King James Version
Psalms 51
19 verses with commentary
Create in Me a Clean Heart
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.</strong> This opening of Scripture's most famous penitential psalm reveals the theological foundations of genuine repentance. David, confronted by Nathan after his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11-12), cries not for justice but m...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **Blot out.**—The figure is most probably, as in Exodus 32:32-33, taken from the custom of erasing a written record (comp. Numbers 5:23; Psalm 69:28). So LXX. and Vulg. Isaiah, however (Isaiah 44:22) uses the same word in a different connection, “I will blot out thy sins as a cloud.” A fine thought that the error and guilt that cloud the mind and conscience can be cleared off like a mist by a ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5-6. The sun, as the most glorious heavenly body, is specially used to illustrate the sentiment; and his vigorous, cheerful, daily, and extensive course, and his reviving heat (including light), well display the wondrous wisdom of his Maker.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 51
Chapter Outline
The psalmist prays for mercy, humbly confessing and lamenting his sins.
(1-6)
He pleads for pardon, that he may promote the glory of God and the conversion of sinners.
(7-15)
God is pleased with a contrite heart, A prayer for the prosperity of Zion.
(16-19)
**Verses 1-6**
David, being convinced of his sin, poured out his soul to God in p...
Read full commentary →Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.</strong> This verse intensifies David's plea for forgiveness, using two parallel couplets emphasizing thorough, complete cleansing. The imagery shifts from erasing a written record (v.1) to washing away defilement—sin as both legal debt and moral pollution requiring both pardon and purification.<br><br>"Wash me throughly" (כ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Wash me thoroughly.**—Literally, *Wash me much, *whether we follow the Hebrew text or the Hebrew margin. The two clauses of the verse are not merely antithetic. The terms *wash *and *cleanse *seem to imply respectively the *actual *and the *ceremonial *purification, the former meaning literally *to tread, *describing the process of washing clothes (as blankets are washed to this day in Scotl...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7-9. The law is described by six names, epithets, and effects. It is a rule, God's testimony for the truth, His special and general prescription of duty, fear (as its cause) and judicial decision. It is distinct and certain, reliable, right, pure, holy, and true. Hence it revives those depressed by doubts, makes wise the unskilled (2Ti 3:15), rejoices the lover of truth, strengthens the desponding...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 51
Chapter Outline
The psalmist prays for mercy, humbly confessing and lamenting his sins.
(1-6)
He pleads for pardon, that he may promote the glory of God and the conversion of sinners.
(7-15)
God is pleased with a contrite heart, A prayer for the prosperity of Zion.
(16-19)
**Verses 1-6**
David, being convinced of his sin, poured out his soul to God in p...
Read full commentary →For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
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KJV Study Commentary
The confession: 'For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.' David uses three words for sin: <em>pesha</em> (transgression, rebellion), <em>chata'ah</em> (sin, missing the mark), and <em>avon</em> (iniquity, twisted perversity). The sin is 'ever before me'--not hidden, excused, or minimized but constantly confronted.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **For I.**—There is an emphatic pronoun in the first clause which we may preserve, at the same time noticing the difference between the violation of the covenant generally in the term *transgressions *in the first clause, and the *offence *which made the breach in the second. (See Note Psalm 51:1.) *Because I am one who is conscious of my transgressions, and *(or, possibly, *even*)* my offence...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7-9. The law is described by six names, epithets, and effects. It is a rule, God's testimony for the truth, His special and general prescription of duty, fear (as its cause) and judicial decision. It is distinct and certain, reliable, right, pure, holy, and true. Hence it revives those depressed by doubts, makes wise the unskilled (2Ti 3:15), rejoices the lover of truth, strengthens the desponding...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 51
Chapter Outline
The psalmist prays for mercy, humbly confessing and lamenting his sins.
(1-6)
He pleads for pardon, that he may promote the glory of God and the conversion of sinners.
(7-15)
God is pleased with a contrite heart, A prayer for the prosperity of Zion.
(16-19)
**Verses 1-6**
David, being convinced of his sin, poured out his soul to God in p...
