Psalm 143:2 kjv
And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
Psalm 143:2 nkjv
Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
Psalm 143:2 niv
Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.
Psalm 143:2 esv
Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
Psalm 143:2 nlt
Don't put your servant on trial,
for no one is innocent before you.
Psalm 143 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 51:1-2 | Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love…Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity… | David's plea for cleansing based on God's mercy, not his own worth. |
| Ps 130:3-4 | If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness… | No one can stand before God's strict judgment; only forgiveness enables. |
| Rom 3:10 | as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one…” | Universal declaration of human unrighteousness before God. |
| Rom 3:20 | For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight… | Works of the Law cannot justify anyone before God. |
| Rom 3:23 | for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… | Everyone is stained by sin and fails God's perfect standard. |
| Gal 2:16 | knowing that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ… | Justification is by faith, not human effort or obedience to law. |
| Eph 2:8-9 | For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works… | Salvation is a free gift of God's grace, not earned by works. |
| Titus 3:5 | he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy… | God's salvation is purely out of His mercy, not human deeds. |
| 1 Kings 8:46 | If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin… | Acknowledgment that sin is universal among humanity. |
| Prov 20:9 | Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? | Rhetorical question highlighting the impossibility of self-justification. |
| Job 4:17 | Can mortal man be righteous before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? | Eli's challenging question emphasizing humanity's fallen state. |
| Job 9:2-3 | Truly I know it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to contend with him, he could not answer him once in a thousand. | Recognizes the futility of arguing for one's own righteousness before God. |
| Eccl 7:20 | Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. | Clear statement of universal sinfulness among humans. |
| Isa 64:6 | We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment… | Human righteousness is stained and unacceptable to God. |
| Hab 1:13 | You are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong… | Describes God's absolute holiness and inability to tolerate sin. |
| Phil 3:9 | and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ… | Paul rejects self-righteousness from the law, seeking God's imputed righteousness. |
| Luke 18:13-14 | But the tax collector… would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified… | Illustration of humility and dependence on God's mercy leading to justification. |
| John 1:29 | The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” | Points to Christ as the unique solution for the world's sinfulness. |
| Heb 4:16 | Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. | Encourages approaching God for mercy due to human frailty. |
| 1 John 1:8 | If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. | Affirmation that to deny sin is self-deception and denies truth. |
| 2 Cor 5:21 | For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. | The transfer of sin and righteousness, central to justification. |
Psalm 143 verses
Psalm 143 2 Meaning
Psalm 143:2 is a profound plea by David for God not to deal with him according to strict justice. He appeals for mercy, acknowledging that no human being, in God's perfect and all-knowing presence, can ever stand as truly righteous based on their own merits or deeds. This verse underscores the universal truth of human sinfulness and the absolute necessity of God's grace and mercy for anyone to be justified before Him.
Psalm 143 2 Context
Psalm 143 is a fervent lamentation and supplication, considered one of the seven Penitential Psalms (along with Pss 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130). Written by David, likely during a period of intense personal distress and persecution (possibly fleeing Absalom or Saul, or facing other significant adversaries). The psalm opens with a plea for God to hear his prayer, not on the basis of David's own merits, but on God's faithfulness and righteousness. Verse 2 is the foundational reason for this plea: David acknowledges his utter unworthiness and humanity's inherent inability to stand righteous before a holy God. This confession sets the stage for his subsequent pleas for divine leading, enlightenment, and deliverance, emphasizing that his hope rests solely on God's character and not on his own blamelessness. It represents a pivot from pleading based on need to pleading based on God's sovereign mercy, anticipating the New Testament understanding of justification by grace through faith.
Psalm 143 2 Word analysis
- "Enter not into judgment" (
לֹא־תָבוֹא בְמִשְׁפָּט- lo-tavo bimishpat):לֹא(lo): The strong negative "not," prohibiting or pleading against an action.תָבוֹא(tavo): Fromבּוֹא(bo), "to come, enter." Here, "do not come" or "do not enter."בְמִשְׁפָּט(bimishpat): Fromמִשְׁפָּט(mishpat), meaning "judgment," "justice," "legal decision," "right." David is pleading that God not initiate a legal proceeding or strict scrutiny where his deeds would be weighed against God's perfect law. He understands such a trial would inevitably result in his condemnation. It's a plea for mercy, not a challenge to God's justice.
