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Psalm Fifty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David
in the
coming inn unto him of Nathan the prophet
when he hath gone in unto
Bath-Sheba.
INTRODUCTION TO Psalm 51
To the chief Musician
A Psalm of David
when Nathan the prophet
came unto him
after he had gone in to Bathsheba. The occasion of this
psalm was the sin of David with Bathsheba
signified by "going in to
her"; an euphemism for "lying with her"; which sin was a very
aggravated one
she being another man's wife
and the wife of a servant and
soldier of his
who was at the same time exposing his life for his king and
country's good; and David besides had many wives
and was also king of Israel
and should have set a better example to his subjects; and it was followed with
other sins
as the murder of Uriah
and the death of several others; with
scandal to religion
and with security and impenitence in him for a long time
until Nathan the prophet was sent to him of God
to awaken him to a sense of
his sin; which he immediately acknowledged
and showed true repentance for it:
upon which
either while Nathan was present
or after he was gone
he penned
this psalm; that it might remain on record
as a testification of his
repentance
and for the instruction of such as should fall into sin
how to
behave
where to apply
and for their comfort. The history of all this may be
seen in the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the second book of Samuel.
Psalm 51:1 51 Have mercy upon me
O God
According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender
mercies
Blot out my transgressions.
YLT
1Favour me
O God
according
to Thy kindness
According to the abundance of Thy mercies
Blot out my
transgressions.
Have mercy upon me
O God
.... David
under a sense of sin
does not run away from God
but applies unto him
and
casts himself at his feet
and upon his mercy; which shows the view he had of
his miserable condition
and that he saw there was mercy in God
which gave him
hope; and upon his bended knees
and in the exercise of faith
he asks for it;
according to thy lovingkindness; not according to his
merits
nor according to the general mercy of God
which carnal men rely upon;
but according to his everlasting and unchangeable love in Christ; from which as
the source
and through whom as the medium
special mercy comes to the children
of men. The acts of special mercy are according to the sovereign will of God:
he is not moved to mercy neither by the merits nor misery of men
but by his
free grace and favour; it is love that sets mercy to work: this is a most
glaring gleam of Gospel light
which none of the inspired writers besides
except the Apostle Paul
saw
Ephesians 2:4;
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my
transgressions; for his sin was complicated
attended with many others; and
besides
upon a view of this
he was led to observe all his other sins; and
particularly the corruption of his nature
his original sin
which he mentions
Psalm 51:5. These
he desires might be "blotted out"; out of the book of account
out of
God's debt book; that they might not stand against him
being debts he was not
able to pay or make satisfaction for; and out of the table of his own heart and
conscience
where they were ever before him
and seemed to be engraven; that
they might be caused to pass from him
and he might have no more conscience of
them; or that they might be blotted out
as a cloud by the clear shining of the
sun of righteousness
with the healing of pardoning grace in his wings; or that
they might be wiped away
as any faith is wiped from any person or thing: and
all this "according to the multitude of his tender mercies".
The mercy of God is plenteous and abundant; he is rich in it
and various are
the instances of it; and it is exceeding tender
like that of a father to his
children
or like that of a mother to the son of her womb; and from this
abundant and tender mercy springs the forgiveness of sin
Luke 1:77. The
psalmist makes mention of the multitude of the mercies of God
because of the
multitude of his sins
which required a multitude of mercy to forgive
and to
encourage his hope of it.
Psalm 51:2 2 Wash me thoroughly from my
iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
YLT
2Thoroughly wash me from
mine iniquity
And from my sin cleanse me
Wash me thoroughly from
mine iniquity
.... Which supposes defilement by sin
and that very great
and
such as none can remove but the Lord himself; who
when he takes it in hand
does it effectually and thoroughly; see Ezekiel 36:25.
David's sin had long lain upon him
the faith of it had as it were eaten into
him
and spread itself over him
and therefore he needed much washing:
"wash me much"
all over
and thoroughly:
and cleanse me from my sin: which only the blood of
Christ can do
1 John 1:7. The
psalmist makes use of three words to express his sin by
in this verse Psalm 51:1; פשע
which signifies "rebellion"
as all sin has
in it rebellion against God the lawgiver
and a contempt of his commandments; עון
"perverseness"
"crookedness"
sin
being a going out of the plain way of God's righteous law; and חטאת
"a missing the mark"; going besides it or
not coming up to it: and these he makes rise of to set forth the malignity of
sin
and the deep sense he had of the exceeding sinfulness of it; and these are
the three words used by the Lord in Exodus 34:7; when
he declares himself to be a sin forgiving God; so that David's sin came within
the reach of pardoning mercy.
