Psalms 51:11-19

11 Do not put me away from before you, or take your holy spirit from me.

12 Give me back the joy of your salvation; let a free spirit be my support.

13 Then will I make your ways clear to wrongdoers; and sinners will be turned to you.

14 Be my saviour from violent death, O God, the God of my salvation; and my tongue will give praise to your righteousness.

15 O Lord, let my lips be open, so that my mouth may make clear your praise.

16 You have no desire for an offering or I would give it; you have no delight in burned offerings.

17 The offerings of God are a broken spirit; a broken and sorrowing heart, O God, you will not put from you.

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure, building up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will have delight in the offerings of righteousness, in burned offerings and offerings of beasts; then they will make offerings of oxen on your altar.

Psalms 51:11-19 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. The occasion of this psalm was the sin of David with Bathsheba, signified by "going in to her"; an euphemism for "lying with her"; which sin was a very aggravated one, she being another man's wife, and the wife of a servant and soldier of his, who was at the same time exposing his life for his king and country's good; and David besides had many wives, and was also king of Israel, and should have set a better example to his subjects; and it was followed with other sins, as the murder of Uriah, and the death of several others; with scandal to religion, and with security and impenitence in him for a long time, until Nathan the prophet was sent to him of God, to awaken him to a sense of his sin; which he immediately acknowledged, and showed true repentance for it: upon which, either while Nathan was present, or after he was gone, he penned this psalm; that it might remain on record, as a testification of his repentance, and for the instruction of such as should fall into sin, how to behave, where to apply, and for their comfort. The history of all this may be seen in the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the second book of Samuel.