Psalm 51 Verse-by-Verse

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Welcome to the Verse-by-Verse Notes for Psalm 51!

The Verse-by-Verse Notes present scholarly, exegetical materials (from all layers of analysis) in a verse-by-verse format. They often present alternative interpretive options and justification for a preferred interpretation. The Verse-by-Verse Notes are aimed at consultant-level users.

The discussion of each verse of this psalm includes the following items.

1. A link to the part of the overview video where the verse in question is discussed.
2. The verse in Hebrew and English.
3. An expanded paraphrase of the verse.
4. A grammatical diagram of the verse, which includes glosses for each word and phrase.
5. A series of notes on the verse, which contain information pertaining to the interpretation of the psalm (e.g., meaning of words and phrases, poetic features, difficult grammatical constructions, etc.).

Superscription (vv. 1-2)

v. 1

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
1	לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃	For the music director. A psalm. By David.

Expanded Paraphrase

For the music director to perform. A psalm. By David.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The Hebrew of v. 1 consists of a series of sentence fragments. A psalm. By David can alternatively be diagrammed as a single fragment, but I have here treated them separately since they often function separately in other contexts.

v. 2

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
2a	בְּֽבוֹא־אֵ֭לָיו נָתָ֣ן הַנָּבִ֑יא	When Nathan the prophet came to him,
2b	כַּֽאֲשֶׁר־בָּ֝֗א אֶל־בַּת־שָֽׁבַע׃	when he had had sexual intercourse with Bathsheba.

Expanded Paraphrase

This psalm was composed by David for or in response to the situation when Nathan the prophet came to him to rebuke him and possibly the ensuing sickness and death of his child with Bathsheba, when he had had (illicit) sexual intercourse with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah to cover it up and he confessed his sin.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The first when is indicated by a ב plus infinitive temporal clause that sets the (contextually indicated) past timeframe in which the psalm was performed--namely the royal audience that took place when Nathan arrived to confront David about his sin with Bathsheba--when David confessed his sin before Nathan in 2 Sam 12:13, or perhaps shortly thereafter.
• There is a play on words with the expression came to (בא אל) used in two very different senses in this superscription (royal audience vs. a euphemism for sexual intercourse).

Plea for cleansing (vv. 3-11)

• There is no consensus concerning the poetic structure of Psalm 51, with scholars proposing a wide variety of conflicting subdivisions. This is due, in large part, because, "The poet uses so many word repetitions that on this basis alone one can find (or impute) all sorts of structures." The correspondence between apparent structural features and thematic movements is also often unclear. The structure proposed here attempts to balance a combination of key poetic structuring devices with thematic movements, while admitting that the two are not always perfectly aligned. For further discussion, see the notes on vv. 12-17 and v. 12.
• The first half of the psalm (vv. 3-11) is bound together by a chiasm with the inverted repetition of the key words מחה, כבס, חטא+טהר, and ידע. Furthermore, the key words given in the A lines in vv. 3-6 are repeated in the B lines in vv. 7-11.

The central part of this section is less obviously chiastic, since the keyword repetition does not continue as distinctly in the central section of vv. 6-7. Nevertheless, vv. 5b, 6a, and 7b use the root חטא, and v. 6b uses the word עין "eye" which is graphically/orally similar to the word עון "iniquity" in 7a. Sometimes v. 6 (or part thereof, especially 6c-d, which is the center of vv. 6-7) is identified as the center of the chiasm, but quantitatively there is no central verse. Instead, the chiasm is divided into two equal parts with five bicola each.

The central vv. 6-7 are relatively prominent in the first half. Not only are they focused in the chiasm, but they also are among the most emotionally charged and hyperbolic verses in the entire psalm.

The primary effect of this chiasm is to tie vv. 3-11 closely together as a coherent poetic unit. This unit is characterized by corresponding pleas for cleansing at the beginning and end of the section, with a central confession providing the grounds for the pleas.

Plea (vv. 3-5)

Confession (v. 6)

Confession (vv. 7-8)

Plea (vv. 9-11)

The chiasm gives the impression of a complete plea for cleansing that is well-grounded in honest confession. It is as if the psalmist has iconically presented the perfection of his confession and plea by encapsulating it in a complete structural form. He has done everything he can to confess his sins and ask God for cleansing, and now it is in God's hands whether and how to answer.

The psalmist begins with a desperate plea (vv. 3-5), which is supported by a vivid confession that admits the sin, recognizes the righteousness of God's judgment, and expresses in hyperbolic terms the overwhelming pervasiveness of the sin (vv. 5-7). Because of the emotional and hyperbolic language, as well as the mirative particle הן, vv. 6-8 can be understand as the emotional peak of the psalm, in contrast to the main discourse/thematic peak in vv. 12-14. The concluding plea (vv. 9-11) repeats the elements of the initial plea in reverse order, bringing the whole section to a close, suggesting denouement and resolution on the part of the psalmist. Vv. 9-10 also begin to emphasize positive states envisioned for the future in anticipation of later developments in the psalm. Thus, vv. 9-11 reflect a lowering level of emotional intensity before the major turning point in v. 12.

• The first part of the psalm (vv. 3-11) is replete with lexical repetitions of words for wrongdoing, including פשע, עון, חטא(ה), and רע. On the other hand, none of these roots occur in the second half of the psalm (vv. 12-21) except in vv. 15-16 (including דָּמִים in v. 16, for which see Verse-by-Verse notes), where they refer not to the psalmist, but other sinners who will need cleansing in the hypothetical future.

The effect of this poetic feature is to iconically represent the removal of the psalmist's sin. In the first half of the psalm (vv. 3-11), the psalmist is overwhelmed by the pervasiveness of his sin. But in the second half of the psalm (vv. 12-21) he never mentions his personal sin again. It is as if the psalmist's plea for cleansing has been effective. The psalmist overcomes his overwhelming feelings of guilt and begins to anticipate a more hopeful future as a pure worshipper.

v. 3

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
3a	חָנֵּ֣נִי אֱלֹהִ֣ים כְּחַסְדֶּ֑ךָ	Show mercy to me, God, according to your loyalty;
3b	כְּרֹ֥ב רַ֝חֲמֶ֗יךָ מְחֵ֣ה פְשָׁעָֽי׃	according to your abundant compassion wipe away my transgressions.

Expanded Paraphrase

Show mercy to me which I need, God, according to your loyalty because you have an existing relationship with me and you are full of loyalty; according to your abundant compassion wipe away the guilt, record, consequences, and moral stain of my transgressions which I hereby confess like one wipes off a dirty dish or ink needing to be erased from papyrus.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• In contrast to the precative yiqtols in vv. 9-10, the imperatives in vv. 3-4 (e.g., show mercy and wipe away) communicate a sense of desperation in the appeal, especially the initiating cry for mercy. The mention of God's loyalty and abundant compassion suggests that David has good grounds for hoping God will restore him, but he does not presume that God will do so. The psalm never makes confident assertions about God's answer until the indicative futures of v. 21, before which it is almost entirely characterized by hopeful but not presumptuous pleas. In 2 Sam 12:15-23, David pleads desparately and expresses hope that God will spare his son from the consequences of his sin with Bathsheba without any guarantee of a positive answer (indeed, God does not spare the son), expressing his non-presumptuous hope by saying, "Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me" (2 Sam 12:22, NRSV).
• Wipe away may evoke the imagery of wiping a dirty dish clean or wiping ink off of a papyrus document, whether as a correction of a mistake or erasure of a debt. One could also see a combination of the two images.