- "with Your servant" (
עַבְדֶּךָ- avdekha):עֶבֶד(eved): "servant," "slave," "worshiper." This term denotes a relationship of dependence and submission. Despite being "God's servant," David humbly acknowledges his sinfulness and unworthiness before his Master, not claiming a special exemption from divine justice. It signifies his position of obedience yet imperfection.
- "for" (
כִּי- ki):- A conjunction meaning "for," "because," "indeed," "surely." It introduces the crucial theological reason and justification for David's preceding plea. It establishes the foundational truth upon which his request for mercy rests.
- "in Your sight" (
לְפָנֶיךָ- l'fanekha):לְפָנִים(lepanim): "before the face of," "in the presence of," "in the sight of." This phrase emphasizes God's omnipresence, omniscience, and perfect moral vision. Nothing is hidden from Him. To be "in His sight" implies complete transparency and accountability to His perfect standard, where human flaws are glaringly evident.
- "no one living" (
כָּל־חָי- kol-chay):כָּל(kol): "all," "every," "no (one)." Used here withחָיto create the universal negation.חָי(chay): "living," "alive," a living being, specifically a human being. The phrase encompasses all of humanity, every individual who breathes. It stresses the universal application of this truth; there are no exceptions.
- "is righteous" (
יִצְדַּק- yitsdak):- From the verb
צָדַק(tsadeq), meaning "to be just," "to be righteous," "to be declared righteous," "to be acquitted." In the Niphal or Hiphil forms often implying being justified or declared innocent. Here, it signifies the inability of any human to stand blameless or to be vindicated on their own merits when God applies His perfect standard. It speaks to inherent sinfulness rather than just isolated acts. It implies no one can perfectly fulfill the law or satisfy God's holy requirements.
- From the verb
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "Enter not into judgment with Your servant, for": This entire phrase encapsulates a desperate plea for grace over strict justice. David is keenly aware that a legal proceeding based on his works would result in his condemnation. The "for" introduces the profound theological rationale, rooting his request in a universal truth about humanity.
- "in Your sight no one living is righteous": This is the theological bedrock of the plea. It articulates the absolute disparity between God's perfect holiness and humanity's inherent sinfulness. The universality of "no one living" emphasizes that this applies to all, without exception, regardless of perceived piety or moral standing. "In Your sight" reinforces the idea of God's perfect knowledge and discerning gaze, against which no human can claim blamelessness or self-justification. This statement is a stark polemic against human self-righteousness or any system that suggests humans can earn favor with God through their own merit. It points to humanity's absolute dependence on God's mercy for justification.
Psalm 143 2 Bonus section
The phrase "no one living is righteous" prefigures the New Testament doctrine of original sin and the universal fallenness of humanity, highlighting the inherent moral incapacity of humans to meet God's standard on their own. This verse perfectly encapsulates the human need for an imputed righteousness, something God must provide rather than something humans can achieve. It's a key verse for understanding why Christ's atoning work was essential—because humanity has no intrinsic righteousness to offer God. This humbling realization is the beginning of true wisdom and spiritual awakening, prompting individuals to seek God's grace rather than asserting their own works.
Psalm 143 2 Commentary
Psalm 143:2 offers a profound theological statement, stripping away any pretense of human merit before a holy God. David, despite being called "a man after God's own heart," completely disavows his own righteousness as a basis for God's favor or intervention. He understands that if God were to meticulously examine his life according to divine perfection, no living person—including himself—could pass the test and be declared "righteous" or innocent. This confession is not an act of false humility but a deeply rooted understanding of God's absolute holiness and justice, coupled with the universal reality of human sinfulness (Rom 3:10, 23). This truth prepares the way for understanding salvation not as a reward for human effort, but as an act of divine mercy and grace, ultimately fulfilled through Christ's righteousness (Phil 3:9; 2 Cor 5:21). The verse serves as a crucial theological touchstone, guiding believers away from self-reliance and towards complete dependence on God for justification and mercy.