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Psalm 51:1

For 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.

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.
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Notice

“According to” makes God's loving kindness and tender mercies the measure of David's plea, even as he names his wrongdoing as his own.

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

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What do you find hard to say in David's request, “blot out my transgressions”?

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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
Acts 3:19“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,David asks for his transgressions to be blotted out; Acts urges repentance and turning again so that sins may be blotted out.
Isaiah 44:22I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.David asks God to blot out his transgressions, while Isaiah records God declaring that he has blotted out his people's transgressions.
Isaiah 43:25I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.Both passages name God as the one who blots out transgressions, grounding forgiveness in God himself.
Psalm 51:9Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities.Both prayers ask God to blot out wrongdoing, with the later verse also asking him to hide his face from David's sins.
Colossians 2:14wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us. He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.Both use the language of erasure: David asks for transgressions to be blotted out, while Colossians describes the handwriting against believers being wiped out.
Psalm 69:16Answer me, LORD, for your loving kindness is good. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, turn to me.Both prayers appeal to God's loving kindness and the multitude of his tender mercies as reasons for him to respond.
2 Samuel 11:2–12:13At evening, David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. From the roof, he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to …David appears in both passages: Samuel describes him seeing a woman bathing, while the psalm's heading locates his prayer after Nathan's visit.
Ephesians 1:6–8to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved.The shared thread is God's generosity: David appeals to loving kindness, while Ephesians praises grace and favor given in the Beloved.
Psalm 106:45He remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.Both passages speak of the abundance of God's loving kindness as the basis for his merciful response to people.
Psalm 4:1For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm by David. Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy …Both psalms contain David's direct appeal for God to have mercy on him and hear his need.
Romans 5:20–21The law came in that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly,Both texts speak of sin alongside abundance: David appeals to abundant mercy, and Romans speaks of grace abounding where sin abounded.
Exodus 34:6–7The LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, “The LORD! The LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth,David appeals to the mercy and loving kindness that God declares to be his own character in Exodus.
Where this verse fits

Guilt and confession.

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One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Pray David's plea for mercy in your own words

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Encouragement

David speaks to God with his transgressions in view. His request for pardon rests on something he has named twice: God's loving kindness and tender mercies.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 51:1. 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 51 · 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).