Psalm 51:3 3 For I acknowledge my
transgressions
And my sin is always before me.
YLT
3For my transgressions I do
know
And my sin [is] before me continually.
For I acknowledge my
transgressions
.... Before God and man. Acknowledgment of sin is what the Lord
requires
and promises forgiveness upon
and therefore is used here as a plea
for it; and moreover the psalmist had done so before
and had succeeded in this
way
which must encourage him to take the same course again; see Psalm 32:5;
and my sin is ever before me; staring him in the face;
gnawing upon his conscience
and filling him with remorse and distress; so that
his life was a burden to him: for though God had put away sin out of his own
sight
so that he would not condemn him for it
and he should not die;
notwithstanding as yet it was not caused to pass from David
or the guilt of it
removed from his conscience.
Psalm 51:4 4 Against You
You only
have I sinned
And done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found
just when You speak
[a] And
blameless when You judge.
YLT
4Against Thee
Thee only
I
have sinned
And done the evil thing in Thine eyes
So that Thou art righteous
in Thy words
Thou art pure in Thy judging.
Against thee
thee only
have I sinned
.... All sin
though committed against a fellow creature
being a
transgression of the law
is against the lawgiver; and
indeed
begins at the
neglect or contempt of his commandment
as David's sin did
2 Samuel 12:9; and
being committed against God
that had bestowed so many favours upon him
was a
cutting consideration to him
which made his sorrow appear to be of a godly
sort; wherefore he makes his humble and hearty confession to the Lord
and who
only could forgive his sin;
and done this evil in thy sight; for with
respect to men it was secretly done; and was only known to God
with whom the
darkness and the light are both alike;
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest
and be
clear when thou judgest; not that David committed this sin that God might be just
and
pure
and holy; but this was the event and consequence of it: God
by taking
notice of it
resenting it
and reproving for it
appeared to be a righteous
Being
and of purer eyes than to behold sin with pleasure; see Exodus 9:27. Or
these words may be connected with his acknowledgment and confession of sin;
which were done to this end and purpose
to justify God in his charge of it
upon him
and in threatening him with evils on account of it
by the mouth of
Nathan the prophet: or with his petitions for pardoning grace and mercy; that
so he might appear to be just to his promise
of forgiving iniquity
transgression and sin
to humble penitents; and particularly that he might
appear to be just and faithful to his Son
in forgiving sin for his sake; whom
he had set forth
in his purposes and promises
to be the propitiation for sin
to declare his righteousness
Romans 3:25; see Romans 3:4.
Psalm 51:5 5 Behold
I was brought
forth in iniquity
And in sin my mother conceived me.
YLT
5Lo
in iniquity I have been
brought forth
And in sin doth my mother conceive me.
Behold
I was shapen in
iniquity
.... This cannot be understood of any personal iniquity of his
immediate parents; since this respects his wonderful formation in the womb
in
which both he and they were wholly passive
as the word here used is of that
form; and is the amazing work of God himself
so much admired by the psalmist
Psalm 139:13; and
cannot design any sinfulness then infused into him by his Maker
seeing God cannot
be the author of sin; but of original sin and corruption
derived to him by
natural generation: and the sense is
that as soon as ever the mass of human
nature was shaped and quickened
or as soon as soul and body were united
together
sin was in him
and he was in sin
or became a sinful creature;
and in sin did my mother conceive me; by whom
cannot be meant Eve; for though she is the mother of all living
and so of
David
yet could not
with any propriety
be said to conceive him: this only
could be said of his immediate parent
not even of his next grandmother
much
less of Eve
at the distance of almost three thousand years. Nor does the sin
in which he was conceived intend any sin of his parents
in begetting and
conceiving him
being in lawful wedlock; which acts cannot be sinful
since the
propagation of the human species by natural generation is a principle of nature
implanted by God himself; and is agreeably to the first law of nature
given to
man in a state of innocence
"increase and multiply"
Genesis 1:28.
Marriage is the institution of God in paradise; and in all ages has been
accounted "honourable in all
when the bed is undefiled"
Hebrews 13:4. Nor
does it design his being conceived when his mother was in
"profluviis"
of which there is no proof
and is a mere imagination
and can answer no purpose; much less that he was conceived in adultery
as the
contenders for the purity of human nature broadly intimate; which shows how
much they are convicted by this text
to give into such an interpretation of
it
at the expense of the character of an innocent person
of whom there is not
the least suggestion of this kind in the Holy Scriptures; but on the contrary
she is represented as a religious woman
and David valued himself upon his
relation to her as such
Psalm 86:16.
