ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Psalms 32

Book: Psalms · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"1. A Psalm of David. Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2. Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile. 3. When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long. 4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture was changed as with the drought of summer. [[Selah 5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. [[Selah 6. For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him. 7. Thou art my hiding-place; Thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. [[Selah 8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. 9. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; Whose trappings must be bit and bridle to hold them in, Else they will not come near unto thee. 10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he that trusteth in Jehovah, lovingkindness shall compass him about. 11. Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous; And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." (Psalms 32:1-11, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. By David. A contemplative psalm. Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2. Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3. When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4. For day and night your hand was heavy on me. My strength was sapped in the heat of summer. Selah. 5. I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn’t hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6. For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him. 7. You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8. I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you. 9. Don’t be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding, who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you. 10. Many sorrows come to the wicked, but loving kindness shall surround him who trusts in Yahweh. 11. Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!" (Psalms 32:1-11, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. A Psalm: or, A Psalm of David giving instruction 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 3. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. when: Heb. of finding 7. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. guide: Heb. counsel thee, mine eye shall be upon thee 9. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. 10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. 11. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." (Psalms 32:1-11, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. By David., An Instruction. O the happiness of him whose transgression [is] forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2. O the happiness of a man, To whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3. When I have kept silence, become old have my bones, Through my roaring all the day. 4. When by day and by night Thy hand is heavy upon me, My moisture hath been changed Into the droughts of summer. Selah. 5. My sin I cause Thee to know, And mine iniquity I have not covered. I have said, 'I confess concerning My transgressions to Jehovah,' And Thou, Thou hast taken away, The iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6. For this doth every saintly one pray to Thee, As the time to find. Surely at an overflowing of many waters, Unto him they come not. 7. Thou [art] a hiding-place for me, From distress Thou dost keep me, [With] songs of deliverance dost compass me. Selah. 8. I cause thee to act wisely, And direct thee in the way that thou goest, I cause mine eye to take counsel concerning thee. 9. Be ye not as a horse, as a mule, Without understanding, With bridle and bit, its ornaments, to curb, Not to come near unto thee. 10. Many [are] the pains of the wicked; As to him who is trusting in Jehovah, Kindness doth compass him. 11. Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous, And sing, all ye upright of heart!" (Psalms 32:1-11, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: various (David majority; Asaph, Korah, Moses, Solomon, anonymous)
  • Audience: worshipping Israel (corporate + individual devotion)
  • Location: Israel, various periods
  • Time period: composition spans c. 1400 BC (Moses, Ps 90), c. 400 BC; principal Davidic composition c. 1000 BC

Theological reading

Key words

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.