Psalm 103:12 kjv
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12 nkjv
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12 niv
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12 esv
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12 nlt
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 31:34 | "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." | God's complete forgetfulness of sin. |
| Isa 43:25 | "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." | God Himself erases sin completely. |
| Mic 7:19 | "He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." | Sins cast away into unreachable depths. |
| Isa 1:18 | "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." | Transformative cleansing of sin. |
| Isa 38:17 | "You have cast all my sins behind your back." | God turning away from our sins. |
| Ezek 36:25 | "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses..." | Cleansing from impurity. |
| Ps 32:1 | "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." | Blessedness of forgiven sin. |
| Ps 103:8 | "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." | God's character enabling this forgiveness. |
| Ps 103:10 | "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities." | God's grace overrides deserving punishment. |
| Heb 8:12 | "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." | New Covenant promise of full forgiveness. |
| Heb 10:17 | "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." | New Covenant fulfillment through Christ. |
| Col 1:14 | "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." | Redemption includes complete forgiveness. |
| Eph 1:7 | "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses..." | Forgiveness secured by Christ's sacrifice. |
| 1 Pet 2:24 | "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." | Christ carried and removed sins. |
| 1 Jn 1:7 | "the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." | Continual and complete cleansing. |
| 1 Jn 2:2 | "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." | Christ's atoning work makes forgiveness possible. |
| Jn 1:29 | "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" | Christ removes world's sin. |
| Rom 5:1 | "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God..." | Peace from justified removal of sin. |
| Ex 34:6-7 | "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger... forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..." | Fundamental attribute of God's character. |
| Num 14:18 | "The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression..." | Reinforces God's forgiving nature. |
| Ps 86:5 | "For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you." | God's goodness and love tied to forgiveness. |
| Ps 130:3-4 | "If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared." | Forgiveness prevents utter despair. |
Psalm 103 verses
Psalm 103 12 Meaning
Psalm 103:12 expresses the immeasurable extent of God's forgiveness, declaring that as far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us. It illustrates the complete and final separation of our sins from us, once God has extended His mercy and pardoned them. This implies an act of total cleansing and eradication of sin's hold and its guilt.
Psalm 103 12 Context
Psalm 103 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving, attributed to David. It magnifies the LORD for His beneficial character and actions towards humanity, particularly His covenant faithfulness and compassion. The verse immediately precedes descriptions of God's profound knowledge of human frailty (Ps 103:14) and the transience of human life (Ps 103:15-16), contrasting it with His eternal steadfast love. This verse highlights a specific aspect of God's boundless goodness: His willingness and ability to thoroughly forgive sins, making true communion possible. Historically and culturally, this presented a radical truth in a world often focused on unending penance or partial atonement for wrongdoing.
Psalm 103 12 Word analysis
as far as the east is from the west:
- This is a vivid and powerful simile, employing hyperbolic language to convey an immeasurable, ultimate distance.
- Hebrew: כְּרֹחַק מִזְרָח מִמַּעֲרָב (ke-rochaq mizrach mi-ma'arav) - "as the distance of east from west."
- Significance: Unlike north and south, which meet at the geographical poles, east and west never converge. If one perpetually travels eastward or westward, they will never meet the opposing direction. This conveys an absolute, uncrossable, infinite separation. It signifies that there is no conceivable limit to how far God removes sin.
so far has he removed:
- Hebrew: הִרְחִיק (hirchiq), a Hiphil perfect form of the verb רָחַק (râchaq), meaning "to be distant" or "to remove far off." The Hiphil stem indicates a causative action – He caused it to be far off, He removed it.
- Significance: This emphasizes God's active, decisive, and complete intervention. It is not our effort that removes sin, but His sovereign, deliberate act. The perfect tense implies a completed action with lasting results.
our transgressions:
- Hebrew: פְּשָׁעֵנוּ (pesha'einu), plural of פֶּשַׁע (pesha').
- Significance: Pesha' denotes rebellion, revolt, breaking covenant, or conscious wrongdoing. It is often a strong word for sin, indicating deliberate acts of defiance against God. It is distinct from other Hebrew terms for sin that might mean "missing the mark" (chattath) or "iniquity/bentness" (avon). The fact that even these rebellious acts are removed emphasizes the breadth and depth of God's forgiveness.
from us:
- Hebrew: מִמֶּנּוּ (mimmennu).
- Significance: This indicates the personal nature of this divine act. God removes our sins specifically from us, the individuals, so that they no longer stand between us and Him, or weigh on our conscience, or prevent our blessedness.
Psalm 103 12 Bonus section
The analogy of "east from west" is unique in its infinite quality, differing from north from south which converge at the poles. This choice emphasizes the perpetuity and finality of God's removal of sin. Once removed in this manner, sin is not merely forgotten or ignored; it is fundamentally put in a realm where it cannot be re-encountered or brought back into play by God against the forgiven individual. It implies a relational reset and a complete dissolution of the legal and moral claim sin once held. This divine action directly addresses the spiritual and psychological burden of guilt, providing assurance of true freedom and peace with God.
Psalm 103 12 Commentary
Psalm 103:12 encapsulates the astonishing generosity and efficacy of divine forgiveness. It moves beyond the concept of merely covering sin to a powerful imagery of complete removal. The comparison to the east and the west illustrates a finality and an impossibility of return; our forgiven sins are not simply set aside, but are put beyond the possibility of affecting us or being recalled by God against us. This is not just a spatial separation, but a complete obliteration of their standing and power over us. God's act is complete, leaving no trace or residue that could compromise His restored relationship with humanity. This radical grace demonstrates God's character as fundamentally merciful, willing to initiate and execute complete reconciliation, transforming the guilt-laden into the fully pardoned.