Besides
had this been the case
as David would have been a bastard
he would
not have been suffered to enter into the congregation of the Lord
according to
the law in Deuteronomy 23:2;
whereas he often did with great delight
Psalm 42:4.
Moreover
it is beside his scope and design to expose the sins of others
much
less his own parents
while he is confessing and lamenting his own iniquities:
and to what purpose should he mention theirs
especially if he himself was not
affected by them
and did not derive a corrupt nature from them? Nor is the sin
he speaks of any actual sin of his own
and therefore he does not call it
as
before
"my" iniquity and "my" sin; though it was so
he
having sinned in Adam
and this being in his nature; but "iniquity"
and "sin"
it being common to him with all mankind. Hence we learn
the earliness of the corruption of nature; it is as soon as man is conceived
and shapen; and that it is propagated from one to another by natural
generation; and that it is the case of all men: for if this was the case of
David
who was born of religious parents
was famous for his early piety
and
from whose seed the Messiah sprung
it may well be concluded to be the case of
all. And this corruption of nature is the fountain
source
and spring of all sin
secret and open
private and public; and is mentioned here not as an
extenuation of David's actual transgressions
but as an aggravation of them; he
having been
from his conception and formation
nothing else but a mass of sin
a lump of iniquity; and
in his evangelical repentance for them
he is led to
take notice of and mourn over the corruption of his nature
from whence they
arose. The Heathens themselves affirm
that no man is born without sinF3"Nam
vitiis nemo sine nascitur". Horat. Sermon. l. 1. Satyr. 3. .
Psalm 51:6 6 Behold
You desire truth
in the inward parts
And in the hidden part You will make me to know
wisdom.
YLT
6Lo
truth Thou hast desired
in the inward parts
And in the hidden part Wisdom Thou causest me to know.
Behold
thou desirest
truth in the inward parts
.... With delight and pleasure
as the wordF4חפצת "delectaris"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator; "delectatus es"
Cocceius; so Ainsworth. signifies: meaning
either Christ
the truth and the life
formed and dwelling in the hearts of his
people; or the Gospel
the word of truth
which has a place there; and
particularly that branch of it which proclaims pardon to sensible sinners
and
is the ground of hope within them: or else a true and hearty confession of sin
which David now made; or rather internal holiness and purity of heart
in
opposition to the corruption of nature before acknowledged: this is what is
agreeable to the nature of God
is required by his holy law
and is wrought in
the hearts of his people in regeneration; and this is "truth"
real
and not imaginary
genuine and unfeigned; where it is there is a true sense of
sin
a right sight of Christ
unfeigned faith in him
sincere love to him
hope
in him without hypocrisy
and a reverential fear of God upon the heart; the
inward parts are the seat of all this
and in the exercise of it the Lord takes
great delight and pleasure;
and in the hidden part thou shall make me to know wisdom; either
Christ
the wisdom of God; or the Gospel
and particularly that part of it
which concerns the pardon of sin; or a true knowledge of sin
and of the way of
life and salvation by Christ
which is the truest and highest wisdom: and the
phrase "hidden" or "secret" may either denote the nature of
the wisdom made known
which is hidden wisdom
the wisdom of God in a mystery;
or the manner in which it is made known; it is in a hidden way
privately
and
secretly
and indiscernibly like the wind
by the Spirit and grace of God; or
the seat and subject of it
"the hidden part"
as we supply it; the
hidden man of the heart. David begins to rise in the exercise of his faith in
the grace of God
"thou shall make me to know"
&c. unless the
words should be rendered as a prayer
as they are by some
"make me to
know"F5תודיעני "notam mihi
fac"
Gejerus.
&c. and as are the following.
Psalm 51:7 7 Purge me with hyssop
and
I shall be clean; Wash me
and I shall be whiter than snow.
YLT
7Thou cleansest me with
hyssop and I am clean
Washest me
and than snow I am whiter.
