Interpreting Psalm 51- Parallelism, Picture, and Pattern.

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Psalm 51

1Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

According to the abundance of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

And cleanse me from my sin.

 

3 For I know my transgressions,

And my sin is ever before me.

4 Against You, You only, I have sinned

And done what is evil in Your sight,

So that You are justified when You speak

And pure when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

6 Behold, You delight in truth in the innermost being,

And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

 

7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness,

Let the bones which You have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide Your face from my sins

And blot out all my iniquities.[1]

 

Minor Idea: When a sinner is conscious of his sin and admitting it as evil before God, then God according to His covenant mercy cleanses fully from his sins and transform guilt into purity, wisdom, and joy.

Or

God’s covenant mercy cleanses the sinner who confesses, transforming guilt into purity, wisdom, and joy.

Or

When a sinner confesses his sin, God according to His covenant mercy cleanses fully from his sins and transform guilt into purity, wisdom, and joy.

 

 

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

And sustain me with a willing spirit.

 

13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

And sinners will be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;

Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,

That my mouth may declare Your praise.

 

16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;

You are not pleased with burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

18 By Your favor do good to Zion;

Build the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,

In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;

Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.[2]

 

Minor Idea: The psalmist’s transformation leads to the transformation of others: first the self-renewed in purity and joy, then other sinners taught and converted through witness, and finally the whole community restored in true worship.

Or

Renewed by mercy, the sinner is restored to joy, leads others to God, and the whole community is secured in true worship. (David being renewed by God is restored to joy, leads others to God and the whole community is secured in true worship.

 

Main Point of the Psalm: When a sinner conscious of his sin and admit it as evil before God, God according to His covenant mercy cleanses, exposes guilt, and transforms him. And this transformation leads to other sinners converted, and finally to the whole community restored in true worship.

Or

The Confession of David brings God’s mercy, cleansing, and joy to him which leads to personal renewal, leading others to conversion, and the community restored in true worship

 

1.   PARALLELISM

Verse 1-   Synonymous Parallelism

Be gracious to me = Blot out my transgressions

According to Your lovingkindness = According to the abundance of Your compassion.

God’s Covenantal faithfulness and compassion is the basis on which He blots out one’s sins.

Verse 2-   Synonymous Parallelism

                 Wash me thoroughly = And cleanse me

From my iniquity = From my sin.

God can cleanse us fully from one’s sin. (David wants total purification from his sin)

Verse 3-   Synonymous Parallelism

I know = is ever before me

my transgressions = my sin”

The Psalmist personally conscious of constant present of sin. (David is conscious of constant of presence sin)

Verse 4-   Synthetic Parallelism

Against You, You only = in Your sight

I have sinned = done what is evil

So that You are justified when You speak” → And pure when You judge.

Admitting sin as evil in the sight of God show God is just and holy. (David confesses his sin to God acknowledging that God is pure in His judgment).

Verse 5-   Synonymous Parallelism

I was brought forth = My mother conceived me

in iniquity = in sin

David’s Sinfulness is present from his conception.

Verse 6-   Synthetic parallelism

You delight in truth →You will make me know wisdom (Correspondence)

And in the hidden part = In the innermost being                                                                    

God delights inner truth and makes inner wisdom.         (God produces wisdom in David because He delights in truth)

Verse 7-   Synonymous Parallelism

Purify me with hyssop = Wash me

I shall be clean = I shall be whiter than snow.

God’s cleansing makes David pure.

Verse 8-   Synonymous Parallelism

Make me = Let the bones which You have crushed

To hear joy and gladness = rejoice.

God can make David joyful who has been crushed or broken. (David wants his discipline or rebuke to be transformed into Joy).

Verse 9-   Synonymous Parallelism

Hide Your face = And blot out

From my sins = all my iniquities

David wants God to remove all the sins.

Verse 10-         Synonymous Parallelism/Synthetic Parallelism  

Create in me = And renew…within me.