Read full commentary →Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.</strong> This verse reveals the vertical dimension of all sin and vindicates God's righteous judgment. Though David wronged Bathsheba, murdered Uriah, and scandalized Israel, he recognizes his sin was ultimately against God—the supreme...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Against thee, thee only . . .**—This can refer to nothing but a breach of the covenant-relation by the nation at large. An individual would have felt his guilt against the nation or other individuals, as well as against Jehovah. The fact that St. Paul quotes (from the LXX.) part of the verse in Romans 3:4 (see Note, *New Testament Commentary*) has naturally opened up an avenue for discussion...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7-9. The law is described by six names, epithets, and effects. It is a rule, God's testimony for the truth, His special and general prescription of duty, fear (as its cause) and judicial decision. It is distinct and certain, reliable, right, pure, holy, and true. Hence it revives those depressed by doubts, makes wise the unskilled (2Ti 3:15), rejoices the lover of truth, strengthens the desponding...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 51
Chapter Outline
The psalmist prays for mercy, humbly confessing and lamenting his sins.
(1-6)
He pleads for pardon, that he may promote the glory of God and the conversion of sinners.
(7-15)
God is pleased with a contrite heart, A prayer for the prosperity of Zion.
(16-19)
**Verses 1-6**
David, being convinced of his sin, poured out his soul to God in p...
Read full commentary →Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. conceive: Heb. warm me
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.</strong> This verse has generated enormous theological discussion, touching on original sin, human depravity, and the transmission of Adam's guilt. David traces his sin to conception, acknowledging a sinful nature inherited from birth, not merely acquired through bad choices.<br><br>"Behold" (הֵן/<em>hen</em>) commands...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Behold, I was shapen . . .**—Better, *Behold, I was born in iniquity.*
The later rabbis, combining this verse with the mystery hanging over the origin and name of David’s mother, represent him as born in adultery. (See Stanley, *Jewish Church, *chap. ii., p. 46, Note.) The word rendered *conceived *is certainly one generally used of animal desire. (The marginal *warm me *is erroneous.) But t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 51
Chapter Outline
The psalmist prays for mercy, humbly confessing and lamenting his sins.
(1-6)
He pleads for pardon, that he may promote the glory of God and the conversion of sinners.
(7-15)
God is pleased with a contrite heart, A prayer for the prosperity of Zion.
(16-19)
**Verses 1-6**
David, being convinced of his sin, poured out his soul to God in p...
Read full commentary →Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals God's concern for internal reality over external performance. "Thou desirest truth" (אֱמֶת חָפַצְתָּ/'emet chafatzta)—God delights in, takes pleasure in truth. "In the inward parts" (בַּטֻּחוֹת/batuchot) refers to the hidden, covered places—the interior self beyond public view. "The hidden part" (בַּסָּתֻם/bassatum) emphasizes concealment. God wants authenticity where only He se...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Truth.**—Or, *faithfulness.*
**Inward parts.**—The Hebrew word is found only once besides (Job 38:36), where it is in parallelism with “heart.”
The sincerity and true self-discernment which God requires can only come of spiritual insight, or, as the last clause states it, divine instruction.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 51
Chapter Outline
The psalmist prays for mercy, humbly confessing and lamenting his sins.
(1-6)
He pleads for pardon, that he may promote the glory of God and the conversion of sinners.
(7-15)
God is pleased with a contrite heart, A prayer for the prosperity of Zion.
(16-19)
**Verses 1-6**
David, being convinced of his sin, poured out his soul to God in p...
Read full commentary →Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.</strong> This verse beautifully expresses confidence in God's cleansing power through imagery drawn from Levitical purification ceremonies. David knows only God can purify him, but he trusts that when God cleanses, the result is complete, spotless purity.<br><br>"Purge me with hyssop" (תְּחַטְּאֵנִי בְאֵז...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Hyssop.**—The mention of this connects this verse with the priestly ordinances concerning leprosy and contact with a dead body (Leviticus 14; Numbers 19); but generally it is a repetition of the former prayer to have the breach made in the covenant - relationship healed. (Comp. Isaiah 1:18.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-14. The clearer our view of the law, the more manifest are our sins. Still for its full effect we need divine grace to show us our faults, acquit us, restrain us from the practice, and free us from the power, of sin. Thus only can our conduct be blameless, and our words and thoughts acceptable to God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, He 12:24. If this blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we shall be clean indeed, He 10:2. He asks not to be comforted, till he is firs...
Read full commentary →Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
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KJV Study Commentary
The plea for joy: 'Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.' Sin has not only brought guilt but destroyed joy. David's 'bones' (deepest being) feel broken by divine judgment. Restored joy will come from hearing God's word of forgiveness.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **The bones which thou hast broken . . .**—Through his whole being the psalmist has felt the crushing weight of sin; to its *very fibres, *as we say, his frame has suffered.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-14. The clearer our view of the law, the more manifest are our sins. Still for its full effect we need divine grace to show us our faults, acquit us, restrain us from the practice, and free us from the power, of sin. Thus only can our conduct be blameless, and our words and thoughts acceptable to God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, He 12:24. If this blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we shall be clean indeed, He 10:2. He asks not to be comforted, till he is firs...
Read full commentary →Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
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KJV Study Commentary
The prayer for divine amnesia: 'Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.' David asks God to look away from his sins and to erase them from the record. 'Blot out' uses the imagery of wiping a slate clean or deleting a written record. Complete removal, not merely overlooking.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Hide thy face** **. . .**—*i.e., *thy angry look. (See Psalm 21:9.) More usually the expression is used in the opposite sense of hiding the *gracious *look. As long as Jehovah kept the *offences *before Him the breach in the covenant must continue.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-14. The clearer our view of the law, the more manifest are our sins. Still for its full effect we need divine grace to show us our faults, acquit us, restrain us from the practice, and free us from the power, of sin. Thus only can our conduct be blameless, and our words and thoughts acceptable to God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, He 12:24. If this blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we shall be clean indeed, He 10:2. He asks not to be comforted, till he is firs...
Read full commentary →Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. right: or, constant
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.</strong> This is perhaps Scripture's most famous prayer for regeneration and sanctification. David recognizes he needs not merely forgiveness but transformation—a heart recreated by God's creative power and a spirit renewed to pursue righteousness.<br><br>"Create in me" (בְּרָא־לִי/<em>bera-li</em>) uses <em>bara</em>, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Right spirit.**—So LXX. and Vulg.; but the *constant *of the margin is nearer the Hebrew, and better.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, He 12:24. If this blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we shall be clean indeed, He 10:2. He asks not to be comforted, till he is firs...
Read full commentary →Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.</strong> This verse reveals David's deepest fear: losing God's presence and the Holy Spirit. Having experienced intimate fellowship with God and the Spirit's anointing for kingship, David dreads separation more than any temporal consequence—death of his child, Nathan's rebuke, public scandal, or political instability...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Cast me not away.**—This phrase is used of the formal rejection of Israel by the God of the covenant (2Kings 13:23; 2Kings 17:20; 2Kings 24:20; Jeremiah 7:15). Its use here not only confirms the explanation of the notes above, but makes in favour of understanding the whole psalm of the community.
**Take not thy holy spirit.**—Commentators have discussed whether this means the spirit of *off...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 20 Psa 20:1-9. David probably composed this Psalm to express the prayers of the pious for his success as at once the head of the Church and nation. Like other compositions of which David in such relations is the subject, its sentiments have a permanent value--the prosperity of Christ's kingdom being involved, as well as typified, in that of Israel and its king.
**1. hear thee--**graciously ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, He 12:24. If this blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we shall be clean indeed, He 10:2. He asks not to be comforted, till he is firs...
Read full commentary →Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.</strong> This verse shifts from pleading against loss (v.11) to positive petitions for restoration. David seeks not merely to avoid disaster but to recover the joy once experienced in salvation and to receive sustaining grace for ongoing faithfulness.<br><br>"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (הָשִׁיבָה ל...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Joy of thy salvation.**—This again points to a sense of restoration of covenant privileges.
**Thy free spirit.**—Rather, *with a willing spirit. *Or we may render, *a willing spirit shall support me.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. strengthen thee--**sustain in conflict; even physical benefits may be included, as courage for war, &c., as such may proceed from a sense of divine favor, secured in the use of spiritual privileges.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, He 12:24. If this blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we shall be clean indeed, He 10:2. He asks not to be comforted, till he is firs...
Read full commentary →Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
The commitment: 'Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.' Forgiven David becomes evangelistic David. Having received mercy, he will lead others to find the same. 'Thy ways' are God's patterns of grace; 'conversion' is turning from sin to God. Restored sinners make effective witnesses.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Shall be converted.**—Better, *shall turn to thee. *(See Note Psalm 50:23.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. all thy offerings--**or gifts, vegetable offerings.
**accept--**literally, "turn to ashes" (compare 1Ki 18:38).
**Selah--**(See on Psa 3:2).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, He 12:24. If this blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we shall be clean indeed, He 10:2. He asks not to be comforted, till he is firs...
Read full commentary →Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. bloodguiltiness: Heb. bloods
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KJV Study Commentary
The specific plea: 'Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God.' David explicitly names his sin--Uriah's murder. 'Bloodguiltiness' (<em>damim</em>, bloods) emphasizes violence and guilt. Only God can deliver from such guilt. The promised response: 'my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.'
