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Psalm 32:5

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

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 the LORD, 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.
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← Psalm 32:4Psalm 32:6 →
Notice

Hiding gives way to confession, and the turn toward forgiveness raises the question of what it means to speak without concealment before God.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What difference do you see between acknowledging sin and hiding it in this verse?

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What, if anything, do you want to name before God after reading this confession?

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What do you notice about God's response to the sin the speaker acknowledges?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
1 John 1:9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.Both texts connect confession of sin with God's forgiveness; John also speaks of cleansing from unrighteousness.
Luke 23:43Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”The connection is broad: Psalm 32 recounts forgiveness, while Jesus promises someone a place with him in Paradise.
Isaiah 65:24It will happen that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.Both connect speech directed toward God with his response: confession meets forgiveness, and calling meets God's promise to answer.
Proverbs 28:13He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.Both contrast concealing sin with confessing it and receiving mercy; Proverbs also names renouncing sin.
2 Samuel 12:13David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin. You will not die.David acknowledges sin against the LORD and hears that it has been put away, matching the psalm's confession and forgiveness.
Psalm 51:3–5For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.Both speakers acknowledge their transgressions, speaking of their own sin without concealing it.
Psalm 38:18For I will declare my iniquity. I will be sorry for my sin.Both speakers resolve to declare their iniquity; Psalm 38 also expresses sorrow for sin.
Psalm 30:5For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.Both passages describe distress giving way to God's favor, expressed through forgiveness in Psalm 32 and morning joy in Psalm 30.
Psalm 103:12As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.Both describe God's action toward transgressions: Psalm 32 recounts forgiveness, and Psalm 103 pictures their removal.
1 John 1:8–10If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.Acknowledging sin in Psalm 32 contrasts with denying sin in John, where such denial is called self-deception.
Hosea 6:1“Come! Let’s return to the LORD; for he has torn us to pieces, and he will heal us; he has injured us, and he will bind up our wounds.Both passages turn toward the LORD amid distress, with forgiveness in the psalm and healing in Hosea.
2 Samuel 24:10David’s heart struck him after he had counted the people. David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. But now, the LORD, put …Both contain confession addressed to the LORD; David asks for the removal of iniquity, while the psalm recounts forgiveness.
Where this verse fits

Guilt and confession.

What the Bible says about guilt →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Pray Psalm 32:5 before bed, pausing to name any sin

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Encouragement

The sin acknowledged here is the sin God forgives. You have reason to speak truth before him: the speaker's confession ends with God's forgiveness.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 32:5. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 32 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).