Psalms 51 · Verse 17

Psalms 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Psalms 51:17, King James Version

Psalms 51:17 in other translations

BSBThe sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
WEBThe sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart.
ASVThe sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
YLTThe sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A heart broken and bruised, O God, Thou dost not despise.
DARBYThe sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, OGod, thou wilt not despise.
BBEThe offerings of God are a broken spirit; a broken and sorrowing heart, O God, you will not put from you.
WebsterThe sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

What does Psalms 51:17 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit - As my crimes are such as admit of no legal atonement, so thou hast reserved them to be punished by exemplary acts of justice, or to be pardoned by a sovereign act of mercy: but in order to find this mercy, thou requirest that the heart and soul should deeply feel the transgression, and turn to thee with the fullest compunction and remorse. This thou hast enabled me to do. I have the broken spirit, רוח נשברה ruach nishbarah; and the broken and contrite heart, לב נשבר ונדכה leb nishbar venidkeh. These words are very expressive. שבר shabar signifies exactly the same as our word shiver, to break into pieces, to reduce into splinters; and דכה dakah, signifies to beat out thin, - to beat out masses of metal, etc., into laminae or thin plates. The spirit broken all to pieces, and the heart broken all to pieces, stamped and beaten out, are the sacrifices which, in such cases, thou requirest; and these "thou wilt not despise." We may now suppose that God had shone upon his soul, healed his broken spirit, and renewed and removed his broken and distracted heart; and that he had now received the answer to the preceding prayers. And here the Psalm properly ends; as, in the two following verses, there is nothing similar to what we find in the rest of this very nervous and most important composition.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 51:16-19

Those who are thoroughly convinced of their misery and danger by sin, would spare no cost to obtain the remission of it. But as they cannot make satisfaction for sin, so God cannot take any satisfaction in them, otherwise than as expressing love and duty to him. The good work wrought in every true penitent, is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, and sorrow for sin. It is a heart that is tender, and…

Read the full comment on Psalms 51:16-19 →

Psalms 51:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

זִֽבְחֵ֣יziv.Chei[the] sacrifices ofH2077
אֱלֹהִים֮'E.lo.HimGodH430
ר֪וּחַRu.ach[are] a spiritH7307
נִשְׁבָּ֫רָ֥הnish.Ba.RahbrokenH7665
לֵב\־lev-a heartH3820
נִשְׁבָּ֥רnish.BarbrokenH7665
וְנִדְכֶּ֑הve.nid.Kehand crushedH1794
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים'E.lo.HimO GodH430
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
תִבְזֶֽה\׃tiv.Zehyou despiseH959

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 51:17

  • Psalms 34:18

    The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

  • Isaiah 66:2

    For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

  • Psalms 147:3

    He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

  • Luke 15:10

    Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

  • Mark 12:33

    And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

  • Matthew 5:3

    Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  • 2 Chronicles 33:12-13

    And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.

  • Isaiah 57:15

    For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

  • Psalms 102:17

    He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

  • Hebrews 13:16

    But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

  • 1 Peter 2:5

    Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

  • 2 Kings 22:19

    Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
sacrifices.
107:22; Mr 12:33; Ro 12:1; Php 4:18; Heb 13:16; 1Pe 2:5
a broken spirit.
34:18; 147:3; 2Ki 22:19; Isa 57:15; 61:1-3; 66:2; Eze 9:3,4,6
Mt 5:3; Lu 18:11-14
thou.
22:24; 102:17; 2Ch 33:12,13; Am 5:21; Lu 7:39-50; 15:2-7,10,21-32

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 51:16

    For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

  • Psalms 51:17

    The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

  • Psalms 51:18

    Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Read all of Psalms 51

Psalms 51:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Los sacrificios de Dios son el espíritu quebrantado: al corazón contrito y humillado no despreciarás tú, oh Dios.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Seigneur, ouvre mes lèvres, et ma bouche annoncera ta louange.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Die Opfer Gottes sind ein zerbrochener Geist; ein zerbrochenes und zerschlagenes Herz wirst du, Gott, nicht verachten.