Penitential Psalms

What They Are

The name "Penitential Psalms" does not come from the Bible itself. The later church selected seven psalms from the Book of Psalms and gave them this name. Penitence means sorrow and repentance for sins committed. The seven psalms are as follows:

• Psalm 6: A prayer, offered amid sickness and suffering, asking the Lord to turn away His wrath.
• Psalm 32: Celebrates the joy of forgiveness that followed when the psalmist, having concealed his sin, finally confessed it (Psalm 32:5).
• Psalm 38: Laments the physical and inward anguish brought on by sin.
• Psalm 51: The best known of the seven. It asks for a clean heart and a right spirit and confesses that the sacrifice God desires is "a broken spirit" (Psalm 51:16–17).
• Psalm 102: The prayer of an afflicted person who longs for the restoration of Zion.
• Psalm 130: Cries "out of the depths" and waits for the Lord's forgiveness and redemption.
• Psalm 143: Pleads for deliverance while confessing, "for in thy sight shall no man living be justified" (v. 2).

Background

The superscription of Psalm 51 states that it was composed when the prophet Nathan came to David after David had gone in to Bathsheba. This superscription links the psalm to the events of 2 Samuel 11–12. Five of the other six psalms, all except Psalm 102, also bear David's name, and Psalm 130 is one of the "Songs of Degrees" (Songs of Ascents).

The practice of grouping these seven psalms together is said to appear clearly for the first time in Cassiodorus's sixth-century commentary on the Psalms. Augustine's biographer Possidius recorded that, near the time of his death, Augustine had the penitential psalms placed on the wall and read them.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The New Testament cites these psalms in explaining the forgiveness of sins and justification. In Romans 4:6–8, Paul quotes Psalm 32:1–2 to describe the blessedness of the one to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. Many interpreters see the confession of Psalm 143:2 as closely related to Paul's statement that by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified (Galatians 2:16).

Interpretation and Debated Questions

• Nature of the grouping: The collection includes psalms, such as Psalms 6 and 102, that are closer to laments in suffering than to confessions of sin. For this reason, scholars regard the seven as a grouping determined by the church's liturgical tradition rather than by content.
• Historicity of the superscription: Some hold the traditional view that the superscription of Psalm 51 was written by David himself, while others regard it as an explanatory note added later.
• Psalm 51:5: The Reformed tradition frequently cites the words "I was shapen in iniquity" as a basis for the doctrine of original sin. Other interpreters, however, read the verse as a poetic expression in which the speaker confesses the depth of his own sin.
• Use in the church year: The Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and Lutheran churches have traditionally read the Penitential Psalms, especially Psalm 51, during Lent and on Ash Wednesday. Martin Luther is known to have published a German translation of the seven Penitential Psalms, with commentary, in 1517.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestantism, Psalms 51 and 32 are used more often as individual texts than under the collective name of the seven psalms. These two psalms are commonly chosen as texts for sermons on repentance, for meditations during Holy Week and Lent, and for revival meetings. The words of Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart," are frequently quoted in prayers and in the lyrics of praise songs. The Anglican Church of Korea, which follows a lectionary based on the church year, and some Methodist churches read Psalm 51 on Ash Wednesday.