English Standard Version
Psalms 51:5
5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psalms 51:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
- New International Version (NIV)Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
- New Living Translation (NLT)For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
Context of Psalms 51:5
3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Read all of Psalms 51Psalms 51:5 word by word
הֵן־בְּעָו֥וֹן חוֹלָ֑לְתִּי וּ֝בְחֵ֗טְא יֶֽחֱמַ֥תְנִי אִמִּֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 51:5
- Psalms 58:3The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
- Genesis 5:3When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.
- Genesis 8:21And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.
- Job 14:4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.
- Job 15:14What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
- John 3:6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
- Romans 5:12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
- Ephesians 2:3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Commentaries on Psalms 51:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity - A genuine penitent will hide nothing of his state; he sees and bewails, not only the acts of sin which he has committed, but the disposition that led to those acts. He deplores, not only the transgression, but the carnal mind which is enmity against God. The light that shines into his soul shows him the very source whence transgression proceeds; he sees his fallen nature, as well as his sinful life; he asks pardon for…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity - The object of this important verse is to express the deep sense which David had of his depravity. That sense was derived from the fact that this was not a sudden thought, or a mere outward act, or an offence committed under the influence of strong temptation, but that it was the result of an entire corruption of his nature - of a deep depravity of heart, running back to the very commencement of his being. The idea is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5I was brought forth in iniquity: The psalmist is not making excuses but is admitting how deep his sinfulness is. From the time we are conceived, we all share in the human condition of sinfulness.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-65-6. His guilt was aggravated by his essential, native sinfulness, which is as contrary to God's requisitions of inward purity as are outward sins to those for right conduct.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 51:5
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries