Psalms 51:17 · Bible study
Psalms 51:17 Commentary: The Sacrifice of a Broken Spirit
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God desire a broken spirit over sacrifices? Study Psalm 51:17 with insights from Calvin, Barnes, and more. Meaning, context, and application.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God desires genuine repentance, a heart shattered by sin and humble before him, more than any external offering.
- Key words: Broken spirit, contrite heart, terms describing a person crushed by the awareness of their sin and dependent on mercy.
- Main debate: Whether this verse rejects sacrifices entirely or reorders them; most commentators see it as prioritizing inner repentance over outer ritual.
- Theological theme: True repentance is the only acceptable response to sin; God meets the humble with grace.
- Best use: Teaching on repentance, confession, and the nature of acceptable worship.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart.
KJV King James Version 1769
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A heart broken and bruised, O God, Thou dost not despise.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, OGod, thou wilt not despise.
Translations in other languages (9 available)
Los sacrificios de Dios son el espíritu quebrantado: al corazón contrito y humillado no despreciarás tú, oh Dios.
Os sacrifícios a Deus são um espírito quebrado em arrependimento ; tu não desprezarás um coração quebrado e triste.
Seigneur! Ouvre mes lèvres,
Die Opfer, die Gott gefallen, sind ein geängsteter Geist; ein geängstet und zerschlagen Herz wirst du, Gott, nicht verachten.
Heere, open mijn lippen, zo zal mijn mond Uw lof verkondigen.
I sacrifizi di Dio sono lo spirito rotto; o Dio, tu non sprezzi il cuor rotto e contrito.
Panie! otwórz wargi moje, a usta moje opowiadać będą chwałę twoję.
神 所要的祭 就是憂傷的 靈； 神啊，憂傷 痛悔 的心，你必不 輕看。
The offerings of God are a broken spirit; a broken and sorrowing heart, O God, you will not put from you.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Psalm 51:17 captures the heart of true repentance. David, guilty of adultery and murder, recognizes that no animal sacrifice can atone for deliberate, capital sins (Barnes). Clarke emphasizes the Hebrew words for 'broken' (shabar, to shiver) and 'contrite' (dakah, to beat thin), suggesting a spirit shattered and flattened before God. Calvin notes that David had been spiritually lethargic for a year before Nathan’s rebuke, and this verse marks his full awakening to dependence on mercy. Gill and Matthew Henry add that God values this inner posture above ritual offerings, not because sacrifices were worthless, but because without a contrite heart even the finest offerings are empty (see Psalm 51:16). The Cambridge Bible connects this to God’s promise: 'He has responded to the prayer of the destitute' (Psalm 102:17). The consensus is clear: God welcomes those who come to him with nothing but their brokenness.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God desires a broken spirit and a contrite heart above all sacrifices, and he will not reject such a person.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The role of sacrifices | Sacrifices were instituted by God and were not inherently worthless; the verse does not abolish them but relativizes their importance. | Some traditions see this as a prophecy of Christ's once-for-all sacrifice that supersedes the old system; others see it as a principle that outward worship must flow from inward sincerity, applicable in every age. |
| The meaning of 'broken and contrite' | It describes deep humility, not mere emotional distress, a true turning from sin to God. | Some emphasize the legal inability to atone for deliberate sin, so brokenness is the only recourse; others emphasize that this brokenness is itself a gift of grace. |
| The relationship with verses 18-19 | After forgiveness, worship can resume; the heart attitude remains essential even when sacrifices are offered. | Some think verses 18-19 are a later liturgical addition; others see them as David's original hopeful conclusion showing that restored relationship leads to renewed worship. |
Historical & Cultural Context
David composed Psalm 51 after Nathan the prophet confronted him over his adultery with Bathsheba and the arranged death of Uriah (2 Samuel 11, 12). For nearly a year, David had remained unrepentant, a 'deep lethargy,' Calvin calls it. When the prophet spoke, David’s heart broke. In the culture of ancient Israel, the temple sacrificial system provided atonement for unintentional sins (Leviticus 4), but deliberate sins like murder and adultery carried the death penalty (Numbers 15:30, 31). No animal sacrifice could cover them. This explains why David says in verse 16, 'You don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it.' He knows that the prescribed offerings cannot remedy his case. Into that void, verse 17 declares what God truly desires: a spirit shattered by the weight of guilt, a heart crushed by the awareness of sin. This is not a rejection of the sacrificial system per se, verse 19 shows that after restoration, David anticipates offering 'sacrifices of righteousness' again. Rather, it establishes the proper order: outward offering follows inward transformation. The kings of Israel were expected to model repentance for the nation (Deuteronomy 17:18, 20), and David’s psalm became a template for personal and corporate confession across the centuries. As Psalm 34:18 affirms, 'Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.'
Textual Notes
The consulted sources for this study note no significant textual variants for Psalm 51:17. The Hebrew text is well preserved across manuscripts.