• The clause-medial vocative אֱלֹהִ֣ים introduces God as the addressee and may serve to focus the preceding חָנֵּ֣נִי.
• For loyalty, some Hebrew manuscripts read the intensifying plural חֲסָדֶיךָ, which is possibly reflected in the Greek translation κατὰ τὸ μέγα ἔλεός σου. The י was more likely to be added than omitted.
• According to your abundant compassion (כְּרֹ֥ב רַ֝חֲמֶ֗יךָ) is fronted to create an inverted sequence of adverbials and verbs in a sort of chiasm, rather than for any information structural reason.
• רַחֲמִים is a plural abstract noun referring to the affectionate and sympathetic internal feeling one has towards another, which is best rendered by the singular abstract noun compassion in English.
• פְשָׁעָי my sins could alternatively be read as singular with the Greek; cf. v. 5. פֶּשַׁע refers to "action by which humans or groups defy an authority or a standard of behavior."

v. 4

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
4a	הַרְבֵּה* כַּבְּסֵ֣נִי מֵעֲוֺנִ֑י*	Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
4b	וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י טַהֲרֵֽנִי׃	and cleanse me from my sin,

Expanded Paraphrase

Wash me thoroughly not in part from my iniquity like a fuller washes filth off of a garment, and cleanse me from my sin as if it were ritual impurity,

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The MT Ketiv הַרְבֵּה (thoroughly) is supported by both Qumran manuscripts that attest to this passage (4Q85 and 4Q91). הַרְבֵּה appears to have been an infinitive absolute (or possibly imperative) that has fossilized and functions as an adverb.
• The adverb הַרְבֵּה is fronted for marked focus, emphasizing the extent of the desired cleansing. The emphasis on the need for thorough cleansing suggests that David is overwhelmed by the severity and/or pervasiveness of his sin. The requested thoroughness of the cleansing implies deep stains of sin, which impress themselves upon the consciousness of the psalmist.
• Wash me evokes the imagery of washing clothing.

• Iniquity (עָוֹן) refers to "a deed of deliberate wrongdoing resulting in a state of guilt which requires punishment."
• From my sin (מֵחַטָּאתִ֥י) is fronted to create an inverted sequence of adverbials and verbs in a sort of chiasm, rather than for any information structural reason..

v. 5

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
5a	כִּֽי־פְ֭שָׁעַי אֲנִ֣י אֵדָ֑ע	because I am (continually) aware of my transgressions,
5b	וְחַטָּאתִ֖י נֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִֽיד׃	and my sin is constantly in front of me.

Expanded Paraphrase

because I am continually aware of and acknowledge my transgressions which is prerequisite for receiving forgiveness, and my sin is constantly in front of me.

Grammatical Diagram

See diagram at v. 4.

Notes

• Vv. 5 and 7 are the only verses in the entire psalm where God does not appear as a participant. The textual absence of God may be iconic for his felt absence (or at least distance) due to the psalmist's sinfulness.

• Clear cases of enjambment in Psalm 51 across bicola include: vv. 4-5 and 6.
• With because, this verse is joined with v. 4 in a single compound, complex sentence with a single predominant speech act. V. 5 thus provides the reason for the appeal. Nevertheless, by providing the grounds for the opening plea for cleansing and expressing recognition of the psalmist's ever-present sin, v. 5 serves as an implicit confession that transitions nicely into the confession proper in vv. 6-7.
• My sins (פְשָׁעַי) could alternatively be read as singular with the Greek; cf. v. 3. פְ֭שָׁעַי, which has been mentioned in the previous discourse, is fronted to indicate a topic shift, where the following verses expound on the psalmist's sin.
• I (אֲנִ֣י) is grammatically unnecessary, but does fill out the length of the A line nicely. Buth makes a plausible case that it is fronted for marked focus, stressing the psalmist's person in this verse in anticipation of a contrast with לְךָ֤ לְבַדְּךָ֨ in the following verse. Furthermore, since the imperatives in vv. 3-4 presuppose God's knowledge of David's sin, the אֲנִ֣י adds that David also is aware of his own sin (an indirect confession), thus serving as adequate grounds for imperatives.
• V. 5b suggests that I am (continually) aware of in v. 5a should be read as indicating (or at least including) the psalmist's present state of knowledge (which is the grounds for the preceding appeal), rather than a purely future learning event.

v. 6

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
6a	לְךָ֤ לְבַדְּךָ֨ חָטָאתִי֮	Against you alone I have sinned,
6b	וְהָרַ֥ע בְּעֵינֶ֗יךָ עָ֫שִׂ֥יתִי	and I have done what is evil in your eyes,
6c	*לְ֭מַעַן תִּצְדַּ֥ק *בְּדַבֵּרְךָ	such that you are in the right whenever you speak,
6d	תִּזְכֶּ֥ה בְשָׁפְטֶֽךָ׃	(and such that) you are faultless whenever you judge.

Expanded Paraphrase

Against you because all sin is ultimately against you alone hyperbolically speaking I confess I have sinned or at least that is what I am emphasizing now as I address you, even if I have offended others who will need to be addressed subsequently, and I confess I have done what is evil in your eyes you whose will determines what is good and evil, such that you are in the right if others presumptuously judge you whenever you speak accusatory words, (and such that) you are faultless if others presumptuously accuse you of wrongdoing whenever you judge and condemn and sentence.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The adverbial phrase against you alone (לְךָ֤ לְבַדְּךָ֨) has been fronted for marked focus, highlighting that the psalmist's sin was against God himself. The phrase what is evil in your eyes (הָרַ֥ע בְּעֵינֶ֗יךָ) is similarly marked focus, stressing that the psalmist's deeds were evil in God's sight, rather than acceptable. The fronting of constituents in both lines may increase the prominence of the verse and support the idea of a paragraph division here.
• Against you alone (לְךָ לְבַדְּךָ) is an idiomatic expression that often functions like the English adverb "alone." In the context, this is best understood as a hyperbolic statement, rather than a denial that the psalmist sinned against anyone else (e.g., Uriah or Bathsheba). The psalmist is merely stressing that his sin is against God himself, which may be considered the gravest kind of sinning, as evident in Gen 39:9.
• The present perfects I have sinned and I have done could alternatively be analyzed as simple past actions, but the context emphasizes the present consequences of the psalmist's sin.
• Much of vv. 3-7 seem dominated by the emotion of guilt. The psalmist expresses an intense subjective feeling of guilt in the form of an overwhelming sense of the pervasiveness of sin, especially in vv. 5 and 7. Since the psalmist does not mention others in this regard, it seems less about a socially-constructed form of guilt or shame meant to constrain behavior, and more about a feeling of regret and broken relationship. But v. 6 makes it clear that this guilt is not purely subjective and internal; it rather reflects the objective reality of legal guilt before the God (the righteous judge) against whom he has sinned. It is important to note that the guilt expressed here is not a toxic or destructive self-loathing, but an honest self-appraisal (v. 8) leading to confession and appeal for forgiveness and restoration.
• The set expression "in the eyes of" (בעיני) is very common with the meaning "in the opinion of; from the perspective of." When modifying what is evil (הָרַע), it means that the psalmist has done what God considers to be evil.
• Clear cases of enjambment across bicola include: vv. 4-5 and 6. While the Masoretic accents do not clearly indicate a minor break between vv. 6c-d, the graphic layout of the Aleppo could suggest this. With the Greek tradition, the parallel structure of the lines seems to require a subdivision of vv. 6c-d into a two bicola.
• Such that (לְמַעַן) here probably has the resultative meaning "such/so that" rather than indicating purpose.
• The root צדק (right) occurs in vv. 6, 16, and 21 and helps tie the two halves of the psalm together. Vv. 6 and 16 both occur towards the middle of their respective halves of the psalm, while v. 21 concludes the psalm. The effect is to tie the two halves together by emphasizing that--though the psalmist is sinful (vv. 3-11)--God is righteous and expects righteousness from his people.
• The infinitival temporal clauses whenever you speak and whenever you judge should be read with habitual aspect, providing a general truism that is proven by the psalmist's confession in v. 6a–b.
• you are faultless (זכה) in Classical Hebrew means to be "upright and innocent in character and behavior," which in context means that God cannot be faulted (and therefore is vindicated against all possible charges of injustice) when he judges. There is an intentional blending of metaphors here, where God is judged by others in his capacity as judge.
• Parallel to whenever you speak, whenever you judge is a prepositional phrase indicating a temporal clause.

v. 7

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
7a	הֵן־בְּעָו֥וֹן חוֹלָ֑לְתִּי	Look, I was born in iniquity,
7b	וּ֝בְחֵ֗טְא יֶֽחֱמַ֥תְנִי אִמִּֽי׃	and in guilt my mother conceived me.

Expanded Paraphrase

Look, hyperbolically speaking I was born already with the guilt and evil character that comes from being a human embroiled in iniquity such that I cannot even imagine a time when I followed your ways without defect, and I was already in a state of being enmeshed in guilt as soon as my mother conceived me.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• Vv. 5 and 7 are the only verses in the entire psalm where God does not appear as a participant. For further discussion and illustration, see the note on v. 5.
• The mirative particle look (הֵן) is placed at the beginning of both verses 7 and 8. These particles call God (the addressee) to pay attention to the confession (v. 7) and prepare him to receive the plea (vv. 9–11) by pointing out both God's and the psalmist's commensurate desires for inner wisdom and truthful confession (v. 8). A similar repetition of discourse particles is also found at the end of the psalm (v. 21). The combination of mirative particles and vocatives justifies treating these verses as a separate paragraph macrosyntactically, even though semantically they seem closely related to what precedes (and potentially what follows).

• I was born and conceived are analyzed here with the sense of perfect verbs with ongoing consequences. This verse is not intended to shift blame to the psalmist's mother, but rather to lament the overwhelming sense of guilt the psalmist feels. The psalmist feels so permeated by sin that it encompasses not only his present, but also the distant past. By asserting his sinfulness from conception/birth, the psalmist presents his sinful state as so deeply integrated into the fabric his being that he is helpless to resolve it and is thus overwhelmed by his sin.
• With in iniquity, the psalmist is describing (perhaps hyperbolically?) the sinful condition in which he was born. בְּעָו֥וֹן is fronted for marked focus, correcting the possible presupposition that David was born in innocence.
• In guilt (בְחֵ֗טְא) is also fronted on the pattern of בְּעָו֥וֹן and may be marked focus, adding another description of the sinful state in which the psalmist was conceived/born. חֵטְא (also v. 11) can mean "sin" like its more common and cognate synonym חַטָּאת (see vv. 4, 5), but חֵטְא also often has the nuance "(state of) sin," emphasizing the culpability or "guilt" incurred by sin.

v. 8

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
8a	הֵן־אֱ֭מֶת חָפַ֣צְתָּ בַטֻּח֑וֹת	Look, you desire truth in the covered places,
8b	וּבַסָּתֻם* חָכְמָ֥ה תוֹדִיעֵֽנִי׃*	and you make me know wisdom in the closed-off place.

Expanded Paraphrase

Look, you desire truth and honest confession in the covered places my internal organs that represent my concealed inner person and character, and you make me know wisdom that gives me insight into my sin that only you can provide in the closed-off place where no one but you can see who I really am.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• In Ps 19:8-14, David expresses his conviction that God's law can provide wisdom and insight to detect hidden faults, bringing cleansing, transformation, and joy.
• For the mirative particle הֵן, see note on v. 7.
• אֱמֶת can be used in reference to human character, refering to one's faithfulness and trustworthiness, which makes sense in context. But it can also be used for the abstract concept of propositional truth, which makes good sense in parallel with wisdom (חָכְמָה, which similarly has both character and cognitive aspects). On this latter understanding, wisdom and truth refer respectively to insight into the psalmist's sinfulness and honest confession. Truth (אֱ֭מֶת) is fronted for marked focus, highlighting God's desire for truthfulness as expressed in the preceding confession.
• The qatal form of you desire (חָפַ֣צְתָּ) indicates that God has come to desire truth, and the context indicates that this desiring is his habitual state.
• The meanings and referents of the covered places (טֻחוֹת) and the closed-off place (סָתֻם) are debated. The meaning of טֻחוֹת is uncertain, both here and in Job 38:36. In Ps 51:8, the most plausible meaning is "covered (places)," based on the root טוח that means to "cover," such as with plaster or paint. In parallel with סָתֻם "closed off," the reference seems to be to areas (of the person) that are invisible and inaccessible except to God. The psalmist thus speaks of the internal being in which God seeks truth and wisdom. In this verse, both prepositional phrases could be read with or without implied definite articles. The MT reads an article in the first, but not the second, in contrast with many versions. See the exegetical issue The Meaning of טֻּחוֹת and סָתֻם in Ps 51:8 for detailed discussion.
• The phrase in the closed-off place (וּבַסָּתֻם) is fronted for marked topic, indicating the shift in topic from the God who desires truth to the location where the psalmist hopes to be instructed. The MT וּבְסָתֻם should be revocalized to וּבַסָּתֻם if an article is understood to be implied. The fronting of wisdom (חָכְמָ֥ה) is for marked focus, stressing that wisdom is what the psalmist has been instructed in. The word order also creates an inverted poetic pattern.
• The verbal semantics of you make me know wisdom (תוֹדִיעֵנִי) are contested, which has important ramifications for reading this verse in the context of the psalm as a whole. See the exegetical issue The Verbal Semantics of Ps 51:8b for full details and discussion.

v. 9

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
9a	תְּחַטְּאֵ֣נִי בְאֵז֣וֹב וְאֶטְהָ֑ר	(Would you please) purify me with hyssop, so that I will be clean;
9b	תְּ֝כַבְּסֵ֗נִי וּמִשֶּׁ֥לֶג אַלְבִּֽין׃	(would you please) wash me, so that I will be whiter than snow.

Expanded Paraphrase

(Would you please) purify me as if ritually from my impurity with hyssop, so that I will be morally clean; (would you please) wash me from my sin, so that I will be morally whiter than snow.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The resumption of the plea here implies David's feelings of unworthiness, after his confession of failure in the previous verses. David has made honest confession, but he still recognizes that he is not worthy of God's approval, even while asking for it.
• The verbs (would you please) purify me and (would you please) wash me are often translated as if they were imperatives, but they are in fact yiqtol verbs. Like v. 8b, several verbal modalities are possible here, but here they are read as precative (i.e., requests). The precative yiqtols (would you please) in vv. 9a-b, 10a, 14b, 17a, 20b have been analyzed as direct speech acts, rather than as indirect speech acts, since this seems to be a modal possibility of the yiqtol, rather than a question (e.g., "Would you please?") or statement (e.g., "you will...") per se.
• Hyssop was commonly used in purification rituals.
• The conjunctions so that (ו) in this verse are syntactically coordinating, but indicate a semantics of purpose/result.
• Than snow (מִשֶּׁ֥לֶג) is fronted to create a closely parallel poetic sequence in v. 9 with the adverbials in the middle of the verbs, rather than for any information structural reason (e.g., indicating the full extent to which the psalmist will be made white).
• The wording of v. 9 evokes vivid imagery of ritual purification and perfect cleansing.

v. 10

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
10a	תַּ֭שְׁמִיעֵנִי שָׂשׂ֣וֹן וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה	(Would you please) make me hear gladness and joy;
10b	תָּ֝גֵ֗לְנָה עֲצָמ֥וֹת דִּכִּֽיתָ׃	(so that) the bones that you have crushed might rejoice.

Expanded Paraphrase

(Would you please) make me hear sounds that result from gladness and joy in the assembly of joyful worshippers; (so that) the bones that represent my inner person that you have crushed as a consequence of my sin leaving me in anguish and possibly ill or grieving the (anticipated) loss of my son might rejoice because of my salvation from adversity.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• On precative yiqtols as direct speech acts, see note on v. 9.
• The Syriac reads ܐܣܒܥܝܢܝ = תַּשְׂבִּיעֵנִי "satiate me" instead of make me hear (תַּ֭שְׁמִיעֵנִי), based on a different reading of the graphically similar ב and מ. This makes good sense in context, but is not supported by the MT or G. It also misses an important subtlety of the (at first-glance difficult) MT text, where the reference to "hearing" joy and gladness seems to imply the presence of other joyful individuals. Given the interaction between the individual and the community of right worshippers prominent in vv. 15-21, it is highly likely that v. 10 already anticipates hearing shouts of joy within this assembly of joyful worshippers. This could be understood as a consequence of the psalmist's instruction in v. 15, but may rather suggest that the worshipping community is a means that God will use to restore the psalmist's joy. If true, then the relationship between the individual and the community is mutual and interdependent.
• While imperatival modality normally expects reference time movement, the continuous aspect that seems to be implied in (would you please) make me hear negates this. Other modalities may be possible, similar to תְּחַטְּאֵנִי in v. 9a
• שָׂשׂוֹן and שִׂמְחָה here may be abstract emotions concretized as things that can be heard, or else the psalmist longs to hear "(audible expressions of) gladness and joy," whether produced by himself or others. Both of these words refer to joyful emotions or expressions thereof.
• While the jussive modality of may rejoice normally expects reference time movement, the continuous aspect that seems to be implied negates this. One could read this as a result clause following on the pattern of v. 9, but the fronted word order and lack of obvious cause-effect relationship suggest rather a jussive.
• The verb תָּגֵלְנָה is here treated as semantically indicating result dependent upon v. 10a, but it could alternatively be understood syntactically as its own imperative + directive + requesting speech act.
• The bones that you have crushed evokes imagery of blunt force trauma to refer to God's tough discipline (whether sickness or other internal suffering). It could alternatively be understood simply as an idiomatic reference to sickness.

