Psalms 51:4-14

4 Against thee, against thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou be declared just in thy word and pure in thy judgment.

5 Behold, the pain of my iniquity has caused me to writhe; my mother conceived me so that sin might be removed from me.

6 Behold, thou dost desire truth in the inward parts, and in the secret things thou hast made me to know wisdom.

7 Remove the sin in me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

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

9 Hide thy face from my sins and eradicate all my iniquities.

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

11 Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy saving health, and thy spirit of liberty shall uphold me.

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

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

Psalms 51:4-14 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.