Reception History
Psalm 51:17 has been a cornerstone of Christian teaching on repentance since the early church. It appears in the liturgy of Ash Wednesday and in many penitential services across traditions. Augustine and other church fathers saw in this verse a call to inner conversion over mere ritual. The medieval church used it in the sacrament of penance. During the Reformation, Calvin and Luther highlighted the verse to contrast faith, which trusts in God’s mercy alone, with reliance on human works. In modern evangelical and Catholic circles alike, the verse remains a key text for personal confession and the assurance that God receives the brokenhearted. It has been set to music in hymns and anthems, often paired with the promise of Psalm 34:18.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The insufficiency of external offerings: David knew that no animal sacrifice could atone for his deliberate sin (v. 16).
- The sacrifice God requires: a broken spirit and a contrite heart, a posture of total humility before God (v. 17a).
- The promise of acceptance: God will not despise such a heart; he welcomes the truly penitent (v. 17b).
Five-point outline
- When sin is deliberate and grievous, outward religious acts cannot fix it. David had committed murder and adultery; sacrifices offered no legal remedy.
- True repentance begins with a heart that is 'broken to pieces' (Clarke) under the weight of guilt, not just regret, but self-awareness before a holy God.
- God does not mock the brokenhearted. He draws near to them (Psalm 34:18).
- After forgiveness, worship resumes. David looks forward to offering sacrifices again (vv. 18, 19), proving that the issue is not ritual but relationship.
- This pattern holds for us: we come to God with empty hands, receive mercy, and then offer lives of grateful worship.
Illustration hooks
- A child who breaks a neighbor’s window and tries to pay for it from their allowance, but the neighbor wants the child to come and say sorry, not just pay the bill.
- An employee who makes a costly error and rushes to fix it by working overtime, but the boss wants an honest conversation first.
- A spouse who buys flowers after an argument but never apologizes, the gift means little without the words.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God doesn’t want sacrifices, why should I go to church or give offerings?
- What does a 'broken spirit' look like in daily life, not just in a worship service?
- Does this mean I have to feel bad all the time to be a Christian?
Leading a Discussion
In a culture that values outward performance, Psalm 51:17 reorients us to what God values most: a humble heart. This passage invites us to examine the difference between religious activity and genuine repentance.
Discussion questions
- What situation led David to write this psalm? How does that context shape the meaning of verse 17?
- Read Psalm 51:16 again. Why do you think God takes no pleasure in sacrifice? What does this teach about religious rituals?
- How would you describe a 'broken spirit' and a 'contrite heart' in your own words? What kind of emotions and attitudes are involved?
- Compare verse 17 with verse 19. How do these verses fit together? Does David reject sacrifices entirely?
- What does it mean that God 'will not despise' such a heart? How does this encourage someone who feels too sinful to approach God?
- In what ways might we rely on 'sacrifices' (good deeds, church attendance, giving) instead of genuine humility before God?
- How does this verse connect to the New Testament teaching about repentance and faith in Jesus?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Kings 22:19 | because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before Yahweh when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you,’ says Yahweh. |
| II Chronicles 33:12 | When he was in distress, he begged Yahweh his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. |
| II Chronicles 33:13 | He prayed to him; and he was entreated by him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God. |
| Psalms 22:24 | For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither has he hidden his face from him; but when he cried to him, he heard. |
| Psalms 34:18 | Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit. |
| Psalms 102:17 | He has responded to the prayer of the destitute, and has not despised their prayer. |
| Psalms 107:22 | Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his deeds with singing. |
| Psalms 147:3 | He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights the forceful Hebrew words behind "broken spirit" and "contrite heart": one suggests shattering into splinters, the other beating out thin like hammered metal. This extreme, thorough brokenness—not mere sorrow—is the sacrifice God requires and will not despise.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that even the perfect sacrifice of Christ cannot benefit us without genuine penitence. Just as animal sacrifices under the old law could not remove sin unless the heart was contrite, so the Redeemer's offering requires a broken and humble spirit from us before God accepts it.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible commentary defines "broken spirit and contrite heart" as the genuine humility that results when sorrow and affliction replace pride
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit: a contrite and a broken heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill distinguishes between two kinds of sorrow: a merely legal brokenness from fear of punishment, and an evangelical one arising from love. The broken spirit God prizes grieves sin as committed against a gracious God while looking to a wounded Saviour. Such a heart God not only accepts but delights in, binds up, and draws near to.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch stress that David refuses to soften his guilt, naming it plainly as bloodshed. Yet mercy has already lifted him; he prays not for forgiveness as something new but for its completion. God takes no pleasure in sacrifices; what he truly accepts is a spirit broken and crushed.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights that David's confession of sinning "against thee only" does not minimize the wrongs done to others. Rather, it reveals the deepest nature of all sin as a direct offense against God, which magnifies rather than excuses the guilt and drives the penitent to seek grace from God alone.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that David finally stops excusing himself with the technicality that he did not kill Uriah with his own hand. Convinced he is the real murderer, he cries to God as the God of salvation for deliverance from the guilt of blood.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley draws a sharp contrast between outward religious acts and inward spiritual reality. For him, a broken and contrite spirit carries far more weight with God than a multitude of sacrifices, however costly or carefully offered.