• The Greek reads דַּכּוֹת instead of דִּכִּיתָ as an adjective modifying עֲצָמוֹת. On this reading, God is never explicitly identified as the cause of the psalmist's suffering.
• 1 Sam 16:14-23 recounts how David would play music for Saul and restore his well-being (טוב) from the spirit that was troubling him.

v. 11

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
11a	הַסְתֵּ֣ר פָּ֭נֶיךָ מֵחֲטָאָ֑י	Hide your face from my sins,
11b	וְֽכָל־עֲוֺ֖נֹתַ֣י מְחֵֽה׃	and wipe away all my iniquities.

Expanded Paraphrase

Hide your face metaphorically from my sins and act as if you take no account of them, and wipe away metaphorically all my iniquities.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The phrase כָל־עֲוֺ֖נֹתַ֣י is fronted to create an inverted poetic sequence of verbs and nominals in a sort of chiasm within the verse, rather than for any information structural reason.

Plea for spiritual restoration (vv. 12-17)

• For the poetic feature of the iconic removal of sin with v. 12 as a key turning point, see note on vv. 3-11.
• The first half of the psalm (vv. 3-11) is thematically dominated by pleas for cleansing from sin, picturing sin and guilt as something negative that needs to be removed. The center of this section is an emotionally charged and hyperbolic confession and lament about the overwhelming pervasiveness of the psalmist's sin that heightens the need for cleansing (vv. 6-8).

The psalm pivots at v. 12, which is at the center of the psalm both positionally and rhetorically. V. 12 is at or near the midpoint of the psalm and is the start of the second major structural division of the psalm (vv. 12-17) and the transition point where sin is iconically removed. V. 12 begins with fronted focal elements in both the A and B lines. Finally, the threefold fronted repetition of רוח in the B lines of vv. 12-14 indicates a marked prominence for these verses, which could be considered the thematic peak of the discourse with v. 12 as the key pivot point.

V. 12 prompts a shift from a focus on cleansing of sin to a focus on creating new and positive states and events throughout the second half of the psalm (vv. 12-21). V. 12 restates the psalmist's desire for purity, but does so by positively reframing the plea as a request for God to create a new heart and spirit for him. Vv. 13-14 further stress the need for "spirit" by emphasizing God's holy spirit and the psalmist's willing spirit as necessary for the desired restoration. The rest of vv. 12-21 are dominated by positive references to anticipated good states, emotions, and actions. This is anticipated already by two features. First, v. 9 anticipates purity as a future positive state resulting from cleansing, even though purity remains within the semantic domain of cleansing. Second, the request for joy in v. 10, together with a corresponding request for joy in v. 14 that envelops vv. 11-13, serves to further put the focus on v. 12 as the major pivot point.

The effect of this poetic feature is to highlight a major reorientation in the psalmist as the psalm progresses. At first the psalmist is totally consumed with dealing with his sin and having it removed. With that sufficiently addressed, the psalmist is prepared to look ahead hopefully to a more positive future where God creates something new and good. The first half is essentially subtractive and negative in orientation, while the second half is additive and positive. In the first half, the psalmist is largely a passive patient in the act of expiation, whereas in the second half the psalmist takes on a more active role as co-agent with God as part of a process of restoration and spiritual transformation into a right worshipper. All of this is accomplished through the repeated theme of the spirit, whereby the psalmist's spirit is made steadfast and willing by God's empowering holy spirit and is, therefore, made into the type of spirit that is acceptable to God (v. 19).

• The entirety of Psalm 51 is in the form of a personal lament in the mouth of an individual "I." Explicit first person self-references occur throughout the psalm up through v. 18, but there is no need to see a change of speaker anywhere in vv. 19-21. Nevertheless, starting in v. 15 and continuing to the end of the psalm, there is a marked emphasis on corporate worship. V. 15 announces the psalmist's intention to instruct a plurality of others (= "sinners") in repentance and right worship, who presumably become the restored community of Zion who offer pleasing sacrifices to God in vv. 19-21. Furthermore, vv. 16-17 express the psalmist's own desire to be able to praise the Lord audibly, presumably also in the context of a gathering for corporate worship. The context of joyful corporate worship may already be anticipated by the reference to "hearing" gladness and joy in v. 10, which seems to imply the presence of joyful others. With the possible exception of v. 10, the individual and corporate words overlap only in vv. 15-18.

The effect of this poetic feature is to bring out the corporate ramifications for the restoration of the individual requested in vv. 12-14. Up until v. 15, the psalmist is entirely inwardly self-focused, dwelling on his internal wrestling with sin and desire for personal spiritual transformation. But v. 15 signals a shift towards a new, outward-looking orientation, where the psalmist is interested in praising God and leading others to repentance and right worship. Vv. 15-17 introduce this shift by expressing the psalmist's desire to praise God and instruct sinners. Vv. 18-19 establish the right posture for pleasing spiritual worship, which the psalmist hopes to exemplify and teach to the sinners mentioned in v. 15. And vv. 20-21 conclude the psalm with a plea for collective restoration so that others will put into practice the lessons learned and offer right sacrifices that are pleasing to God. The right (communal) worship referred to in vv. 15-21 is presented as a powerful motivation for God to act on behalf of the psalmist, but also reflects the psalmist's developing thought and shifting focus from the self towards others, especially God himself who deserves the worship and praise. If the psalmist is functioning as a leader of the people, then corporate restoration may even have been a major motivating principle from the start, rather than an afterthought.

• Most of the second half of the psalm (vv. 12-19) is bound together by an inverted inclusio involving the repetition of the words לב and רוח. This reinforces these terms as key to the thematic movements in the second half of the psalm and adds prominence to the theme of personal spiritual transformation that permeates this section. The psalmist requests a heart and spirit (vv. 12-14) that would be pleasing to God (v. 19). While there are many lexical repetitions in this psalm that one could point to, these repeated words bound the poetic unit and are particularly prominent. The three-fold repetition of רוח in vv. 12-14 (each time syntactically fronted) suggests a discourse peak here in the middle of the psalm, which strengthens the thematization of the restoration of heart and soul/spirit.

• V. 12 marks a major emotional turning point in the psalm, which in its latter half takes on a tone that is much less desperate and more hopeful, even expectant. This shift is already anticipated in vv. 9-10, and it reaches its full fruition in the confidence of vv. 19-21.

