Psalm 51

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Create in me a clean heart, O God.

 

NOTE

This is one of the eight “penitential” Psalms:

  • Psalm 6. Having been reproved by the chastening rod, David petitions God for deliverance.
  • Psalm 51. Create in me a clean heart, O God.
  • Psalm 102. The LORD God will arise and have mercy.

 

CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

 

VERSE 1. Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

Have mercy on me. This is one of the eight “penitential” psalms.

blot out. David wants his sin erased.

 

VERSE 2. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.

wash me. The Hebrew word is kkavas. David sees sin as dirt to be washed away.

Cleanse me. For participation in the temple, you needed to be ceremonially clean.

 

VERSE 3. For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.

 

VERSE 4. Against 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.

Against you, and you only, I have sinned. Actually, David sinned against Bathsheba and her husband Uriah.

David did NOT sin against God alone.

 

VERSE 5. Behold, I was born in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me.

I was born in iniquity. At no time in his life was David without sin.

 

VERSE 6. Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

 

VERSE 7. Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

 

VERSE 8. Let me hear joy and gladness, That the bones which you have broken may rejoice.

 

VERSE 9. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities.

 

VERSE 10. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.

This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Psalms and from the entire Bible.

a clean heart. The Lord Jesus says people whose heart is pure will be blessed to see God! Read more »

 

VERSE 11. Don’t throw me from your presence, and don’t take your holy Spirit from me.

This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Psalms and from the entire Bible.

your holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the Spirit is not mentioned often. However, the Spirit was indeed present and interacted with us humans. Read more »

 

VERSE 12. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit.

This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Psalms and from the entire Bible.

 

VERSE 13. Then I will teach transgressors your ways. Sinners shall be converted to you.

Then I will. This is a classic promise of sinners.

If God does thus-and-such, then the sinner will fulfill a promise. But not before.

It is to barter with God. If David were motivated solely by love for God, he would fulfill his promise whether God answers or not.

 

VERSE 14. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

My tongue shall sing. David is still bartering with God. If God forgives him, then David will praise God. But not until.

 

VERSE 15. Lord, open my lips. My mouth shall declare your praise.

This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Psalms and from the entire Bible.

 

VERSE 16. For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering.

 

VERSE 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

 

VERSE 18. Do well in your good pleasure to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem.

Do well … to Zion. The idea of Zion prospering and God having pleasure because of that is a beautiful promise!

 

VERSE 19. Then you will delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt offerings and in whole burnt offerings. Then they will offer bulls on your altar.

 

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PSALMS

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150

Deuterocanonical chapter: 151

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, David’s Fasting

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.