Psalms 18:23

18:23 I was innocent before him,

and kept myself from sinning. ¹ 

Psalms 107:41

107:41 Yet he protected ²  the needy from oppression,

and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.

Psalms 51:2

51:2 Wash away my wrongdoing! ³ 

Cleanse me of my sin! ⁴ 

[18:23]  ¹ tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way.

[107:41]  ² tn Heb “set on high.”

[51:2]  ³ tn Heb “Thoroughly wash me from my wrongdoing.”

[51:2]  ⁴ sn In vv. 1b-2 the psalmist uses three different words to emphasize the multifaceted character and degree of his sin. Whatever one wants to call it (“rebellious acts,” “wrongdoing,” “sin”), he has done it and stands morally polluted in God’s sight. The same three words appear in Exod 34:7, which emphasizes that God is willing to forgive sin in all of its many dimensions. In v. 2 the psalmist compares forgiveness and restoration to physical cleansing. Perhaps he likens spiritual cleansing to the purification rites of priestly law.