BOOK 19 OF 66 · WISDOM & POETRY · KING JAMES BIBLE

Psalms 51

Psalms book home•Chapter 51 of 150•19 verses

Chapter overviewAt a glance + deeper study

REVIEWED OVERVIEW

Psalms 51 Overview

After Nathan's rebuke, David openly confesses his sin, appeals to God's mercy, asks for inward cleansing and renewed joy, and promises to teach transgressors God's ways.

PsalmsBook

51Chapter

19Verses

PoetryDivision

Before you read Psalms 51

Coming from

Psalm 50 centered on god summons his covenant people to true worship. Psalms is an anthology rather than a continuous chronological story, so the connection here is canonical and thematic.

In this chapter

After Nathan's rebuke, David openly confesses his sin, appeals to God's mercy, asks for inward cleansing and renewed joy, and promises to teach transgressors God's ways.

Leads into

Psalm 52 turns to the boastful destroyer will fall while the righteous trust god's mercy, continuing the Psalter’s arranged movement without requiring that the two psalms describe consecutive historical events.

Key understandingExplore deeper

Psalm 51 belongs to Book II of the Psalter (Psalms 42–72). The superscription connects the psalm to David's sin with Bathsheba and Nathan's confrontation in 2 Samuel 12.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Central truth

A broken sinner seeks cleansing and restoration.

Penitential truth

In Psalm 51, the right response to recognized sin is honest confession and appeal to God’s mercy, not self-justification.

Reading emphasis

Psalm 51 deliberately moves from its opening emphasis on have mercy to its closing emphasis on broken and contrite heart; the whole movement matters.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Penitential connection

1 John 1:9 affirms God’s faithfulness and justice in forgiving and cleansing confessed sin. This connection helps frame Psalm 51.

Canonical connection

Psalm 51 stands within the Psalter’s wider movement among lament, trust, praise, wisdom, kingship, and remembrance of God’s works.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Keep penitential in context

Confession and repentance in Psalm 51 concern honest response to sin; do not turn them into works added to faith as conditions for receiving eternal life.

Read the poetry as poetry

Psalm 51 uses compressed poetic language. Do not make every image a literal mechanism or a hidden symbol unless Scripture itself establishes that meaning.

Read Psalms 51 watching for…

have mercy.

wash and cleanse.

against thee sinned.

create clean heart.

broken and contrite heart.

Chapter outline3 sections

1-6David asks mercy, cleansing, and forgiveness while confessing his sin 7-13David asks for inward cleansing, renewed joy, and a willing spirit to teach sinners 14-19David asks deliverance from bloodguiltiness and offers a broken heart rather than empty sacrifice

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against 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.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

STUDY THIS VERSE

Psalms 51:19

Back to verse ↑

Cross References

Cross-reference storage is active. This passage does not yet have curated references loaded.

Related TWBC Resources

The Scripture resource graph is active. Sermons, Bible Overviews, courses, questions, and studies can attach here without changing the Bible text.