Purge me with hyssop
.... Or
"thou shalt purge me with hyssop"F6תחטאני
"purificabis me"
Pagninus
Montanus; "exiabis me"
Vatablus
Musculus
Cocceius
Gejerus. ; or "expiate me"; which was
used in sprinkling the blood of the paschal lamb on the door posts of the
Israelites in Egypt
that the destroying angel might pass over them
Exodus 12:22; and
in the cleansing of the leper
Leviticus 14:4; and
in the purification of one that was unclean by the touch of a dead body
&c. Numbers 19:6; which
the Targum on the text has respect to; and this petition of the psalmist shows
that he saw himself a guilty creature
and in danger of the destroying angel
and a filthy creature like the leper
and deserving to be excluded from the
society of the saints
and the house of God; and that he had respect not hereby
to ceremonial sprinklings and purifications
for them he would have applied to
a priest; but to the sprinkling of the blood of Christ
typified thereby; and
therefore he applies to God to purge his conscience with it; and
as SuidasF7In
voce υσσωπος. from
Theodoret observes
hyssop did not procure remission of sins
but has a
mystical signification
and refers to what was meant by the sprinkling of the
blood of the passover; and then he says
and I shall be clean; thoroughly clean; for
the blood sprinkled on the heart by the spirit clears it from an evil
conscience
purges the conscience from dead works
and cleanses from all sin;
wash me; or "thou shall wash me"F8תכבסני "lavabis me"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Vatablus
Musculus
Cocceius. ; alluding to the washing at the cleansing of a
leper
and the purification of an unclean person
Leviticus 14:8; but
had in view the fountain of Christ's blood
in which believers are washed from
all their sins
Zechariah 13:1;
and I shall be whiter than snow; who was black with
original corruption
and actual transgressions; but the blood of Christ makes
not only the conversation garments white that are washed in it; but even
crimson and scarlet sins as white as wool
as white as snow
and the persons of
the saints without spot or blemish
Revelation 7:14
Ephesians 5:25;
"whiter than the snow" is a phrase used by HomerF9Iliad.
10. v. 437. So Martial. l. 7. Epigr. 27. Ovid. Amor. l. 3. Eleg. 6.
and
others
to describe what is exceeding white.
Psalm 51:8 8 Make me hear joy and
gladness
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
YLT
8Thou causest me to hear joy
and gladness
Thou makest joyful bones Thou hast bruised.
Make me to hear joy and
gladness
.... Which he had not heard for some time; sin had sadly broke in
upon and interrupted his spiritual peace and joy; for though the love and
favour of God cannot be lost
yet his sensible presence
which puts joy and
gladness into the heart
may; and though an interest in Christ ever continues
and union to him is always the same; yet a view of interest in him
which fills
with joy unspeakable and full of glory
and communion with him
may not be had
for a time: and though justification by his righteousness
from whence flows
much peace
is an invariable blessing; yet the comfortable perception of it may
be taken away: and though salvation by Christ is a certain thing
yet the joy
of it may be lost for a season; which was now the case of the psalmist: and
when he desires that God would cause him to hear joy and gladness
his meaning
is
that he might have that made known unto him; namely
the forgiveness of his
sins
which would give him joy: not by an articulate voice from heaven
which
he did not expect; nor by an angel from thence
which was not usual; but by the
prophet
who as yet might not have declared to him that God had put away his
sin; or
if he had
he might desire to have it repeated
for his fuller
assurance
and greater joy; or by his Spirit
in an impulse on his mind
saying
to him
thy sins are forgiven thee; which would give him great joy
fulness of
it
even what is inconceivable and inexpressible
signified by these two words
"joy" and "gladness";
that the bones which
thou hast broken may rejoice: a backsliding believer is not only like a
bone out of joint
Galatians 6:1; but
his falls are sometimes both to the bruising of him
and to the breaking of his
bones; of which when he is sensible
the quick sense of his sin is as the pain
of a broken bone; see Psalm 38:3; and
here the breaking of them is ascribed to God; not that he is the cause or
occasion of falling into sin
which breaks the bones
James 1:13; but of
afflictions
corrections
and chastisements for sin
which are sometimes
expressed by this phrase
Isaiah 38:13; and
which David was threatened with
and gave him great uneasiness; and of the
menaces and threatenings of the law
which being let into his conscience
worked wrath and terror there; and also of that true contrition of heart
and
brokenness of spirit
which the Lord produces
and can only cure
by the
discoveries of pardoning grace; which affects the whole frame of nature
the
report of which makes the bones fat
and all of them to say
who is a God like
unto thee? Proverbs 15:30.
Psalm 51:9 9 Hide Your face from my
sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
YLT
9Hide Thy face from my sin.
And all mine iniquities blot out.
