the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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New Living Translation
Psalms 51:18
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Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good in your good pleasure to Zion: Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Do whatever good you wish for Jerusalem. Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her! Fortify the walls of Jerusalem!
Do good in thy good pleasure to Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Do well in your good pleasure to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem.
By Your favor do good to Zion; May You rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;
Lord, do thou benygneli in thi good wille to Syon; that the wallis of Jerusalem be bildid.
In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Please be willing, Lord, to help the city of Zion and to rebuild its walls.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure, building up the walls of Jerusalem.
For you don't want sacrifices, or I would give them; you don't take pleasure in burnt offerings.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
God, please be good to Zion. Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
For Thou delightest not in sacrifice, else would I give it; Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.
Doe good in thy good pleasure vnto Sion: build thou the walles of Ierusalem.
Be pleased to do good to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
Bee fauourable vnto Zion for thy good pleasure: builde the walles of Ierusalem.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
O God, be kind to Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good, in thy good-pleasure, unto Zion, Wilt thou build the walls of Jerusalem!
(50-20) Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
Be thou beneficiall vnto Sion, according to thy gracious good wyll: buylde thou the walles of Hierusalem.
Do good, O Lord, to Sion in thy good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built.
In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;build the walls of Jerusalem.
Do well in your good pleasure to Tziyon. Build the walls of Yerushalayim.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good in your favor toward Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good in Thy good pleasure with Zion, Thou dost build the walls of Jerusalem.
O be fauorable and gracious vnto Sion, that the walles of Ierusalem maye be buylded.
Make Zion the place you delight in, repair Jerusalem's broken-down walls. Then you'll get real worship from us, acts of worship small and large, Including all the bulls they can heave onto your altar!
By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.
By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.
By Your favor do good to Zion;Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Do: Psalms 25:22, Psalms 102:16, Psalms 122:6-9, Psalms 137:5, Psalms 137:6, Isaiah 62:1, Isaiah 62:6, Isaiah 62:7, Jeremiah 51:50, 2 Corinthians 11:28, 2 Corinthians 11:29
thy: Luke 12:32, Ephesians 1:5, Ephesians 1:9, Philippians 2:13, 2 Thessalonians 1:11
build: Nehemiah 2:17, Isaiah 58:12, Daniel 9:25, Micah 7:11, Zechariah 2:5
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 26:15 - bless thy 2 Samuel 5:7 - Zion 2 Samuel 15:14 - and smite 1 Kings 9:15 - the wall Nehemiah 2:12 - my God Nehemiah 2:20 - memorial Psalms 66:13 - go into Psalms 69:35 - God Psalms 102:13 - Thou Psalms 118:27 - bind Psalms 125:4 - Do good Psalms 141:5 - for yet my Psalms 147:2 - build Psalms 147:13 - he hath Jeremiah 31:4 - build Revelation 21:12 - a wall
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion,.... This verse, and
Psalms 51:19, are thought, by a Spanish Rabbi mentioned by Aben Ezra, to have been added by one of the holy men that lived in the time of the Babylonish captivity; though rather it is thought, by the latter, to be written by David, under a spirit of prophecy, concerning, times to come; and so Kimchi thinks they are prophetic of future things; of the destruction of the first and second temple, and of the acceptableness of sacrifices in the times of the Messiah: and by Zion is meant the church, under the Gospel dispensation, Hebrews 12:22; and the "good" prayed for includes all the good and glorious things spoken of the church of Christ in the latter day; such as an increase of its numbers, the bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles, the conversion of the Jews, and the kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; the spread of the Gospel all over the world, the purity of Gospel doctrine, worship, and ordinances, the spirituality of religion, the power of godliness, and an abounding of brotherly love, and the like. The "good pleasure" of God, in which this is desired to be done, may denote either עת רצון, "the acceptable time"; or "time of good pleasure"; the Gospel dispensation, so called
Isaiah 49:8, in which it has been foretold, and may be expected these things shall be done; or else the cause, source, and spring of them, which is the sovereign good will and pleasure of God, from whence flow all the blessings of grace and goodness;
build thou the walls of Jerusalem; not literally taken; for these do not appear to have stood in need of being repaired or rebuilt in David's time; but the church of God, which is a spiritual house, built up of lively stones, true believers; which may be said to be more and more built up by an addition of such unto it: it is as a city compact together, whose walls are salvation, and its gates praise,
Isaiah 26:1; of the wall of the new Jerusalem, see
Revelation 21:12.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion - From himself - his deep sorrow, his conscious guilt, his earnest prayer for pardon and salvation - the psalmist turns to Zion, to the city of God, to the people of the Lord. These, after all, lay nearer to his heart than his own personal salvation; and to these his thoughts naturally turned even in connection with his own deep distress. Such a prayer as is here offered he would also be more naturally led to offer from the remembrance of the dishonor which he had brought on the cause of religion, and it was natural for him to pray that his own misconduct might not have the effect of hindering the cause of God in the world. The psalms often take this turn. Where they commence with a personal reference to the author himself, the thoughts often terminate in a reference to Zion, and to the promotion of the cause of religion in the world.
Build thou the walls of Jerusalem - It is this expression on which De Wette, Doederlein, and Rosenmuller rely in proof that this psalm, or this portion of it, was composed at a later period than the time of David, and that it must have been written in the time of the captivity, when Jerusalem was in ruins. See the introduction to the psalm. But, as was remarked there, it is not necessary to adopt this supposition. There are two other solutions of the difficulty, either of which would meet all that is implied in the language.
