Psalms — Chapter 51
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1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
5Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
6Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
9Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
14Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
18In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4Against 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.
5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions; And my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.
5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; And in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom.
7Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Make me to hear joy and gladness, That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy Spirit from me.
12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with a willing spirit.
13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; [And] my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
16For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then will thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, In burnt-offering and in whole burnt-offering: Then will they offer bullocks upon thine altar. Psalm 52 For the Chief Musician. Maschil of David; when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Abimelech.
1For the music director, a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David’s affair with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love. Because of your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts.
2Wash away my wrongdoing. Cleanse me of my sin.
3For I am aware of my rebellious acts; I am forever conscious of my sin.
4Against you—you above all—I have sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. So you are just when you confront me; you are right when you condemn me.
5Look, I was guilty of sin from birth, a sinner the moment my mother conceived me.
6Look, you desire integrity in the inner man; you want me to possess wisdom.
7Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be pure; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
8Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven. May the bones you crushed rejoice.
9Hide your face from my sins. Wipe away all my guilt.
10Create for me a pure heart, O God. Renew a resolute spirit within me.
11Do not reject me. Do not take your Holy Spirit away from me.
12Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance. Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey.
13Then I will teach rebels your merciful ways, and sinners will turn to you.
14Rescue me from the guilt of murder, O God, the God who delivers me. Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your righteousness.
15O Lord, give me the words. Then my mouth will praise you.
16Certainly you do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer it; you do not desire a burnt sacrifice.
17The sacrifice God desires is a humble spirit— O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.
18Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her. Fortify the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then you will accept the proper sacrifices, burnt sacrifices and whole offerings; then bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.
1Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.
4Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.
5Behold, I was born in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me.
6Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness, That the bones which you have broken may rejoice.
9Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.
11Don’t throw me from your presence, and don’t take your holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit.
13Then I will teach transgressors your ways. Sinners shall be converted to you.
14Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
15Lord, open my lips. My mouth shall declare your praise.
16For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18Do well in your good pleasure to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then you will delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt offerings and in whole burnt offerings. Then they will offer bulls on your altar.
Summary
A penitential psalm, David's prayer of confession after Nathan confronted him over his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah (superscription). He appeals to God's steadfast love and mercy to blot out his transgressions and cleanse him from his sin, admitting his guilt is constantly before him and that his sin is ultimately against God himself (vv. 1-4). He asks God to purify him thoroughly and to create in him a clean heart and a renewed, steadfast spirit, pleading not to be cast away from God's presence (vv. 7-11). He longs for the joy of salvation restored so he can teach other transgressors God's ways (vv. 12-13), recognizing that God desires a broken and contrite heart more than any sacrifice (vv. 16-17), and closes praying for the well-being of Zion and for future acceptable sacrifices (vv. 18-19).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Jerusalem (v.18): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.
- Zion (v.18): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
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
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
- Appealing to Mercy, Not Merit (v.1) — David doesn't list his good deeds or past service — he asks purely on the basis of God's mercy and steadfast love. When you come to God after failing, do you find yourself trying to earn back His favor instead of simply asking for mercy?
- Sin Is Ultimately Against God (v.4) — Even though David sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, he confesses that his sin is chiefly against God. Do you tend to measure your sin by who it hurt around you, or by how it offends God Himself?
- Broken at the Core (v.5) — David doesn't stop at confessing what he did — he confesses the sinful condition he was born into. Are you willing to admit the deeper problem in your heart, or do you only ever address the surface behavior?
- Asking God to Create, Not Just Improve (v.10) — David prays for God to create a clean heart in him, recognizing that self-improvement alone can't fix what's broken. Where are you trying to fix yourself through willpower instead of asking God to do something only He can do?
- A Broken Spirit as the Real Offering (v.17) — David realizes that religious performance means nothing to God without genuine brokenness over sin. Is your relationship with God built on real humility, or on going through the motions?