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Psalm 51

Psalm 51 brings confessed sin before God’s mercy and asks for the inward renewal that makes restored worship possible.

David pleads with God for mercy after Nathan the prophet comes to him concerning Bathsheba, according to the psalm’s heading. He acknowledges his sin and God’s right to judge, then asks for cleansing and a renewed heart. His prayer includes fear of losing God’s presence, a longing for restored joy, and a promise to teach other sinners. The closing verses turn toward Zion and the sacrifices offered by a people restored to God.

guilt and confessionfeeling distant from Godpraise and worship
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1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have 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, so you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.
5Behold, I was born in iniquity. My mother conceived me in sin.
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 will be converted to you.
14Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15Lord, open my lips. My mouth will 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. O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart.
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.
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Key verses
Psalm 51:10David asks God to create the inward cleanness he lacks, carrying the prayer beyond pardon into renewal.
Psalm 51:16David acknowledges that an offering cannot secure God’s pleasure while the heart remains untouched by repentance.
Psalm 51:17The broken and contrite heart names the response God accepts, grounding David’s plea in God’s welcome to the repentant.
Where this chapter reaches

Ezekiel shares the themes of cleansing and a new heart and spirit, while Isaiah shares God’s regard for the contrite and his rejection of empty sacrifice. Romans quotes Psalm 51’s confession that God is right in his words and judgment.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What stands out to you about David’s appeal to God’s mercy before he describes his sin?

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How does the prayer for a clean heart shape your understanding of the psalm’s closing words about sacrifice?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 51

Why does David say he sinned against God alone in Psalm 51?

Verse 4 places David’s wrongdoing before God as the judge whose verdict is right. Its emphatic wording does not erase harm to other people: verse 14 names the guilt of bloodshed. David confesses that his wrongdoing is an offense against God, even where human lives bear its consequences.

What does a clean heart mean in Psalm 51:10?

A clean heart is an inward life cleansed from sin and made right before God. Verse 6 connects that inward life with truth and wisdom; verse 10 pairs a clean heart with a renewed spirit. David asks God to create this change, acknowledging his dependence on God for renewal.

Why does Psalm 51 reject sacrifices and then ask for them?

Verses 16–17 say that sacrifice cannot replace a broken and contrite heart. Verses 18–19 then look toward Zion’s good and sacrifices that please God. The movement holds repentance and worship together: outward offerings have their place within a restored relationship with God. The psalm does not abolish sacrificial worship.

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Psalms · 150 chapters
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What the Bible says about guilt →What the Bible says about doubt →What the Bible says about worship →

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).