Psalms 51:6

51:6 Look, you desire integrity in the inner man;

you want me to possess wisdom.

Psalms 51:17

51:17 The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit

O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.


sn The juxtaposition of two occurrences of “look” in vv. 5-6 draws attention to the sharp contrast between the sinful reality of the psalmist’s condition and the lofty ideal God has for him.

tn The perfect is used in a generalizing sense here.

tn Heb “in the covered [places],” i.e., in the inner man.

tn Heb “in the secret [place] wisdom you cause me to know.” The Hiphil verbal form is causative, while the imperfect is used in a modal sense to indicate God’s desire (note the parallel verb “desire”).

tn Heb “a broken spirit.”

tn Heb “a broken and crushed heart.”

tn Or “despise.”