Plea for spiritual transformation (vv. 12-14)

• There are many conflicting indications of prominence in Ps 51, which makes it difficult to identify a single section that is definitively more prominent than all of the others. Nevertheless, the most important cluster of features centers around vv. 12-14, which is also thematically very important for the psalm and highly emotionally charged. Thus, vv. 12-14 should be identified as the discourse peak in the psalm. V. 12 is at or near the midpoint of the psalm and is the start of the second major structural division of the psalm (vv. 12-17/19). V. 12 begins with fronted focal elements in both the A and B lines. V. 12 also exhibits inverted lexical repetition of לב and רוח with v. 19, which thematizes personal spiritual transformation in this section. Finally, the threefold fronted repetition of רוח in the B lines of vv. 12-14 indicates a marked prominence for these verses.

v. 12

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
12a	לֵ֣ב טָ֭הוֹר בְּרָא־לִ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים	Create a clean heart for me, God,
12b	וְר֥וּחַ נָ֝כ֗וֹן חַדֵּ֥שׁ בְּקִרְבִּֽי׃	and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Expanded Paraphrase

Create or refashion a clean heart or character or will for me to follow you, God, because I can only hope to follow you faithfully if you transform my inner person and renew a steadfast spirit that will not falter again within me as I tried to have before but failed.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• Despite proposing a tripartite structure of the psalm, van der Lugt argues that "a caesura between vv. 11 and 12 divides the poem into two equal halves" and supposes v. 12 to be the "pivotal cola" in the middle of the psalm and also its "rhetorical centre." Similarly, Fokkelman calls it the "center of the message" with regards to contents. If the poetic structure is viewed as bipartite or tripartite as in our preferred analysis, this claim may find further support. V. 12 nicely blends the appeal for cleansing (cf. the repetition of טהר, which is also in vv. 4 and 9) from sin that characterizes the first half of the psalm with the appeal for spiritual restoration that characterizes the latter half. The reintroduction of the vocative אֱלֹהִ֑ים (last mentioned in v. 3 at the start of the first section) also supports the beginning of a new section here, as may the marked word order of both lines in v. 12 (see Macrosyntax).
• The inverted repetition of gladness (ששון) and face (פנים) in vv. 10-11 and vv. 13-14 are intriguing, but seems subordinated to the primary bipartite or tripartite structure of the psalm. Perhaps these repetitions serve to bind the two halves of the psalm and focus on v. 12, which is often perceived as the structural and rhetorical center of the psalm.
• The phrases clean heart (לֵ֣ב טָ֭הוֹר) and steadfast spirit (ר֥וּחַ נָ֝כ֗וֹן) are fronted for marked focus, indicating what should be created and renewed respectively. The fronting of constituents in both lines may increase the prominence of the verse and support the idea of a paragraph division here.
• Create a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit anticipate the brokenness described in v. 19, where brokenness is nevertheless presented as a good situation. Here the psalmist requests something even better, namely full spiritual restoration.
• The post-clausal vocative אֱלֹהִ֑ים helps delimit the poetic lines, and it repeats the addressee after a long section where the addressee is left implied, possibly resuming it for a new section of the psalm.
• A steadfast spirit (רוּחַ נָכוֹן) is stable in a moral sense, reliably and consistently exhibiting upright behavior, rather than wavering in doubt, despair, and/or disobedience.

v. 13

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
13a	אַל־תַּשְׁלִיכֵ֥נִי מִלְּפָנֶ֑יךָ	Do not cast me away from before you,
13b	וְר֥וּחַ קָ֝דְשְׁךָ֗ אַל־תִּקַּ֥ח מִמֶּֽנִּי׃	and do not take your holy spirit away from me.

Expanded Paraphrase

Even though you have the right do not cast me away from before you because I long to be in your presence, and do not take your holy spirit with which/whom you empower me with your presence away from me because I do not want to be estranged from you or because I do not want to lose your empowerment to rule as king.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• In the construct chain ר֥וּחַ קָ֝דְשְׁךָ֗, both holy and your modify the spirit. In the context of the Hebrew Bible, God's holy spirit is most likely to be understood as an immaterial emanation or hypostasis of himself that is God's energizing presence. A more explicitly trinitarian reading would be to understand the Holy Spirit as a distinct person of the godhead in relationship to "God" [= the Father] through whom God remains close to the psalmist. ר֥וּחַ קָ֝דְשְׁךָ֗ is fronted to create an inverted poetic sequence of verb phrases and non-verbs in a sort of chiasm, rather than for any information structural reason. This request seems not merely to be hyperbole or theoretical recognition of God's prerogative to reject the psalmist, but rather concern that this rejection is a very real possibility, given the psalmist's sin. The loss of God's spirit and approval would have devastating consequences (like the rejection of Saul and removal of his spirit in 1 Sam 16:14; cf. note on Ps 51:10), which the psalmist desires to avoid. We should be careful not to impose anachronistic concepts of the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Christian believers onto this Old Testament psalmist, who had no such guarantee. This may, however, be softened by the backdrop of the promises made to David in 2 Samuel 7.

v. 14

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
14a	הָשִׁ֣יבָה לִּ֭י שְׂשׂ֣וֹן יִשְׁעֶ֑ךָ	Restore to me the gladness that results from your salvation,
14b	וְר֖וּחַ נְדִיבָ֣ה תִסְמְכֵֽנִי׃	and (would you please) support me with a willing spirit.

Expanded Paraphrase

Restore to me the gladness like I had before that results from your salvation from adversities and enemies which I have experienced in the past, and (would you please) support me by creating within me and supplying me with a willing spirit that follows your ways steadfastly with my whole heart.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• There is no discernible semantic difference between the different noun forms יֵשַׁע salvation (v. 14) and תְּשׁוּעָה (v. 16). The latter is more common in prose texts, whereas the former regularly occurs in poetic texts (NIDOTTE, 2:556-562).
• The phrase willing spirit (ר֖וּחַ נְדִיבָ֣ה) is fronted to create an inverted poetic sequence of verb phrases and nominals in a sort of chiasm, rather than for any information structural reason. נְדִיבָה can be taken either as a feminine adjective or an abstract noun in a construct relation with רוּחַ. The word נְדִיבָה can have two basic senses, namely willingness and nobility. If willingness is understood as the main sense here, then the idea is either that the psalmist's spirit is willing to walk faithfully with God or that God's spirit is generously inclined towards the psalmist. If nobility is the main sense, then the spirit is portrayed as honorable, dignified, and beneficent, whether it be the psalmist's or God's. Most likely, the psalmist is calling on God to grant him a spirit (cf. v. 12) that is eager to walk purely with God that would sustain him in life and restore and retain a right relationship with God. When David requests a willing spirit, he admits the inadequacy of his own willingness and, by implication, his dependence upon God's grace.

• support (סמך) here (as in Gen 27:37) takes two objects indicating the person supported and the instrument with which the person is supported. The syntax leaves it ambiguous whether the spirit is God's supporting spirit or the psalmist's spirit by which God supports the psalmist.

Commitment to praise (vv. 15-17)

• In this section, the first word begins with א and the last word begins with ת, the first and last letters of the alphabet respectively. Similarly, the two words in the middle of the unexpected tricolon in the middle of the section also begin with א and ת. Such alphabetic plays are characteristic of didactic poetry, so it is perhaps not coincidental to find such features here in this section where the psalmist focuses on his teaching role.

v. 15

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
15a	אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה פֹשְׁעִ֣ים דְּרָכֶ֑יךָ	I intend to teach transgressors your ways,
15b	וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים אֵלֶ֥יךָ יָשֽׁוּבוּ׃	so that sinners will turn back to you.

Expanded Paraphrase

If you restore me I intend to teach other transgressors --namely, fellow Israelites who are walking in covenant disobedience and suffering accordingly-- your ways that they should follow, so that more sinners will turn back in repentance to you either for the first time or to renewed obedience and pursue covenant obedience.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The verb I intend to teach (אֲלַמְּדָה) is 1cs cohortative in form and stands out from the surrounding context of pleas directed towards God. It is understood here as a weaker commissive than yiqtol "I will teach," since it seems contingent upon the requested restoration of the psalmist and focuses on the psalmist's intention/will rather than certainty about the future. This statement of intention functions pragmatically as a vow. In Ps 34, David instructs sinners to turn to God in response to God's answer of his prayer. Here David expresses his determination to instruct sinners, but in the context it seems to remain in the realm of conditional possibility, rather than confidently anticipated reality. This verse is isolated within the broader context of a plea for restoration and provides grounds to persuade God to respond positively. The future instruction of sinners is contingent upon God's restoration of the psalmist, for which the psalmist is hopeful, but for which he has no guarantee.
• The conjunction so that (ו) in this verse is syntactically coordinating, but indicates a semantics of purpose/result.
• If the sinners mentioned in v. 15 are the faithful of restored Israel in v. 21, then vv. 15-21 begin and end with references to Israel.
• To you (אֵלֶ֥יךָ) may be placed before the verb to create an inverted poetic sequence in a sort of chiasm, rather than for any information structural reason.
• Will turn back (יָשׁוּבוּ) may be taken to imply that the sinners will "return" to a previously experienced state of proximity to YHWH, but it need not do so. The preferred gloss "turn back" allows for this possibility without requiring it, since the idea of reversal of course (i.e., away from a sinful, contrary trajectory) sufficiently accounts for the semantics of שׁוב.

v. 16

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
16a	הַצִּ֘ילֵ֤נִי מִדָּמִ֨ים׀ אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים	Deliver me from bloodshed, God,
16b	אֱלֹהֵ֥י תְּשׁוּעָתִ֑י	the God who saves me,
16c	תְּרַנֵּ֥ן לְ֝שׁוֹנִ֗י צִדְקָתֶֽךָ׃	(so that) my tongue will shout for joy about your righteousness.