Hide thy face from my sins
.... In whose
sight they were committed
being now ashamed of them himself
and ashamed that
any should see them
and especially his God; and being filthy and nauseous
he
knew they must be abominable to him
who is of purer eyes than to behold
iniquity; and being breaches of his law
must be offensive to him
and provoke
the eyes of his glory; and were such that he knew would not bear the
examination of justice; and that if God was strict to mark them
he could not
stand before him: moreover
in this petition the psalmist deprecates a severe
chastisement of them
which is sometimes expressed by setting sins before him
Psalm 90:8; and
entreats the pardon of them
or oblivion and non-remembrance of them
that they
might be cast behind his back
and into the depths of the sea;
and blot out all mine iniquities; as in Psalm 51:1; here
repeated
to show his deep sense of them
and his great importunity for the
forgiveness of them; and adds the word all
including all his other sins
with
those he had lately committed; for he knew that
if anyone
was left
unpardoned
he could never answer for it.
Psalm 51:10 10 Create in me a clean
heart
O God
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
YLT
10A clean heart prepare for
me
O God
And a right spirit renew within me.
Create in me a clean
heart
O God
.... Which was now defiled with sin
and of which being
convinced
he was led more and more to see the impurity of his heart and
nature
from which all his evil actions flowed; and being sensible that he
could not make his heart clean himself
and that this was the work of God
and
a work which required creating power
he entreats it of him: for as the first
work of conversion is no other than a creation
or a production of something
new
which was not before; so the restoring of a backslider
as it goes by the
same name
it requires the same power; and as the implantation of grace at
first
and particularly of faith
is a work of almighty power; so the same
power must be put forth to bring it into exercise
after falls into sin; that
it may afresh deal with the heart purifying blood of Christ
which only can
make it clean
and is what is here meant;
and renew a right spirit within me; by which is designed
not the Holy Spirit of GodF11Vid. Zohar in Gen. fol. 107. 3. ; for
he is the renewer; nor the spirit or soul of man as to its essence; but with
respect to the qualities of it; and here it signifies a renewing of the inward
man
or an increase of grace
and causing it to abound in act and exercise; and
intends a spirit of uprightness and integrity
in opposition to dissimulation
and hypocrisy; a spirit "prepared and ready"F12נכון "paratum seu promptum"
Gejerus
Michaelis;
so Ainsworth. to every good work
Matthew 26:41;
"one firm"F13"Firmua"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Cocceius. and unmoved from obedience to the Lord
by sin
temptations
and snares; a heart fixed
trusting in the Lord
and comfortably
assured of an interest in pardoning grace and mercy.
Psalm 51:11 11 Do not cast me away from
Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
YLT
11Cast me not forth from Thy
presence
And Thy Holy Spirit take not from me.
Cast me not away from thy
presence
.... As abominable; as a vessel in which he had no pleasure; with
indignation and wrath; as one that is angry with another
cannot bear him in
his sight
but bids him be gone from him. Nothing is more desirable to a child
of God than the presence of God; and nothing gives him more sensible pain than
his absence; and even to be deprived of or denied the means of enjoying his
presence the word and ordinances
makes them very uneasy: to be utterly
and
for ever deprived of it
is the case of the damned in hell
and is the
punishment of loss they sustain; and
on the other hand
the happiness of the
saints in heaven is to enjoy it without interruption. The people of God are
never cast away from his favour
or out of his heart's love; but they may for a
while be without his gracious presence
or not see his face
nor have the light
of his countenance
nor sensible communion with him
which is here deprecated.
David might call to mind the case of Cain
Genesis 4:14; or
rather the more recent one of Saul
whom the Lord rejected
and from whom he
departed upon his sinning
and which he might fear would be his case
1 Samuel 28:15;
and take not thy Holy Spirit from me; or "the
Spirit of thine holiness"; the third Person in the Trinity; so called
not
because this epithet of "holy" is peculiar to him; for it is used
also of the Father
and of the Son
John 17:11; but
because he is equally holy with them
and is the author of holiness in his
people
which is therefore called the sanctification of the Spirit
1 Peter 1:2; and
without whom David knew that purity and holiness of heart and spirit he had
desired could not be renewed and increased in him; and therefore deprecates the
taking of him away; which shows that he was not as yet removed from him
not
with standing he had fallen into great sins; and his sense of sin
and
confession of it
and his fervent application for pardoning grace
and purity
of heart
abundantly prove it. The Spirit of God is a gift of his
which is
without repentance
and where he once is as a spirit of regeneration and
sanctification
he ever abides: his external gifts may be taken away; but
internal grace is an incorruptible seed
and always continues. By sin the
Spirit of God may be grieved
so as to withdraw his gracious influences
and
his powerful operations may not be felt; and this is what is here deprecated.
