Psalms 51:7
What does Psalms 51:7 mean?
A plain-English look at Psalms 51:7 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Psalms 51:7 means
David implores God for a complete and visible cleansing, referencing the ritual purification involving hyssop. In Old Testament practices, hyssop was used for ceremonial cleansing from leprosy or defilement by death, symbolizing a thorough purification. His plea, "Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow," expresses a desire not just for forgiveness but for a profound internal transformation that makes him utterly pure. The imagery of being "whiter than snow" speaks to a radical, divine cleansing from the blackness of sin.
Psalms 51:7 in context
Psalms 51 — A Broken and Contrite Heart
The penitential psalm of David, written after Nathan the prophet confronted him over his sin with Bathsheba. There is no excuse-making here, only naked confession: 'against thee, thee only, have I sinned.' David asks not merely for forgiveness but for a clean heart and a renewed spirit. He understands that God will not despise a broken and contrite heart — and that the only sacrifice God ultimately wants is a humbled life.
- Confession
- Repentance
- Inward renewal
- True worship
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Make me free from sin with hyssop: let me be washed whiter than snow.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Thou cleansest me with hyssop and I am clean, Washest me, and than snow I am whiter.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Therefore will God destroy thee for ever: he will pluck thee out, and remove thee from thy dwelling place: and thy root out of the land of the living.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Context
Having established God's desire for inner truth in verse 6 and his own deep-seated sinfulness, David returns to a desperate plea for purification. This verse uses vivid, Old Testament imagery of ritual cleansing to express his yearning for a profound inner change. This request for total cleansing naturally leads into his next appeals concerning joy and the release from the spiritual burden of his sin, showing the desired effects of God's purification on his entire being.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Exodus 12:22
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.
- Leviticus 14:4
then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
- Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
- Ephesians 5:26
that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,
- Revelation 1:5
and from Jesus Christ, who isthe faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;
- 1 John 1:7
but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Sermon ideas from Psalms 51:7
Angles a pastor or small-group leader might preach or teach from this passage, drawn from the chapter's main themes.
What Psalms 51:7 teaches us about confession
What Psalms 51:7 teaches us about repentance
What Psalms 51:7 teaches us about inward renewal
What Psalms 51:7 teaches us about true worship
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