A clean heart = a steadfast spirit

God renews the heart with purity and steadfastness. (David pleas for recreation of his heart and renewal of his spirit)

Verse 11-         Synonymous Parallelism

Do not cast me away = Do not take

From Your presence = Your Holy Spirit from me

Psalmist plead not to cast him away from (God) His presence. (

Verse 12-         Synthetic Parallelism

Restore to me → And sustain me

The joy of Your salvation → with a willing spirit.

God restores the Joy and sustains obedience to David. (David wants God to restores Joy and sustains obedience).

Verse 13-         Synthetic Parallelism

Then I will teach… Your ways → will be converted to You

Transgressors = Sinners

Restored sinner will teach and convert sinners to God. (Restored David will teach and leads sinners to conversion).

Verse 14-         Synthetic Parallelism

Deliver me → my tongue will joyfully sing 

blood guiltiness → Your righteousness

David plead for God’s deliverance from the blood guiltiness which will respond to joyful singing. (David commits to respond with joyful singing because of God’s deliverance of him from blood guiltiness).

Verse 15-         Synthetic Parallelism

Open my lips → My mouth may declare Your praise

David pleads His Lips to be opened by Lord so that he can declare His praise

Verse 16-         Synonymous Parallelism

You do not delight = You are not pleased

In sacrifice = with burnt offering.

God does not delight in sacrifice. (David acknowledges that God does not delight in mere sacrifices).

Verse 17-         Synonymous Parallelism

The sacrifices of God = O God, you will not despise

A broken spirit = A broken and a contrite heart

David acknowledges that God does not despise a broken and contrite heart.

Verse 18-         Synonymous Parallelism

Do good to Zion = Build the walls of Jerusalem

David pleads God’s favor to secures His people.

Verse 19-         Synthetic Parallelism      

Delight in righteous sacrifices →burnt offering and whole burnt offering → young bulls will be offered on your altar.

David acknowledges that God delights in any kind of righteous offerings

 

2.   PICTURE:

 

A.  Picture of Washing / Cleansing (vv. 2, 7, 9) - “Wash me thoroughly… Purify me with hyssop… blot out my iniquities.”

B.  Picture of Whiteness (v. 7) - “I shall be whiter than snow.”

C.   Picture of Bones Crushed (v. 8) - “Let the bones which You have crushed rejoice.”

D.   Picture of Face Hidden (v. 9) - “Hide Your face from my sins.”

E.    Picture of Lips Opened (v. 15) - “O Lord, open my lips.”

F.   Picture of Sacrifices (vv. 16–19) - “You do not delight in sacrifice… The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit… Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices… young bulls will be offered on Your altar”

G. Picture of the Walls of Jerusalem (v. 18) - “Build the walls of Jerusalem.”

H.  Sin is before me

I.     Clean heart

J.     Broken spirit/ broken and contrite heart

K.   Sine ever before me

L.    Do not cast me away from your presence

M.                    

 

 

3.   PATTERNS

 

A.  The Pattern of Imperatives (commands/pleas): “Be gracious… Wash me, purify me, Create, Restore, and Deliver……”

B.  The Pattern of Negatives: “Do not cast me away, you do not delight, and You are not pleased”

C.  The Pattern of Cause-and-effect clauses: “So that You are justified, Then I will teach, then my tongue will sing.”

D.  Verses 10-19, the second stanza, there is a pattern of transformation from self to other sinners and then the whole community.

E.   The pattern of using second person singular throughout the psalm

F.   The psalm goes from personal to community in the end (to me verse 1 and to Zion verse 18)

G.  

 


[1] Verse 1-9 is the first stanza and this stanza focuses on reconciliation. Within this stanza, three strophes present a balanced prayer for this reconciliation: a plea for forgiveness (51:1–2), a confession of sin (51:3–6), and a plea for forgiveness (51:7–9).

[2] Verses 10-19 is second stanza and this stanza focuses on transformation. Three strophes show how this transformation moves from the self (51:10–12) to other sinners (51:13–15) and finally to the whole community (51:16–19).

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