Otium Sanctum

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The most famous of the penitential psalms is traditionally called the "Miserere" and is linked to David's realization of his sin with Bathsheba. The subtitle of psalm 51 is "When Nathan came to David because he went into Bathsheba" and is therefore understood against the background of a prophetic accusation of guilt.

David had an affair with Bathsheba, the beautiful wife of one of his Hittite soldiers. It was an affair that resulted in the woman's getting pregnant. Because he did not want that the woman's pregnancy is traced to him, David called in the husband from war in the hope that this would go into his wife and be tricked into claiming responsibility for the wife's conception. The soldier, out of devotion to David and his men, refused, so David had him killed in battle. The prophet Nathan confronted David with the crime using the parable of the poor man's ewe. David, after realizing who the subject of the parable was, felt remorse. With this story as backgroun then, Psalm 51 can be understood as the confession of a man who finally realizes the gravity of his sin.

There is also another way of looking at Psalm 51 and it is this: the response to the accussation of sin in Psalm 50.

Psalm 50 is presented as a lawsuit discourse similar to those found in the prophets. There is an introduction of the plaintiff (God) and the accussed (Israel) (vv. 1-4), followed by the main discourse where God tells Israel the kind of sacrifice he wants (vv. 5-15) and his accussation against the wicked (vv. 16-21). He then commands a confession of guilt

Consider this, you who forget God
or I will tear you to pieces with none to rescue
He who offers confession of sin as a sacrifice¹ honors me
and he prepares the way so that I may show him
the salvation of God.

With this, the confession of sin proceeds with Psalm 51:3²

Psalm 51 can be divided into three parts: vv. 3-11; vv. 12-19; vv. 20-213. Verses 20-21 is a later addition (post-exilic). In an article called "Reading a Psalm In Six Steps" I offer a suggestion as to how these verses can be read within Psalm 51.

The first part of the psalm (vv. 3-11) contains the petiton for forgiveness of sins. Here four ideas of "sin" are mentioned:

• esp pesha' (3, 5, 15), outright rebellion
• atx chatta' (4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 15), frequently translated "sin" with the nuance of "missing the mark" or "falling short of a goal"
• Nwe 'awon (4, 7, 11), normally translated "iniquity" but also stands for the "guilt" that results; it is sin as something distorted and the distortion it creates
• er ra' (6), "evil"; sin as "ugly"

"Forgiveness of sin" is described as a blotting out or deletion (v. 3), a washing and a purification (4). The petitioner is aware that his own existence is marred by the ugliness of sin:

Behold, in iniquity I was born;
in sin was I conceived by my mother

and that the sin he commits is done before God and against God alone (v. 6)

For the Israelite, sin is the opposite of the fidelity and loyalty demanded by the covenant entered into with God. The prophets have shown that fulfilling one's obligation to the covenantal relationship requires a heart (here, bl leb) that is formed in truth and wisdom (v. . In the second part of the psalm, the petitioner asks for the other side of "forgiveness of sin", the building up of a new heart.

The "heart" that has been broken and crushed in confession (v. 19) is presented for renewal, re-creation. The heart is the place where one decides: it is the place where the covenant is transgressed or upheld. Together with the heart, the petitioner asks for a new spirit which is described as "steadfast" (v. 12) "of holiness" (v. 13), "devout" (v. 14).

The new heart and spirit is coordinated with lips that speak of God's praise (v. 17), which teach sinners God's ways and makes rebels return to God (v. 15). This way, the joy of worshipping God rises from hearts that confess, the sacrifice that is pleasing to God (v.19).

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1. hdwt "Todah" from the root hdy (Hiphil) can mean in a lot of instances "thanksgiving". In a limited number of instances, it can also mean the confession of sin as in Ezr. 10:11. In Psalm 50, the plaintiff (God) is clearly asking that a confession of sin is in order, not "thanksgiving" as our modern translations would have it.

2. I am here using the verse-numbering of the Hebrew. The NIV has a different numbering; the NAB reflects the Hebrew.

3. The NAB puts verse 11 within the second part. I think that it is best to put it within the first part where the words for sin abound. The second part is all about the "restructuring" of the "inner man" with the heart and the spirit.