You may be found. Surely when great waters rise, they will not come near.

7You are my hiding place. You protect me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.

9Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding; they must be controlled with bit and bridle to make them come to you.

10Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.

11Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

1Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

3When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

4For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

5I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

6For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

7Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

9Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

10Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

11Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

1Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

2Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile.

3When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long.

4For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture was changed [as] with the drought of summer. Selah

5I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah

6For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him.

7Thou art my hiding-place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah

8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.

9Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; Whose trappings must be bit and bridle to hold them in, [Else] they will not come near unto thee.

10Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he that trusteth in Jehovah, lovingkindness shall compass him about.

11Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous; And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Psalm 33

1By David; a well-written song. How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned.

2How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long.

4For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah)

5Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.” And then you forgave my sins. (Selah)

6For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it will not reach them.

7You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah)

8I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye.

9Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit.

10An evil person suffers much pain, but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.

11Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!

1Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4For day and night your hand was heavy on me. My strength was sapped in the heat of summer. Selah.

5I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn’t hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

6For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him.

7You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you.

9Don’t be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding, who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you.

10Many sorrows come to the wicked, but loving kindness shall surround him who trusts in Yahweh.

11Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A wisdom and penitential psalm on the blessing of forgiveness, closely tied to David's experience of confessing sin. It opens declaring the happiness of the one whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin the LORD no longer counts against them (vv. 1-2). David recalls the physical toll of concealing his sin — bones wasting away, strength drained — until he acknowledged his guilt and God forgave him (vv. 3-5). He counsels the godly to pray while God may be found, promising protection amid trouble, and God offers to instruct and guide the one who listens rather than being stubborn like a horse or mule (vv. 6-9). The psalm closes contrasting the many sorrows of the wicked with the steadfast love surrounding those who trust the LORD, calling the righteous to rejoice (vv. 10-11).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Penitential Psalm / Wisdom Psalm (2nd of 7 Penitential Psalms: 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143)
Attributed Author: David ("A Psalm of David, Maschil")
Key Themes: Blessedness of forgiveness, confession versus silence, God as hiding place, divine guidance, the physical toll of unconfessed sin
Historical Context: Psalm 32 is widely understood as David's companion to Psalm 51 — while Psalm 51 records the act of confession after his sin with Bathsheba, Psalm 32 celebrates the result of that confession: complete forgiveness. The superscription "Maschil" indicates it is a teaching psalm, intended to instruct others in the way of repentance and grace.
Blessed Is He Whose Transgression Is Forgiven (vv.1-2): Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Three words for wrongdoing and three for its removal appear in these two verses, which is the psalm's way of being thorough. Paul quotes them in Romans 4:7-8 as his evidence that righteousness is reckoned rather than earned. And the last clause adds a condition that is about honesty rather than merit, in whose spirit there is no guile.
My Bones Waxed Old (vv.3-4): When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. The silence described is not calm but concealment, and its effects are physical, thy hand was heavy upon me, my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Two verses on what not saying it cost.
I Acknowledged My Sin (v.5): One verse, and it is the turn of the psalm. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid, I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. The forgiveness arrives inside the same sentence as the confession, with nothing between them, which after two verses of wasting is the whole point of the arrangement.
Thou Art My Hiding Place (vv.6-7): For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. The experience is turned into instruction, and the clause about timing implies a window, as Isaiah 55:6 does. Then the image the section is known for, thou art my hiding place, thou shalt preserve me from trouble, thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.
I Will Guide Thee with Mine Eye (vv.8-9): I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go, I will guide thee with mine eye. The voice changes to God's for two verses. And the warning attached is drawn from stable management, be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle. Guidance by eye or guidance by bridle: the difference is whether the animal is paying attention.
Be Glad in the LORD (vv.10-11): Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. The verb compass is the same one used of the songs in verse 7, so the psalm closes the circle it drew there. And the last verse is three imperatives of joy, be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous, and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 32 | Confess Your Sins to the Lord | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 32 - The Blessings of Forgiveness, Protection, and Guidance
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • The Blessing of Forgiveness (vv.1-2) — David opens by pronouncing blessing not on the sinless but on the forgiven, whose guilt is no longer held against them. Do you view forgiveness as something you must earn, or as the blessed gift David describes?
  • The Toll of Unconfessed Sin (vv.3-4) — David describes physical exhaustion and heaviness while he stayed silent about his sin. Is there something you have been carrying silently that is wearing you down?
  • Confession Meets Instant Pardon (v.5) — The moment David stops hiding his sin and confesses it, God forgives, with no delay and no probation. Does your view of restoring fellowship with God match this immediacy?
  • Guided by a Glance, Not Dragged by a Bit (vv.8-9) — God offers to instruct and guide with His eye, contrasting it with a stubborn animal that must be forced into obedience. Are you responsive to God's gentle direction, or do you require harsher correction before you obey?
  • Trust Turns Sorrow to Joy (vv.10-11) — The psalm ends by contrasting the many sorrows of the wicked with the gladness of those who trust in the Lord. Where do you need to trade self-reliant sorrow for trust and rejoicing?