The Targum interprets this of the spirit of prophecy which David had
by which
he composed psalms and songs prophetic of Christ
and of Gospel times
and
which was not taken away from him; see 2 Samuel 23:1.
Psalm 51:12 12 Restore to me the joy of
Your salvation
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
YLT
12Restore to me the joy of
Thy salvation
And a willing spirit doth sustain me.
Restore unto me the joy of
thy salvation
.... Not temporal
but spiritual and eternal; and designs either
Christ himself
who is God's salvation
of his appointing and providing
in the
view of whom
as such
David had much spiritual joy; or the salvation he was to
work out
which God the Father had contrived the scheme of in him
had
covenanted with him to do
and had appointed his people to: salvation itself is
a sure thing
and can never fail
being founded upon the purpose and counsel of
God
which shall ever stand; and is secured in the covenant of grace
which can
never be removed; and is now completely wrought out by Christ
and is applied
by his Spirit to the heirs of it
who shall certainly and fully enjoy it;
otherwise the glory of all the three Persons in it would be lost: but the joy
of it may be interrupted and discontinued for a while
through falls into sin
as this case of David
and the case of Peter
show; and therefore a restoration
of it is desired
by showing a fresh interest in this salvation; and
particularly by an application of pardoning grace and mercy; see Psalm 35:3;
and uphold me with thy free Spirit: or "let
thy free Spirit uphold me"F14So Vatablus
Piscator
Cocceius
Gejerus
Schmidt. ; the same with the Holy Spirit of God; called
"free"
because he is a most free and munificent giver: he gives his
grace
and bestows his gifts severally
as he pleases
and liberally
and
upbraids not; and because he is freely given of God; his graces are freely
given
as faith
hope
love
&c. and because he frees them to whom he is
given from the bondage of sin and corruption
and makes them Christ's free men
and delivers them into the liberty of the children of God; and so is a spirit
of adoption
in opposition to a spirit of bondage
by which they have freedom
and boldness to call God their Father; and by whom also they have liberty of
soul at the throne of grace
and can freely make known their requests
and
spread their cases before God; see Romans 8:15; also
he may be so called
because he makes the saints ready and willing to obey the
will of God
and to run with cheerfulness the way of his commandments; and is
moreover "a princely spirit"F15רוח
נדיבה πνευματι
ηγεμονικω
Sept. "spiritu principali"
V. L. Tigurine version;
"munifico"
so some in Vatablus.
or beneficent
as some choose to
render the words; and which becomes such who are set among princes
and are
made kings and priests unto God: and with this spirit the psalmist desires to
be "upheld"
to be strengthened by it
to do the will and work of
God
that so he might not stumble and fall into sin as he had done; that he
might be stayed
supported
and comforted with it
as the Holy Spirit of
promise; that so he might not faint and sink under his present sense of sin
and the guilt of it; and that he would be not only a guide unto him in the ways
of God
but that he would hold up his goings in them
that so he might walk
both at liberty and in safety. The Targum interprets this also of the spirit of
prophecy.
Psalm 51:13 13 Then
I will teach transgressors Your ways
And sinners shall be converted to You.
YLT
13I teach transgressors Thy
ways
And sinners unto Thee do return.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways
.... David was
a prophet as well as a king; see Acts 2:30; and
taught men the fear of the Lord
Psalm 34:11
and
instructed them in his ways
as he here promises he would; by which are meant
either the ways which God prescribes and directs men to walk in
as the paths
of faith
holiness
and truth
and the ways of his commandments; or which he
himself has walked in; meaning not the ways of his providence
which are
sometimes past finding out; but the ways of his grace
the steps and methods he
has taken in the salvation of men
by forming the scheme of it
by choosing
unto it
by making a covenant with his Son
and appointing him to effect it;
and particularly his ways and methods in receiving and pardoning backsliders
when returned by repentance to him; and who may be meant by "transgressors"
here: and then the sense is
that David
upon his being received and pardoned
would teach others like himself how graciously God had dealt with him; how
plenteous he is in mercy; how ready to forgive
and how faithful to his
promises; and so encourage them to go to him
and acknowledge their
transgressions
and seek pardoning grace at his hands
who does abundantly
pardon
and whose ways are not as theirs; see Isaiah 55:7;
and sinners shall be converted unto thee: or "that
sinners may be converted unto thee"F16וחטאים
"ut peccatores convertantur"
Junius & Tremellius
Gejerus
Michaelis. ; this being the end of teaching by the word
and the means of the
conversion of profane and unregenerate sinners
through the power of divine
grace; though rather this seems to be understood of the conversion of God's own
people after backslidings
and not of first conversion; see Luke 22:32.
