Psalm 51:17 kjv
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Psalm 51:17 nkjv
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart? These, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 niv
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 esv
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 nlt
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Psalm 51 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 15:22 | And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices... to obey is better than sacrifice..." | God values obedience more than ritual. |
| Isa 1:11-17 | "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?... cease to do evil, learn to do good..." | Calls for moral living over empty ritual. |
| Isa 57:15 | "For thus says the High and Lofty One... who dwells in the high and holy place... also with him who has a contrite and humble spirit..." | God dwells with the humble. |
| Isa 66:2 | "...to this one I will look: to him who is humble and contrite in spirit..." | God regards the contrite. |
| Jer 7:22-23 | "For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them... concerning burnt offerings... But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice...'" | Emphasis on obedience over sacrifices. |
| Hos 6:6 | "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." | Mercy and knowledge of God outweigh ritual. |
| Mic 6:6-8 | "With what shall I come before the LORD...? He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" | True worship is justice, mercy, humility. |
| Prov 21:3 | To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. | Righteous action preferred over ritual. |
| Ps 34:18 | The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. | God's closeness to the brokenhearted. |
| Matt 5:3 | Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | Humility as a blessing. |
| Matt 9:13 | "Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'" | Jesus affirms Hos 6:6. |
| Matt 12:7 | "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent." | Jesus again cites Hosea for true heart. |
| Mk 12:33 | "...to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." | Love for God/neighbor surpasses ritual. |
| Lk 18:9-14 | Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, illustrating humility. | Humility justified, self-righteousness rejected. |
| Rom 12:1 | I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice... | Believers offer spiritual living sacrifice. |
| Heb 10:4-7 | For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins... "Sacrifice and offering You have not desired..." | Christ's sacrifice replaced animal ones. |
| Heb 13:15-16 | Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God... to do good and to share is such sacrifices God is well pleased. | Spiritual sacrifices: praise and good works. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | "...you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." | Believers offer spiritual sacrifices. |
| Jas 4:8-10 | "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." | Call to humility for divine closeness. |
| Phil 3:3 | For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit... | True worship is spiritual, not outward. |
| Zech 12:10 | "...they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him..." | Prophecy of a Spirit of grace and supplication leading to national mourning and repentance. |
| Ez 36:26 | "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you..." | God provides transformation for a new heart. |
Psalm 51 verses
Psalm 51 17 Meaning
Psalm 51:17 declares that God does not desire animal sacrifices or outward rituals as much as a deeply humble and remorseful spirit. The true "sacrifices" acceptable to God are a heart that is broken and crushed by the awareness of sin, demonstrating genuine repentance and a contrite attitude. Such a penitent heart, acknowledging its unworthiness and relying solely on God's mercy, will never be rejected or despised by the Almighty.
Psalm 51 17 Context
Psalm 51 is a penitential psalm, composed by David after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan regarding his grievous sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah (as indicated in the psalm's superscription, though superscriptions are debated, the consistent understanding connects it to this event). Throughout the psalm, David expresses profound remorse, confessing his sin, pleading for forgiveness, and seeking spiritual cleansing and renewal. Verse 17 comes as a climax of this confession, revealing David's deep understanding that outward acts of religious devotion (like sacrifices commanded in the Mosaic Law) are meaningless if the heart is not truly penitent. He realizes God desires not merely ritualistic offerings, but an inner brokenness over sin, which is the most acceptable sacrifice to Him. This reflects a key theme in the prophetic books, where external religious observances were often criticized when they lacked genuine inward piety.
Psalm 51 17 Word analysis
- The sacrifices of God (זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים - zivchei Elohim): Refers to offerings presented to God. The unexpected plural "sacrifices" emphasizes that what God truly values, even above multiple animal offerings prescribed by the Mosaic Law, are acts of genuine inward humility and repentance. It subverts the traditional understanding of sacrifice.
- are a broken spirit (רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה - ruach nishbarah):
- Ruach: "Spirit," can mean breath, wind, life-force, or the human spirit/mind/disposition. Here, it signifies the innermost core of one's being.
- Nishbarah: "Broken," from the root shabar, meaning to break, shatter, or crush. It denotes a spirit that is humbled, contrite, wounded by the realization of its own sinfulness, and dependent solely on God. It’s the antithesis of a proud or self-righteous spirit.
- a broken and contrite heart (לֵב נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה - lev nishbar v'nidke):
- Lev: "Heart," signifies the seat of emotions, will, intellect, and moral character. It represents the entirety of the inner person.
- Nishbar: "Broken," as above, reinforcing the idea of a crushed and humble state.
- V'nidke: "And contrite" or "crushed," from the root daka, meaning to crush, stamp down, or oppress. It intensifies "broken," emphasizing a heart that has been pulverized by the weight of its sin and divine conviction, losing its self-sufficiency and haughtiness. This deep level of remorse brings a person to complete surrender and dependence on God's grace.
- O God (אֱלֹהִים - Elohim): Direct address, expressing profound earnestness in his plea to the one true God.
- You will not despise (לֹא תִבְזֶה - lo tivzeh):
- Lo: "Not," negates the verb.
- Tivzeh: "You will despise/scorn/reject," from the root bazah. This is a powerful assurance. It signifies that unlike hollow rituals or prideful self-justification, a truly humble and repentant heart is highly valued and readily accepted by God, never turned away.
- The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart: This phrase is a powerful synonymous parallelism. The "broken spirit" and the "broken and contrite heart" are essentially describing the same inward condition of deep humility, remorse, and surrender. It contrasts sharply with the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant, positing an inner spiritual state as the truly acceptable offering to God. This highlights the enduring biblical truth that God always looked beyond mere external observance to the disposition of the heart.
- O God, You will not despise: This affirms the divine acceptance of such a humble and contrite state. It serves as a direct encouragement and promise to anyone who approaches God in true repentance, offering hope and assurance of forgiveness and restoration.
Psalm 51 17 Bonus section
This verse anticipates the New Covenant emphasis on inner transformation over external ritual, a theme central to Jesus' teachings and the apostles. The "broken spirit" required is ultimately one yielded to God's refining process, prepared to receive the "new heart" and "new spirit" promised by prophets like Ezekiel (Ez 36:26-27). This type of spiritual sacrifice is accessible to all people, at all times, independent of specific temple rites or sacrificial systems. It speaks to the core of personal faith: true faith expresses itself in humility before a holy God, acknowledging personal fallenness and absolute reliance on His mercy for salvation and restoration. It is the heart's posture that defines genuine communion with the Divine.
Psalm 51 17 Commentary
Psalm 51:17 is a profound theological statement on the nature of true worship and repentance. It unveils God's primary desire: not the blood of animals as a ritual, but the sincere, humble, and grieved heart of a sinner. David, burdened by his transgression, recognized that even countless burnt offerings were inadequate to atone for moral failure; God truly sought a broken and submissive spirit. This brokenness is not self-pity or despair, but a profound conviction of sin leading to dependence on God’s grace. A "broken spirit" signifies an ego stripped bare, devoid of pride, realizing its utter spiritual bankruptcy. A "contrite heart" speaks of an inward bruising, a profound sorrow for sin that moves beyond mere regret to genuine repentance. Such a heart, deeply sensitive to its wrongdoing and earnestly seeking divine mercy, aligns perfectly with God’s character and His pathway to reconciliation. The promise that God "will not despise" such an offering provides immense comfort and hope, assuring all who truly repent that they will be met with divine acceptance and forgiveness. This verse emphasizes that God always valued inward sincerity over outward conformity, foreshadowing the spiritual nature of the New Covenant where the sacrifice is one of self, praise, and good works.