Psalms 51:17

17 A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God. You won't despise a heart, God, that is broken and crushed.

Psalms 51:17 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 51:17

The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit
That is humbled under a sense of sin; has true repentance for it; is smitten, wounded, and broken with it, by the word of God in the hand of the Spirit, which is a hammer to break the rock in pieces; and that not merely in a legal, but in an evangelical way; grieving for sin as committed against a God of love; broken and melted down under a sense of it, in a view of pardoning grace; and mourning for it, while beholding a pierced and wounded Saviour: the sacrifices of such a broken heart and contrite spirit are the sacrifices God desires, approves, accepts of, and delights in;

a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise;
but regard, and receive with pleasure; see ( Psalms 102:17 ) ; the Lord binds up and heals such broken hearts and spirits, ( Psalms 147:3 ) ( Isaiah 61:1 ) ; he is nigh to such persons, looks upon them, has respect unto them, and comes and dwells among them, ( Psalms 34:18 ) ( Isaiah 66:1 Isaiah 66:2 ) ( 57:15 ) .

Psalms 51:17 In-Context

15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

16 You don't want sacrifices. If I gave an entirely burned offering, you wouldn't be pleased.

17 A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God. You won't despise a heart, God, that is broken and crushed.

18 Do good things for Zion by your favor. Rebuild Jerusalem's walls.

19 Then you will again want sacrifices of righteousness— entirely burned offerings and complete offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

Footnotes

• [a]. Correction