Psalm 51:10: Edit history

Context

This verse belongs to the latter half of Psalm 51, the penitential psalm that David is said to have composed after the prophet Nathan rebuked him for the Bathsheba affair. Having confessed his sin and pleaded, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean" (v. 7), David in verse 10 goes beyond asking merely to be washed from sin and asks that his heart itself be made new. Verse 11 immediately follows with "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me," and verse 12 asks for the restoration of the joy of salvation.

The word "create" translates the Hebrew verb bara, the same verb used of God's creative act in Genesis 1:1. Its use signals that the heart cannot be repaired by human effort and must be made anew by God. The phrase "right spirit" can also be rendered "steadfast spirit" or "unwavering spirit."

Interpretation

• Read in light of the promise of a new heart: Connecting the verse with the prophecies that God will give a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 31:33), some read it as a prayer for regeneration offered in advance by an Old Testament believer.
• Read as a prayer for sanctification: Others read it as the prayer of one who already belongs to God's people and, having fallen into sin, asks to be restored and made holy again. On this reading, it serves as a model of the believer's ongoing repentance.

Debates and Issues

The petition in verse 11, "take not thy holy spirit from me," bears on the question of whether a believer can lose the Holy Spirit.

• Reformed view: In the Old Testament the Spirit at times came upon kings and prophets for the sake of their office (compare the Spirit's departure from Saul in 1 Samuel 16:14), and David's prayer is therefore understood as relating to his royal office. Noting that the Spirit abides with the New Testament believer forever (John 14:16), this view holds that the verse does not contradict the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.
• Wesleyan and Arminian traditions: Linking the verse with the teaching that a believer who remains in sin can fall from grace, these traditions read the prayer as a reason for believers to remain constantly watchful.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestant churches, worship songs that set this verse to music are widely sung, and the verse is frequently used during times of penitential prayer at retreats and revival meetings, as well as during self-examination before Holy Communion.

Related Passages

• Psalm 51:11-12
• Ezekiel 36:25-27
• Jeremiah 31:33
• 2 Corinthians 5:17
• 1 Samuel 16:13-14