Psalm 51:14 14 Deliver me from the guilt
of bloodshed
O God
The God of my salvation
And my tongue shall sing
aloud of Your righteousness.
YLT
14Deliver me from blood
O
God
God of my salvation
My tongue singeth of Thy righteousness.
Deliver me from blood
guiltiness
.... Or "from bloods"F17מדמים
"de sanguinibus"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Tigurine version
Vatablus
Musculus; so Ainsworth. ; meaning not the corruption of nature; see Ezekiel 16:6; though
to be rid of that
and to be free from the guilt and condemnation of it
is
very desirable
Romans 7:24; but
either from capital punishment in his family
the effusion of blood and
slaughter in it
threatened him on account of his sin
2 Samuel 12:10. So
the Targum is
"deliver
me from the judgment of slaying or killing;'
or
rather from the guilt of the blood of Uriah
and other servants of his
he had
been the occasion of shedding
and was chargeable with
being accessary
thereunto
2 Samuel 11:15;
which lay heavy upon his conscience
pressed him on every side
as if he was in
prison
and brought upon him a spirit of bondage to fear; and therefore he
prays to be delivered from it
by the application of pardoning grace
which
would be like proclaiming liberty to the captive;
O God
thou God of my salvation; who has contrived it for
his people
chosen them to it
secured it for them in covenant
and provided
his Son to be the author of it
and sends his Spirit to apply it. The psalmist
knew
that being God he could pardon his sin
remove his guilt
and free him
from obligation to punishment
which none else could; and being the "God
of his salvation"
and his covenant God
he had reason to hope and
believe he would;
and my tongue shall sing
aloud of thy righteousness; goodness
grace
and mercy
in forgiving
sin; for "righteousness" sometimes designs clemency
goodness
and
mercy; see Psalm 31:1; and
faithfulness in making good the divine promise to forgive such who are sensible
of sin
and repent of it
acknowledge it
and ask for mercy; or the
righteousness of Christ
well known to David
Romans 4:6; which
justifies from all sin
removes the guilt of it
and fills the soul with joy
and gladness
Isaiah 61:10.
Psalm 51:15 15 O Lord
open my lips
And
my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
YLT
15O Lord
my lips thou dost
open
And my mouth declareth Thy praise.
O Lord
open thou my lips
.... The
Targum adds
"in the late"; which were shut with a sense of sin
with
shame of it
and sorrow for it; and though they were in some measure opened in
prayer to God for the forgiveness of it
as appears by various petitions in
this psalm
yet he still wanted a free spirit and boldness at the throne of
grace
which the believer has when his heart is sprinkled from an evil
conscience by the blood of Christ; and especially his lips were shut as to
praise and thanksgiving; the guilt of sin had sealed up his lips
that he could
not sing the praises of God as he had formerly done; and only a discovery of
pardoning grace could open them
and for this he prays:
and my mouth shall show forth thy praise: the praise of
his mercy
grace
goodness
truth
and faithfulness
in psalms
hymns
and
spiritual songs; see Psalm 103:1.
Psalm 51:16 16 For You do not desire
sacrifice
or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt
offering.
YLT
16For Thou desirest not sacrifice
or I give [it]
Burnt-offering Thou acceptest not.
For thou desirest not
sacrifice
.... Legal sacrifice; for there was no sacrifice appointed under
the law for murder and adultery;
else would I give it; he would gladly have
offered it up;
thou delightest not in burnt offering; at least such
kind of sacrifices
though they were of divine appointment
and at that time in
full force and use; yet they were not the only and principal sacrifices God
desired and delighted in; nor were they at all acceptable to him without faith
in Christ
and an humble sense of sin; and when offered in the best manner
yet
spiritual obedience
acts of mercy
and sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving
were more pleasing to him
1 Samuel 15:15;
wherefore the psalmist proposed to offer praise in Psalm 51:15
and
adds what follows.
Psalm 51:17 17 The sacrifices of God are
a broken spirit
A broken and a contrite heart—These
O God
You will not
despise.
YLT
17The sacrifices of God [are]
a broken spirit
A heart broken and bruised
O God
Thou dost not despise.
The sacrifices of God are
a broken spirit
.... That is humbled under a sense of sin; has true repentance
for it; is smitten
wounded
and broken with it
by the word of God in the hand
of the Spirit
which is a hammer to break the rock in pieces; and that not
merely in a legal
but in an evangelical way; grieving for sin as committed
against a God of love; broken and melted down under a sense of it
in a view of
pardoning grace; and mourning for it
while beholding a pierced and wounded
Saviour: the sacrifices of such a broken heart and contrite spirit are the
sacrifices God desires
approves
accepts of
and delights in;
a broken and a contrite heart
O God
thou wilt not despise; but regard
and receive with pleasure; see Psalm 102:17; the
Lord binds up and heals such broken hearts and spirits
Psalm 147:3; he is
nigh to such persons
looks upon them
has respect unto them
and comes and
dwells among them
Psalm 34:18.
Psalm 51:18 18 Do good in Your good
pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.
YLT
18Do good in Thy good
pleasure with Zion
Thou dost build the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good in thy good
pleasure unto Zion
.... This verse
and Psalm 51:19
are
thought
by a Spanish Rabbi mentioned by Aben Ezra
to have been added by one
of the holy men that lived in the time of the Babylonish captivity; though
rather it is thought
by the latter
to be written by David
under a spirit of
prophecy
concerning
times to come; and so Kimchi thinks they are prophetic of
future things; of the destruction of the first and second temple
and of the
acceptableness of sacrifices in the times of the Messiah: and by Zion is meant
the church
under the Gospel dispensation
Hebrews 12:22; and
the "good" prayed for includes all the good and glorious things
spoken of the church of Christ in the latter day; such as an increase of its
numbers
the bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles
the conversion of the
Jews
and the kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdoms of our Lord and of
his Christ; the spread of the Gospel all over the world
the purity of Gospel
doctrine
worship
and ordinances
the spirituality of religion
the power of
godliness
and an abounding of brotherly love
and the like. The "good
pleasure" of God
in which this is desired to be done
may denote either עת רצון
"the acceptable
time"; or "time of good pleasure"; the Gospel dispensation
so
called Isaiah 49:8
in
which it has been foretold
and may be expected these things shall be done; or
else the cause
source
and spring of them
which is the sovereign good will
and pleasure of God
from whence flow all the blessings of grace and goodness;
build thou the walls of Jerusalem; not literally taken; for
these do not appear to have stood in need of being repaired or rebuilt in
David's time; but the church of God
which is a spiritual house
built up of
lively stones
true believers; which may be said to be more and more built up
by an addition of such unto it: it is as a city compact together
whose walls
are salvation
and its gates praise
Isaiah 26:1; of the
wall of the new Jerusalem
see Revelation 21:12.
Psalm 51:19 19 Then You shall be pleased
with the sacrifices of righteousness
With burnt offering and whole burnt
offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
YLT
19Then Thou desirest
sacrifices of righteousness
Burnt-offering
and whole burnt-offering
Then
they offer bullocks on thine altar!
Then shall thou be pleased
with the sacrifices of righteousness
.... Which must be
different from the legal ones he desired not
and did not delight in
Psalm 51:16; but
design sacrifices under the Gospel dispensation
as the word "then"
shows
which connects this verse with Psalm 51:18
and in
the first place intend the sacrifice of Christ
which is of a sweet smelling
savour to God; and his righteousness
with which he is well pleased
because
the law is magnified and made honourable by it; and next the saints themselves
who present their bodies to him a holy
living
and acceptable sacrifice
they
being accepted with him in Christ the beloved; as also their good works
particularly acts of charity and beneficence
with which sacrifices God is well
pleased; and especially the spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving
which are acceptable to him through Jesus Christ; as all are that are offered
in faith through him
and from love
and with a view to the glory of God; see Ephesians 5:2
Romans 12:1;
with burnt offering
and whole burnt offering; the
difference between these two
according to Aben Ezra and Kimchi
was
that the עולה
"olah"
or "burnt offering"
was
the daily sacrifice; and the additional ones
which were of beasts and birds
Leviticus 1:1
and
the כליל
"calil"
was the meat offering of
the priests
which was wholly consumed
Leviticus 6:22;
though this also is sometimes used of beasts
1 Samuel 7:9; and
both may signify love to God
and to our neighbour; or a man's devoting himself
to the Lord in the flames of love
as a whole burnt offering to him
and which
is better than all burnt offerings
Mark 12:33;
then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar; or
"calves"F18פרים
"vitulos"
V. L. Pagninus
Tigurine version
Musculus. ; meaning the
calves of the lips
Hosea 14:2;
interpreted the fruit of the lips
even giving thanks to the name of God
Hebrews 13:16;
which sacrifices of praise being offered up on the altar Christ
come with
acceptance before God
Hebrews 13:10.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)