Psalms 51:8-18

8 Thou causest me to hear joy and gladness, Thou makest joyful bones Thou hast bruised.

9 Hide Thy face from my sin. And all mine iniquities blot out.

10 A clean heart prepare for me, O God, And a right spirit renew within me.

11 Cast me not forth from Thy presence, And Thy Holy Spirit take not from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, And a willing spirit doth sustain me.

13 I teach transgressors Thy ways, And sinners unto Thee do return.

14 Deliver me from blood, O God, God of my salvation, My tongue singeth of Thy righteousness.

15 O Lord, my lips thou dost open, And my mouth declareth Thy praise.

16 For Thou desirest not sacrifice, or I give [it], Burnt-offering Thou acceptest not.

17 The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit, A heart broken and bruised, O God, Thou dost not despise.

18 Do good in Thy good pleasure with Zion, Thou dost build the walls of Jerusalem.

Psalms 51:8-18 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.