Expanded Paraphrase

Deliver me from the threat of being the victim of bloodshed at the hands of enemies who unjustly attack me especially in light of the prophesied perpetual strife within my house, God, the God who saves me from adversities and enemies in the past and hopefully again now, (so that) my tongue will shout for joy about your righteousness because in your righteousness you will have saved me from undeserved adversities and/or unjust attacks by my enemies.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The abstract plural דָּמִים is a technical term for bloodshed (usually violent and unjustified) or the resulting culpability (i.e., "bloodguilt"). The gloss "bloodshed" intentionally leaves open the question of whether דָּמִים refers to forgiveness for blood shed by the psalmist/David or the psalmist's deliverance from having his own blood shed (whether by enemies or by God in punishment for acknowledged sin). The most likely interpretation of this bloodshed is that the psalmist is asking God to deliver him from having his own blood shed by the sinners mentioned in the preceding v. 15, the only place in the entire psalm where other sinners/enemies are explicitly mentioned.

• The post-clausal vocative God, the God who saves me (אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים אֱלֹהֵ֥י תְּשׁוּעָתִ֑י) helps delimit the poetic lines, which is true even if אֱלֹהֵ֥י תְּשׁוּעָתִ֑י is its own line as part of a tricolon. In conjunction with a return to directive verbal forms, it also repeats the addressee after several verses where the addressee is left implied.
• The redundant use of God (אֱלֹהִים) as a proper noun followed immediately by אֱלֹהֵי תְּשׁוּעָתִי (where אֱלֹהִים is a common noun) is odd and probably goes back to an original phrase יהוה אֱלֹהֵי תְּשׁוּעָתִי 'YHWH, the God of my salvation' (cf. Ps 88:2).
• The poetic position of the God who saves me (אֱלֹהֵ֥י תְּשׁוּעָתִ֑י) is difficult, with differing evidence on where to break the lines and how many lines should be supposed for the verse. If אֱלֹהֵ֥י תְּשׁוּעָתִ֑י is treated as a separate poetic line as here, then this would be one of only a few possible cases of a tricolon in this psalm, which everywhere else consists of clear bicola. In support of reading v. 16 as a tricolon, see also the possible didactic alphabetic play discussed under vv. 15-17 above.
• The purpose/result modality of (so that) [my tongue] will shout for joy could alternatively be analyzed as jussive, indicative, or precative (= "would you please").
• For the root צדק, see note on v. 6. צִדְקָתֶךָ can refer to a state of righteous character or a concrete right(eous) act (cf. v. 21). In parallel with תְּהִלָּה (v. 17), both interpretations are possible here, though we prefer to read it as praise for God's righteous character.

v. 17

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
17a	אֲ֭דֹנָי שְׂפָתַ֣י תִּפְתָּ֑ח	Lord, (would you please) open my lips,
17b	וּ֝פִ֗י יַגִּ֥יד תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ׃	so that my mouth will report praise concerning you.

Expanded Paraphrase

Lord to whom I am rightfully and willingly subject, (would you please) open my lips which are currently closed because of my adversity, so that my mouth will report praise concerning you for your character, salvific deeds, and mercy towards me.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• While v. 17a-b could be read with v. 16c as a three-fold result, the vocative at the beginning of v. 17a would be very disruptive on this interpretation. It suggests rather that the psalmist is calling the Lord to pay attention to a request in v. 17a. Reading v. 17a as a directive is also the most satisfying explanation for the purpose clause in v. 17b, which seems to require something stronger than a future indicative verb in v. 17a. Thus, v. 17 continues the theme of v. 16c not by elaborating with a series of results but rather by repeating the pattern of plea plus purpose/result. The request to open the psalmist's lips in v. 17a is implicitly a call for help in parallel to v. 16a.
• In the diagram, Lord (אֲ֭דֹנָי ) is treated as a title, rather than a grammatical construct chain. This pre-clausal vocative grabs the attention of the addressee and makes explicit that the Lord is the subject of the following verbs. This avoids ambiguity by clearly marking the resumption of 2ms forms after this pattern has been interrupted by a 3fs verb in the previous line. The vocative could also be understood as a marker of a new section, but thematic continuities make this difficult to accept.
• The שְׂפָתַ֣י is fronted for marked topic to indicate that the psalmist is shifting to talking about a new oral body part with which to praise God. The פִ֗י is fronted for marked topic, indicating that the following clause relates to the action of the mouth. Fronting of constituents in two consecutive lines in vv. 6 and 12 have been interpreted as beginning new sections, but this is thematically difficult to argue for v. 17.
• (Would you please) open could be taken semantically as a purpose/result clause like vv. 16c and 17b, but the vocative and word order suggest rather a precative, as might be expected from the context. The cause-effect relationship between v. 17a and 17b also seems too strong to ignore. Thus, we have two causes (vv. 16a and 17a), each followed by the effect (vv. 16b and 17b) of offering praise, which follows a similar structure as v. 15. The reason for the use of a precative yiqtol instead of an imperative is difficult to discern, as the two are semantically very similar. Perhaps in this case the weaker yiqtol is used because the psalmist's will is also involved (cf. the cohortative in v. 15), rather than being purely a unilateral work of God (cf. vv. 8, 14). On precative yiqtols as direct speech acts, see note on v. 9.
• The conjunction so that (ו) in this verse is syntactically coordinating, but indicates a semantics of purpose/result.
• Praise (תְּהִלָּה) normally refers to the act or content of praise, but can sometimes refer to praiseworthy actions.

Right sacrifices (vv. 18-21)

• The semantic domain of worship and ritual is especially prominent in the latter parts of the psalm, but see also v. 9 and the theme of cleansing, which has ritual connotations.
• Vv. 20-21 (often supposed to be a secondary addition) repeat many key roots from vv. 18-19, including חפץ, זבח, עלה, and רצה. The lexical repetitions clearly demonstrate that vv. 20-21 were meant to be read together with vv. 18-19. This is true whether vv. 20-21 were part of the original psalm or a secondary addition composed with a view to vv. 18-19. This poetic feature serves to connect the corporate vv. 20-21 to the individual lament parts of the psalm (vv. 3-19), from which in many structural and thematic ways it seems quite distinct. God does not delight in sacrifices alone, but desires broken hearts (vv. 18-19). If God restores his people, then with right hearts they will offer up sacrifices that are pleasing to God (vv. 20-21).

• Starting with the confident statement a broken and crushed heart, God, you do not despise in v. 19 and the confident then assertions in v. 21, the psalm makes an emotional shift towards even greater confidence in God's response, even to the extent of expectation.

Acceptable sacrifices (vv. 18-19)

• (Most of) the second half of the psalm is bound by an inverted repetition of לב and רוח that functions as an inclusio encompassing vv. 12-19, which reinforces these terms as key to the thematic movements in the second half of the psalm.
• The כִּי functions as a discourse particle introducing the entire description of the psalmist's sacrifice in vv. 18–19. A close causal connection between vv. 17-18 would be difficult to argue, since it is not clear why God's lack of desire for sacrifice should be the reason for the psalmist's praise. The reasoning only becomes clear with the implicit self-offering in v. 19, which then connects back to vv. 12-14. Thus, the causal relationship seems to have a larger scope than only vv. 17-18.

v. 18

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
18a	כִּ֤י ׀ לֹא־תַחְפֹּ֣ץ זֶ֣בַח וְאֶתֵּ֑נָה	For you do not delight in sacrifice(s), or else I would give (it/them);
18b	ע֝וֹלָ֗ה לֹ֣א תִרְצֶֽה׃	you are not pleased with burnt offering(s).

Expanded Paraphrase

For hyperbolically speaking you do not delight in sacrifice(s) at least as much as or in lieu of such heartfelt praise, or else if you would delight in sacrifices, I would to give (it/them) hypothetically; presuming that is possible as is now the case, hyperbolically speaking you are not pleased with burnt offering(s) at least not by that sacrifice alone apart from a broken heart.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• Sacrifices were the normal/expected means of maintaining a right relationship with God, but the psalmist recognizes that these are insufficient, given the sinfulness of his heart. Thus, David is left with no recourse other than to beg for the mercy of God.
• You [do not] delight is the yiqtol of the stative verb חפץ. In v. 8, the qatal form of this verb has been treated as stative because it has been deemed as sufficiently indicative of a habitual/characteristic state. Here, the yiqtol of חפץ is marked as habitual to distinguish it from the more typical qatal. The precise difference in nuance is difficult to determine.
• The syntax of this verse is difficult and contested. Most English translations along with the Masoretic vocalization and accents (and the layout of the Aleppo codex and Sassoon 1053) connect the pausal form וְאֶתֵּנָה with the preceding clause (v. 18a) with the sense or else (if you did delight in sacrifice[s]) I would give (it/them) (as does the Old Greek). In this case, וְאֶתֵּנָה functions as the result clause (apodosis) of an implied contrary-to-fact conditional (protasis): "If you did delight in sacrifice, then I would give it." The English "or else" expresses this nuance concisely and matches the Hebrew closely. Given the convergence of the MT and Greek reading traditions, we have retained this syntax, despite its difficulties.
• If וְאֶתֵּנָה is read with v. 18a, then burnt offering(s) (ע֝וֹלָ֗ה) is fronted to create an inverted sequence of verbs and objects in a sort of chiasm, rather than for any information structural reason.
• Regarding you are [not] pleased, (תִרְצֶה), the basic meaning of רצה is "to desire" (cf. note on v. 20), which works very well in this context in parallel to תַחְפֹּץ. The verb רצה is often glossed "accept" in sacrificial contexts, since only sacrifices that please the deity are deemed acceptable and hence efficacious.

v. 19

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
19a	זִֽבְחֵ֣י אֱלֹהִים֮ ר֪וּחַ נִשְׁבָּ֫רָ֥ה	The sacrifices (acceptable to) God are broken spirit(s);
19b	לֵב־נִשְׁבָּ֥ר וְנִדְכֶּ֑ה	a broken and crushed heart,
19c	אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים לֹ֣א תִבְזֶֽה׃	God, you do not despise.

Expanded Paraphrase

In place of a burnt offering the sacrifices (acceptable to) God in the sphere of my life in this world that is your cosmic temple are broken spirit(s) my inner being invisible to all but you that has been humbled by adversity and your discipline for my sin; a broken and crushed heart my will and desire that have been chastised and humbled by your disciplinary measures, God, you do not despise like you do wrong sacrifices offered without a humble heart.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• David already feels humbled by the consequences of his sin (v. 10), but also calls on God to give him a new heart and spirit that would be perfectly clean, steadfast, and willingly obedient (vv. 12, 14). David hopes that God will respond positively and grant him the kind of faithful and humble heart that God does not reject.
• The MT reading זִבְחֵי (in agreement with the Greek) is in construct with the following noun, yielding the sacrifices (acceptable to) God.
• Here the noun spirit (רוח) is treated (as expected) as a feminine noun for purposes of grammatical agreement, unlike in v. 12. The mismatch in number between the plural subject זִבְחֵי and singular predicate spirit (ר֪וּחַ) at first appears difficult, but singular ר֪וּחַ is often used in a distributive sense when applied to multiple individuals (e.g., Judg 8:3; Jer 10:14; 51:17; Ezek 11:5, 19; 13:3; 18:31; 20:32; 36:26-27; 37:5-6, 8; Hos 5:4; Mal 2:15-16; Ps 104:29; 135:17). Thus, grammatical agreement cannot be used to support the emendation to זִבְחִי "my sacrifice" earlier in the verse.
• The idea of a broken and/or crushed heart and/or spirit idiomatically uses imagery of breaking to indicate a humble state that results from discipline.

• Both broken and crushed collectively modify לֵב. This phrase לֵב־נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה is fronted to create an inverted poetic sequence in a sort of chiasm, rather than for any information structural reason. This chiastic structure is further supported by the clause-medial vocatives and the phonetic correspondence between זִבְחִי and תִבְזֶה.
• The clause-medial God (אֱלֹהִים) in v. 19b may simply be part of the inverted sequence in the b-line corresponding the אֱלֹהִים in the a-line.
• The MT reads the 2ms verb you [do not] despise (תִבְזֶה), in which case אֱלֹהִים must be read as a vocative. The Greek, on the other hand, reads it as the 3ms verb יִבְזֶה "[God] will not despise" with אֱלֹהִים as the subject of the verb.

Prosperity of Zion (vv. 20-21)

• The majority of critical commentators take vv. 20-21 as a secondary, (post-)exilic collectivizing addition to the main body of the psalm, given perceived anachronisms and thematic incongruities with vv. 3-19. For details, see the exegetical issue Psalm 51:20-21 and the Story Behind Psalm 51. With Fokkelman and van der Lugt, we read vv. 20-21 as integrated with vv. 18-19 in the final major section of the psalm. Whether secondary or not, vv. 20-21 were clearly written to be read with vv. 18-19, given their clusters of repeated vocabulary (see note on vv. 18-21 above) and focus on right sacrifice. These verses work out the corporate application of the generalized principles established in vv. 18-19 in the form of the personal lament. God does not delight in sacrifices (alone), but only accepts a humble heart (vv. 18-19). And when Israel is restored and comes with humble hearts, then their sacrifices will please God (vv. 20-21). Thus, vv. 20-21 envision collective restoration as an extension of the personal restoration envisioned in vv. 12-19.
• Vv. 20-21 are the only verses in the entire psalm where the poetic "I" is clearly not mentioned. It is as if the individual penitent has completely receded into the background and the restored nation has come to the fore. Note that this does not necessarily require a new speaker, however.

v. 20

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
20a	הֵיטִ֣יבָה בִ֭רְצוֹנְךָ אֶת־צִיּ֑וֹן	Do good to Zion in accord with what pleases you;
20b	תִּ֝בְנֶ֗ה חוֹמ֥וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃	(would you please) build the walls of Jerusalem.

Expanded Paraphrase

Since the restoration of the king is inextricably linked to the fortunes of the nation and because your holy city needs further development and because Israel will practice covenant obedience I request you to do good in ways you have not yet done or are not currently doing to Zion your holy mountain that represents all of Jerusalem in accord with what pleases you because I know that you long to bless and exalt Zion and restore your people; (would you please) build the walls of Jerusalem that are not yet complete so it can take its place as the strong center of your (eschatological) kingdom.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The Hiphil do good (הֵיטִיבָה) is generally understood to refer to the expression of goodness or good disposition by the subject, but could alternatively be treated as a causative or factitive verb inducing a state of goodness or prosperity in the object. Here the goodness and magnanimity of God's well-disposed actions towards Jerusalem seem to be in view. The anticipated consequence of this intervention is the restoration and prosperity of Jerusalem, but the verbal semantics should not be directly construed in this way.
• Regarding in accord with what pleases you, רָצוֹן refers to the will, namely what one desires or intends. While in English the verb "to please" takes an object who is pleased, perhaps it is better to frame the concept based on the verb רצה as the subject who experiences pleasure, e.g., "what you take pleasure in." Following vv. 18–19, the idea of God's good pleasure or desiderative will seems more prominent than his sovereign decretive will. This expression thus describes the manner or mode in which God's goodness is expressed to Jerusalem, namely in a manner pleasing to God.
• The MT reads the Qal imperfect 2ms verb (would you please) build (תִּבְנֶה) with God as the implied subject and the walls as the direct object. The morphological long form תִּבְנֶה instead of תִּבֶן could suggest the precative yiqtol (would you please build) over the jussive, though the difference is not consistently indicated in the Hebrew Bible. בנה means to "build" and may be used for continued building in ongoing building projects and improvements (see, especially, 1 Kgs 3:1; 9:15, for Solomon's continued building of the walls). In contexts where prior buildings have been constructed and damaged/destroyed, it could be better translated into English as "rebuild." Here, the neutral gloss "build" has been selected to retain the ambiguity of the Hebrew. For the contextual evidence, see Story Behind and the exegetical issue Psalm 51:20-21 and the Story Behind Psalm 51.

v. 21

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
21a	אָ֤ז תַּחְפֹּ֣ץ זִבְחֵי־צֶ֭דֶק עוֹלָ֣ה וְכָלִ֑יל	Then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offering(s) and whole offering(s);
21b	אָ֤ז יַעֲל֖וּ עַל־מִזְבַּחֲךָ֣ פָרִֽים׃	then (people) will offer up bulls on your altar.

