Psalm 51:1-3

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 51:1

The penitent's plea for pardon. "Have mercy," etc. This psalm is like a page of autobiography written in the author's life-blood. It is, indeed, the utterance of what Psalms 51:17 describes, "a broken and a contrite heart." Nowhere in the Old Testament Scriptures do we find so profound depth and tenderness of penitence, joined with such childlike faith in God's pardoning mercy. If the dark record of David's crime had been silently omitted, we should have been utterly at a loss to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 51:1-8

Repentance and forgiveness. Some deny the Davidic origin of this psalm; but most refer it to the time when Nathan charged David with the sins of adultery and murder. In these verses we have set forth the nature of forgiveness , and the nature of repentance. I. PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS . 1 . Forgiveness is the inward and outward cleansing from sin. It is blotting out a record or a debt that is against us—that is, the outward cleansing. And it is a washing , or ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 51:1-19

The psalm consists of an opening strophe, extending to four verses, which is an earnest prayer for mercy and forgiveness ( Psalms 51:1-4 ); a second strophe, of eight verses, which is an entreaty for restoration and renewal ( Psalms 51:5-12 ); a third strophe, of five verses, setting forth the return which the psalmist will make, if he is forgiven and restored ( Psalms 51:13-17 ); and a conclusion, in two verses, praying for God's blessing on the people, and promising an ample return... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 51:1-19

This might be called The minister's psalm. We may imagine the servant of the Lord engaged in devout meditation. He looks before and after. He communes with himself as to his life and work. The deepest thoughts of his heart are revealed. I. EVER - GROWING SENSE OF THE EVIL OF SIN . Sin is thought of in the abstract, and its badness is seen. It is looked at in the world, in society, in the Church, and more and more its evils are discerned. But worst of all, it is felt... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 51:2

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity . Wash me, as a fuller washes a fouled garment ( πλῦνον , LXX ; not υίψον ), not as a man washes his skin. And cleanse me from my sin . "Transgressions," "iniquity," "sin," cover every form of moral evil, and, united together, imply the deepest guilt (comp. Psalms 51:3 , Psalms 51:5 , Psalms 51:9 , Psalms 51:14 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 51:3

For I acknowledge my transgressions (comp. Psalms 32:5 , "I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin"). The first step in repentance is contrition; the second, confession; the third, amendment of life. And my sin is ever before me. I bear it in mind; I do not hide it from myself. I keep it continually before my mental vision. This, too, is characteristic of true penitence. Mock penitents confess their sins, and straightway forget... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 51:3

A portrait. Lord Macaulay tells us that the Earl of Breadalbane, who was the chief hand in the Massacre of Glencoe, never had rest afterwards. "He did his best to assume an air of unconcern. He made his appearance in the most fashionable coffee-house in Edinburgh, and talked loudly and self-complacently about the important service in which he had been engaged in the mountains. Some of his soldiers, however, who observed him closely, whispered that all this bravery was put on. He was not... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 51:1

Have mercy opon me, O God - This is the utterance of a full heart; a heart crushed and broken by the consciousness of sin. The psalmist had been made to see his great guilt; and his first act is to cry out for mercy. There is no attempt to excuse his sin, or to apologise for it; there is no effort to vindicate his conduct; there is no complaint of the righteousness of that holy law which condemned him. It was “guilt” that was before his mind; guilt only; deep and dreadful guilt. The appeal... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 51:2

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity - literally, “Multiply to wash me.” The word rendered “throughly” is a verb, either in the infinitive or imperative mood, and suggests the idea of “multiplying” or “increasing.” The reference is to that which might need constant or repeated washings in order to remove a stain adverbially to denote intensity, or thoroughness. On the word wash as applicable to sin, see the notes at Isaiah 1:16.And cleanse me from my sin - Remove it entirely. Make me wholly... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 51:3

For I acknowledge my transgressions - literally, I know, or make known. That is, he knew that he was a sinner, and he did not seek to cloak or conceal that fact. He came with the knowledge of it himself; he was willing to make acknowledgment of it before God. There was no attempt to conceal it; to excuse it. Compare the notes at Psalms 32:5. The word ““for”” does not imply that he referred to his willingness to confess his sins as an act of merit, but it indicates a state of mind which was... read more

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