Psalms 51:1

Psalms 51:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
• New International Version (NIV)Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.

Context of Psalms 51:1

Please forgive me, God, because of your faithful love. Because you are so kind, please clean away my sins. 2I have done bad things, so wash me to make me clean again. 3I know that I have not obeyed you. I cannot forget that I am guilty.

Psalms 51:1 word by word

חָנֵּ֣נִי אֱלֹהִ֣ים כְּחַסְדֶּ֑ךָ כְּרֹ֥ב רַ֝חֲמֶ֗יךָ מְחֵ֣ה פְשָׁעָֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Have mercyחָנַןchânan · be graciousH2603
• upon me, O Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• according to thy lovingkindnessחֶ֫סֶדchêsêd · kindnessH2617
• according unto the multitudeרֹבrôb · abundanceH7230
• of thy tender merciesרַחֲמִיםracham · compassionH7356
• blot outמָחָהmâchâh · to wipeH4229
• my transgressionsפֶּ֫שַׁעpesha‛ · transgressionH6588

Cross-references for Psalms 51:1

• 2 Samuel 12:1The Lord sent Nathan to go and speak to David. Nathan told this story to David, ‘There were two men who lived in the same town. One man was rich and the other man was poor.
• 2 Samuel 11:2One evening, David got up from his bed. He walked around on the roof of his palace. From the roof he saw a woman who was washing herself. She was very beautiful.
• Psalms 25:6Lord, please be kind to me and show me your faithful love. From long ago you have always been like that.
• Psalms 109:21You, Almighty Lord, must help me! Show that your name is great. Rescue me, because your faithful love is good.
• Psalms 119:124Please be kind to me, your servant, so that I see your faithful love. Continue to teach me your laws.
• Exodus 34:6The Lord passed in front of Moses. He said in a loud voice, ‘I am the Lord! The Lord! I am kind to people and I forgive them. I do not quickly become angry. My faithful love for my people continues for ever, and I am always faithful.
• Numbers 14:18“The Lord does not quickly become angry. His faithful love for his people continues for ever. He forgives people when they turn against him and they do bad things. But if someone is guilty, he surely punishes them. And he punishes their children, their grandchildren and their grandchildren's children.”
• Daniel 9:9Our Lord God, we have turned against you. But you are kind and you forgive people.
• Micah 7:18No other god is like you. You chose us to be your people. And you decide not to remember what we have done wrong. Not many of your people remain and we have done bad things. But you choose to forget those bad things. You will not always be angry, because you want very much to be kind.
• Micah 7:19You like to be kind because you love us. You will remove everything that we have done wrong. You will crush those bad things. You will throw all of them into the deep sea.
• Romans 5:20God gave his Law to Moses to show more clearly that people were doing wrong things. But when people did more and more wrong things, God continued to be kind in more and more ways.
• Ephesians 1:6As a result, we praise him, because he is great and he has been so kind to us. He has given us so much because of his Son, whom he loves very much.
• Ephesians 2:4But God is very good and kind! He loved us very much.
• Psalms 5:7But I will come into your house, because of your faithful love. I will bend low in your holy temple, and I will worship you.
• Psalms 69:13But as for me, Lord, I continue to pray to you. Please answer me at the right time. Be kind to me, God, because of your faithful love. Save me, as you have promised to do.
• Psalms 106:7When our ancestors were in Egypt, they did not understand your miracles. They forgot the many ways that you showed them your faithful love. When they arrived at the Red Sea, they turned against you, Lord.

Commentaries on Psalms 51:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Have mercy upon me, O God - Without mercy I am totally, finally ruined and undone. According to thy loving-kindness - Mark the gradation in the sense of these three words, Have Mercy on me, חנני chonneni ; thy Loving-Kindness, חסדך chasdecha ; - thy Tender Mercies, רחמיך rachameycha, here used to express the Divine compassion. The propriety of the order in which they are placed deserves particular observation. The first, rendered have mercy or pity…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Have 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…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Chapter 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 prayer for mercy and grace. Whither should backsliding children return, but to the Lord their God, who alone…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1A prayer for God's mercy and kindness is a type of lament. Sometimes, the psalmist asks for mercy because he recognizes his own weakness and sin (see also Psalm 6:2; 9:13; 25:16; 31:9; 41:4, 10). Other times, the plea comes from the psalmist's dedication to the Lord (see Psalm 26:11; 27:7; 119:29, 58, 132). In every situation, God's mercy leads to inner renewal.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-191-4. A plea for mercy is a confession of guilt. blot out--as from a register. transgressions--literally, "rebellions" (Psa 19:13; 32:1).Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 51:1

• Conscience
• Conviction
• Desire
• Homicide
• Prayer
• Remorse
• Repentance

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Acknowledge
• Bathsheba
• Bloodguiltiness
• Blot
• Clean
• Conceive
• Contrite
• Create

Commentaries on Psalms 51

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• The Treasury of David
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings