Psalms 51.16-19

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: Psalms chapter: 51 verses: "16-19" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 1 enriched: false

Quoted in

Hosea 6.6

Psalms 51.16-19

Book: Psalms · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15. O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall show forth thy praise."

"16. For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19. Then will thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, In burnt-offering and in whole burnt-offering: Then will they offer bullocks upon thine altar." (Psalms 51:14-19, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"14. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 15. Lord, open my lips. My mouth shall declare your praise."

"16. For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18. Do well in your good pleasure to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem. 19. Then you will delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt offerings and in whole burnt offerings. Then they will offer bulls on your altar." (Psalms 51:14-19, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. ^{bloodguiltiness: Heb. bloods} 15. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise."

"16. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. ^{else: or, that I should} 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar." (Psalms 51:14-19, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"14. Deliver me from blood, O God, God of my salvation, My tongue singeth of Thy righteousness. 15. O Lord, my lips thou dost open, And my mouth declareth Thy praise."

"16. For Thou desirest not sacrifice, or I give [it], Burnt-offering Thou acceptest not. 17. The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit, A heart broken and bruised, O God, Thou dost not despise. 18. Do good in Thy good pleasure with Zion, Thou dost build the walls of Jerusalem. 19. Then Thou desirest sacrifices of righteousness, Burnt-offering, and whole burnt-offering, Then they offer bullocks on thine altar!" (Psalms 51:14-19, 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

H0430 - elohim, elohim (Strong's H430). Also appears in: Genesis 1.1, Genesis 1.2, Genesis 1.14-19.
H3820 - lev, lev (Strong's H3820). Also appears in: Genesis 6.5, Genesis 6, Genesis 18.1-15.
H6664 - tzedeq, tzedeq (Strong's H6664). Also appears in: Psalms 7.17, Psalms 17, Psalms 23.3.
H7307 - ruach, ruach (Strong's H7307). Also appears in: Genesis 1.2, Genesis 3.8, Genesis 6.

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.