Psalms 51:4

Psalms 51:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Against 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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.

Context of Psalms 51:4

2when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he went to Bathsheba. 3Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your mercy. According to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 5For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. 6Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.

Psalms 51:4 word by word

לְךָ֤ לְבַדְּךָ֨׀ חָטָאתִי֮ וְהָרַ֥ע בְּעֵינֶ֗יךָ עָ֫שִׂ֥יתִי לְ֭מַעַן תִּצְדַּ֥ק בְּדָבְרֶ֗ךָ תִּזְכֶּ֥ה בְשָׁפְטֶֽךָ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Against thee, thee only, have I sinnedחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
• and doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• in thy sightעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
• that thou mightest be justifiedצָדֵקtsâdaq · to justifyH6663
• when thou speakestדָבַרdâbar · to speak: promiseH1696
• be clearזָכָהzâkâh · to cleanH2135
• when thou judgestשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199

Cross-references for Psalms 51:4

• Genesis 9:6The one who sheds human blood, by a human will his blood be shed, for in God’s image He made humanity.
• Genesis 20:6Then God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I myself knew that you did this with integrity of your heart, so I, yes I Myself prevented you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not allow you to touch her.
• Genesis 39:9No one in this house is greater than I, and he has withheld nothing from me—except you, because you are his wife. So how could I commit this great evil and sin against God?”
• Leviticus 5:19It is a trespass offering. He is absolutely guilty before Adonai.”
• Leviticus 6:2“Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the Torah of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall remain on the hearth atop the altar all night until the morning, while the fire of the altar is kept burning on it.
• 2 Samuel 12:9Why then have you despised the word of Adonai by doing such evil in My eyes? Uriah the Hittite you have struck down with the sword, and his wife you have taken to be your wife, and him you have slain with the sword of the children of Ammon
• James 2:9But if you show favoritism, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Torah as transgressors.
• Genesis 38:7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in Adonai’s eyes, so Adonai put him to death.
• 2 Kings 17:17and they made their sons and daughters pass through the fire, practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in Adonai’s eyes, to provoke Him.
• 2 Kings 21:6He also made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in Adonai’s eyes to provoke Him.
• Luke 15:21Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
• Psalms 50:4He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, to judge His people:
• Luke 7:29And when all the people heard, even the tax collectors, they affirmed God’s justice, because they had been immersed with John’s immersion.
• Romans 3:4May it never be! Let God be true even if every man is a liar, as it is written, “that You may be righteous in Your words and prevail when You are judged.”
• Acts 17:31For He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness, through a Man whom He has appointed. He has brought forth evidence of this to all men, by raising Him from the dead.”
• Romans 2:5But by your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed.

Commentaries on Psalms 51:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned - This verse is supposed to show the impropriety of affixing the above title to this Psalm. It could not have been composed on account of the matter with Bath-sheba and the murder of Uriah; for, surely, these sins could not be said to have been committed against God Only, if we take the words of this verse in their common acceptation. That was a public sin, grievous, and against society at large, as well as against…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned - That is, the sin, considered as an offence against God, now appeared to him so enormous and so aggravated, that, for the moment, he lost sight of it considered in any other of its bearings. It “was” a sin, as all other sins are, primarily and mainly against God; it derived its chief enormity from that fact. We are not to suppose that David did not believe and notice that he had done wrong to people, or that he had…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Against You, You only: This is an exaggeration. The psalmist knows he also sinned against people (2 Samuel 11:2–4, 15–17), but his sin against God is more important. He expects God to rebuke him and will accept whatever verdict God gives (see Romans 3:4).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 51:4

• Conscience
• Conviction
• Desire
• God Continued...
• Homicide
• Prayer
• Quotations and Allusions
• Remorse
• Repentance
• Sin

In the dictionaries

• Acknowledge
• Bloodguiltiness
• Clean
• Conceive
• Contrite
• Create
• Hide
• Iniquity
• Psalms
• Purge

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