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Bloodguiltiness . . .**—Literally, as in the margin, *bloods. *So in LXX. and in Vulg., but thus hardly making it clear whether the word implies the guilt of blood already shed or anticipated violence. The latter would rather have taken the form of Psalm 59:2, “from men of blood.” Probably we should read “from death,” as in Psalm 56:13.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. thy counsel--**or plan.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, He 12:24. If this blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we shall be clean indeed, He 10:2. He asks not to be comforted, till he is firs...
Read full commentary →O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
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KJV Study Commentary
The opened lips: 'O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.' Sin had silenced David; guilt closed his mouth. Divine forgiveness opens lips for praise. The same mouth that commanded Uriah's death will now declare God's praise. Transformation, not just pardon.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **My lips.**—Comp. Psalm 71:15. The sense of forgiveness is like a glad morning to song-birds.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. salvation--**that wrought and experienced by him.
**set up our banners--**(Nu 2:3, 10). In usual sense, or, as some render, "may we be made great."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-15**
Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, He 12:24. If this blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, cleanse us from our sin, then we shall be clean indeed, He 10:2. He asks not to be comforted, till he is firs...
Read full commentary →For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. else: or, that I should
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KJV Study Commentary
The inadequacy of ritual: 'For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.' David cannot simply offer an animal and be cleansed. His sin exceeds ritual remedy. God desires something sacrifice alone cannot provide. This isn't rejecting sacrifice but recognizing its limits.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Sacrifice.**—The rabbinical commentators on this verse represent *the penitence *of David as having taken the place of the *sin-offering *prescribed by the Law. In the mouth of an individual, language with such an intention would not have been possible. To the nation exiled and deprived of the legal rites, and by that very deprivation compelled to look beyond their outward form to their inn...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6. He speaks as if suddenly assured of a hearing.
**his anointed--**not only David personally, but as the specially appointed head of His Church.
**his holy heaven--**or, literally, "the heavens of His holiness," where He resides (Psa 2:6; 11:4).
**saving ... hand--**His power which brings salvation.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-19**
Those who are thoroughly convinced of their misery and danger by sin, would spare no cost to obtain the remission of it. But as they cannot make satisfaction for sin, so God cannot take any satisfaction in them, otherwise than as expressing love and duty to him. The good work wrought in every true penitent, is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, and sorrow for sin....
Read full commentary →The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.</strong> This verse concludes the penitential section before David's intercessory prayer for Jerusalem (vv.18-19). It reveals what God truly desires: not external ritual but internal reality—genuine brokenness over sin and humble contrition before His holiness.<br><br>"The sacrifices of ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. remember--**or cause to remember, mention thankfully (1Sa 17:45; Psa 33:16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-19**
Those who are thoroughly convinced of their misery and danger by sin, would spare no cost to obtain the remission of it. But as they cannot make satisfaction for sin, so God cannot take any satisfaction in them, otherwise than as expressing love and duty to him. The good work wrought in every true penitent, is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, and sorrow for sin....
Read full commentary →Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
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KJV Study Commentary
The prayer for Zion: 'Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.' David's sin affected the whole community; his restoration should bless all Jerusalem. The king's moral health impacts the nation's wellbeing. Restored David prays for restored Zion.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Do good.**—The last two verses have occasioned much controversy. They do not fit in well with the theory of Davidic authorship, Theodoret long ago saying that they better suited the exiles in Babylon. They seem at first sight to contradict what has just been asserted of sacrifice. On both grounds they have been regarded as a liturgical addition, such as doubtless the compiler made, without ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. They--**that is, who trust in horses, &c.
**stand upright--**literally, "we have straightened ourselves up from our distress and fears."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-19**
Those who are thoroughly convinced of their misery and danger by sin, would spare no cost to obtain the remission of it. But as they cannot make satisfaction for sin, so God cannot take any satisfaction in them, otherwise than as expressing love and duty to him. The good work wrought in every true penitent, is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, and sorrow for sin....
Read full commentary →Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
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KJV Study Commentary
The proper sacrifices: 'Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness...then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.' After heart-repentance comes appropriate ritual. Sacrifices offered from broken, contrite hearts (v.17) are 'sacrifices of righteousness.' External worship flows from internal transformation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. let the king hear--**as God's representative, delivered to deliver. Perhaps a better sense is, "Lord, save the king; hear us when we call," or pray.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-19**
Those who are thoroughly convinced of their misery and danger by sin, would spare no cost to obtain the remission of it. But as they cannot make satisfaction for sin, so God cannot take any satisfaction in them, otherwise than as expressing love and duty to him. The good work wrought in every true penitent, is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, and sorrow for sin....
Read full commentary →