Expanded Paraphrase

When the Jerusalem temple is built and becomes the central worship site for Israel then you will delight in right sacrifices unlike the wrong sacrifices offered apart from a broken spirit and heartfelt praise because they are offered with the broken hearts of the sinners who turned back to you, in burnt offering(s) and whole offering(s) which will be included in the future temple cult; then (people) will offer up bulls on your altar in Jerusalem, instead of Gibeon, because the altar will have been moved to Jerusalem.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The discourse particle then (אָז) is placed at the beginning of both lines in v. 21. These repeated temporal deictics emphatically point to the futurity of the restoration that is envisioned in these verses (as opposed to the psalmist's contemporary present), and may also hint that these future offerings are the logical result of the prospering of Zion. A similar repetition of discourse particles is also found at the end of the confession (vv. 7–8).
• For the root צדק, see note on v. 6. There is no obvious semantic difference between צֶדֶק and צְדָקָה (v. 16), though צְדָקָה is sometimes more concrete. Here, צֶדֶק seems to indicate what are the right (i.e., correct or appropriate) sacrifices, rather than the character of the offerer.
• Grammatically, right sacrifices (זִבְחֵי צֶדֶק) could be understood as the first element of a three-element list, but burnt offering(s) and whole offering(s) (עוֹלָה וְכָלִיל) are more properly subsets or examples of זִבְחֵי צֶדֶק. The whole offering כָלִיל refers to a type of burnt offering that is entirely consumed by fire, unlike other burnt offerings where parts of the animal are eaten by the participants..
• The most likely and idiomatic reading of will offer up as a Hiphil (rather than a Qal) requires an indefinite subject of an active verb in Hebrew, which is best translated into English with a passive verb. If the sinners mentioned in v. 15 are the faithful of restored Israel who offer right sacrifices in v. 21, then vv. 15-21 begin and end with references to Israel.

Legends

Grammatical diagram

For legend, click "Expand" to the right

Grammatical Term	Definition	Diagram	Example
Clausal Additions
Subject	The subject performs the action of the active verb or receives the action of a passive verb. With intransitive verbs	Indicated at the beginning of the main clausal line, and followed by a vertical line that crosses over the main clause line (separating the subject from the predicate).
Direct Object	Object that receives the direct action of a (transitive) verb	Indicate with a vertical line up from main clausal line
Predicate adjective/ Subject complement	A word used with a linking verb (ex. "to be"), renaming or restating the subject. Can be a whole prepositional phrase.	Indicate with a vertical slanted line up from the main clausal line. It can be on a stand if it is an embedded clause.
Object Complement	Word following a direct object to state what it has become.	Indicate with a vertical slanted line up from the main clausal line.
Infinitives	Can be subject, adverbial, or an infinitive construct.	Indicate with double vertical lines that cross the main clausal line. If used adverbially (ie. an embedded clause), place on a stand.
Participles	A verbal noun/adjective that can be used in three positions: (1) substantival; (2) attributive; (3) predicative.	Indicate with a round vertical line. Substantival participles are placed on a stand (they are embedded). Attributive participles are placed with a rounded line underneath what is modified.
Modifiers
Adjectives	A word modifying a noun to indicate quality, quantity, extent, or differentiating something from something else.	Indicate with a slanted line down from what is modified.
Adverbs	A word that modifies a verb, adverb, adjective, prepositional phrase, clause, or sentence to express a relation (ex. manner, quality, or time).	Indicate with a slanted line down from what is modified.
Construct relationships	Construction can express many different relationships between two (or more) nouns. English grammarians call this construction a ‘Construct’ (our term) or ‘Genitive’ phrase; Hebrew grammarians call it smīḵūt (סְמִיכוּת).	Indicate with a stair-step down from the modified word/clause/phrase.
Prepositional phrases	A phrase that consists of a preposition and its object and has adjectival or adverbial value	Indicate with a slanted vertical line connecting to a new clause.
Connectives	(1) Coordinating conjunctions join together words or word groups of equal grammatical rank (2) Subordinating conjunctions join a main clause and a clause which does not form a complete sentence by itself.	Indicate with a dashed line down from a vertical line marker.
Embedded clause	A clause inside another clause which can include substantival participles, adverbial infinitives, and prepositional phrases.	Indicate using stilts.
Particles
Subordinating particle	Indicates a dependent clause.	Indicate with a dashed line down from the antecedent to the pronoun.
Apposition	A word that is functioning as an explanatory equivalent as another in the sentence	Place on a line apart from the diagram but next to the word it is the equivalent of with an equal sign in between.
Vocative	Indicating a person being addressed (usually with a 2nd person verb)	Place on a line apart from the diagram next to the '()' indicating the gapped subject an equal sign in between.

Master Diagram

Shapes and colours on grammatical diagram

For legend, click "Expand" to the right

	Prepositional phrase	Construct chain	Construct chain within a prepositional phrase	Phrase-level waw	Article and כֹּל
Diagram Shading
Definition	- A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus its object. The phrase usually modifies the clause or another constituent in the clause.	- A construct chain, also called a 'genitive phrase', is a grammatical encoding of the relationship 'A of B,' in which A is a phonologically modified noun (in the construct state), and B is a phonologically unmodified noun (the absolute state).	- Some construct chains occur within prepositional phrases	- A waw conjunction can join units of all sizes. Phrase level waw join units at the word or phrase level (i.e., below the level of the clause).	- Definite articles tell you something about the identifiability or inclusiveness about the word it is attached to - כֹּל is a quantifier that tells you about the scope of a word it is attached to

Expanded paraphrase

For legend, click "Expand" to the right

• Close but Clear (CBC) translation
• Assumptions which provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences

Bibliography

For abbreviations, see the Style Guide.

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Eder, Sigrid. 2016. "'Broken Hearted' and 'Crushed in Spirit': Metaphors and Emotions in Psalm 34,19." Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament 30, no. 1: 1-15.

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Locatell, Christian S. 2017. "Grammatical Polysemy in the Hebrew Bible: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach to כי." (Ph.D. diss., University of Stellenbosch).

Lunn, Nicholas P. 2006. "Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics." Paternoster Biblical Monographs. Milton Keynes: Paternoster.

Magne, Jean. 1958. "Répétition de mots et exégèse dans quelques Psaumes et le Pater." Biblica 39: 177–97.

Miller, Cynthia L. 2010. "Vocative Syntax in Biblical Hebrew Prose and Poetry: A Preliminary Analysis." Semitic Studies 55, no. 1: 347-364.

Mowinckel, Sigmund. 1930. "טחות und שֹכוי. Eine Studie zur Astrologie des Alten Testaments." Acta Orientalia 8: 1–44.

Ross, William A. 2019. "David's Spiritual Walls and Conceptual Blending in Psalm 51." JSOT 43, no. 4: 607-626.

Shepherd, David J. 2023. King David, Innocent Blood, and Bloodguilt (Oxford: OUP).

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Footnotes

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