(a) One is, that the walls of Jerusalem, which David had undertaken to build, were not as yet complete, or that the public works commenced by him for the protection of the city had not been finished at the time of the fatal affair of Uriah. There is nothing in the history which forbids this supposition, and the language is such as would be used by David on the occasion, if he had been actually engaged in completing the walls of the city, and rendering it impregnable, and if his heart was intensely fixed on the completion of the work.
(b) The other supposition is, that this is figurative language - a prayer that God would favor and bless his people as if the city was to be protected by walls, and thus rendered safe from an attack by the enemy. Such language is, in fact, often used in cases where it could not be pretended that it was designed to be literal. See Jude 1:20; Rom 15:20; 1 Corinthians 3:12; Galatians 2:18; Ephesians 2:22; Colossians 2:7.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Psalms 51:18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion — This and the following verse most evidently refer to the time of the captivity, when the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and the temple service entirely discontinued; and, consequently, are long posterior to the times of David. Hence it has been concluded that the Psalm was not composed by David, nor in his time and that the title must be that of some other Psalm inadvertently affixed to this. The fourth verse has also been considered as decisive against this title: but the note on that verse has considerably weakened, if not destroyed, that objection. I have been long of opinion that, whether the title be properly or improperly affixed to this Psalm, these two verses make no part of it: the subject is totally dissimilar; and there is no rule of analogy by which it can be interpreted as belonging to the Psalm, to the subject, or to the person. I think they originally made a Psalm of themselves, a kind of ejaculatory prayer for the redemption of the captives from Babylon, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the restoration of the temple worship. And, taken in this light, they are very proper and very expressive.
The Psalms 117:0 contains only two verses; and is an ejaculation of praise from the captives who had just then returned from Babylon. And it is a fact that this Psalm is written as a part of the cxvith in no less than thirty-two of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS.; and in some early editions. Again, because of its smallness, it has been absorbed by the cxviiith, of which it makes the commencement, in twenty-eight of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. In a similar way I suppose the two last verses of this Psalm to have been absorbed by the preceding, which originally made a complete Psalm of themselves; and this absorption was the more easy, because, like the cxviith it has no title. I cannot allege a similar evidence relative to these two verses, as ever having made a distinct Psalm; but of the fact I can have no doubt, for the reasons assigned above. And I still think that Psalm is too dignified, too energetic, and too elegant, to have been the composition of any but David. It was not Asaph; it was not any of the sons of Korah; it was not Heman or Jeduthun: the hand and mind of a greater master are here.
ANALYSIS OF THE FIFTY-FIRST PSALM
In general the Psalm contains David's prayer, -
I. For himself, Psalms 51:1-12.
II. Three vows or promises, Psalms 51:13-18.
III. For the Church, Psalms 51:18-19.
I. David being in deep distress on account of his sins, prays to God for mercy: and while he feels that he is unworthy of the name of king, or God's anointed, of his son, or of his servant, he uses no plea of his own merit, but, 1. Of the loving-kindness of God: "According to thy loving-kindness." 2. Of the compassion of God: "According to the multitude of thy tender mercies."
The general petition for mercy being offered, next he offers three particular petitions: -
First. He prays for forgiveness of sins. The fact was past, but the guilt remained: therefore, he earnestly petitions: "Put away mine iniquities;" my sin is a deep stain: "Wash me throughly from mine iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin," multiply washing; my sin is a deep defilement.
To this petition he joins confession of sin; from which we may learn the conditions requisite in a genuine confession: -
He considers the nature of his sin; he feels the weight of it, the burden, and the anguish of it; and abhors it.
1. "I know mine iniquity." It is no longer hidden from me.
2. "It is ever before me;" and the sight breaks my heart.
3. He uses different epithets for it, in order to aggravate the guilt, and deepen the repentance. 1. It is transgression, פשע pesha, rebellion. 2. It is iniquity, עון avon, crooked dealing. 3. It is sin, חטאת chattath, error and wandering.
Then he begins his earnest confession: "I have sinned." And this he aggravates by several circumstances: -
1. Of the person. It is "against thee;" a good and gracious God, who of a shepherd made me a king over thy own people. Against thee, the great and terrible God. The people are my subjects, and they cannot judge me: it is against thee I have sinned, and to thee I must give account, and by thee be judged and punished.
2. Of the manner. It was an impudent sin; not committed by surprise, but done openly: "In thy sight." Therefore, the threatenings by thy prophet are all right. Whatever punishment thou mayest inflict upon me, both thy justice and mercy will stand clear: "That thou mightest be justified," c.
3. He shows from what root his sin sprang from his original corruption: "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." I am all corruption within, and defilement without. The evil fountain hath sent forth bitter waters.
4. Another aggravation of his sin was, that he was in principle devoid of that which God loves: "Thou desirest truth in the inward parts."
5. The greatest aggravation of all was, his having sinned against light and knowledge. God had endued him with wisdom in the hidden part, by the motions of his own Spirit; but he had permitted his passions to obscure that light, and had quenched the Spirit.
Having made this general confession, he names the particular sin that lay heaviest on his conscience: "Deliver me from blood-guiltiness." And then renews his petition for pardon under a type then in use, and a metaphor. The type, hyssop; the metaphor, wash me.
1. "Purge me with hyssop." With a bunch of hyssop, dipped in the blood of the paschal lamb, the Israelites sprinkled their doors. It was also used in the sprinkling of the leper, and in the sacrifice for sin: and the blood and sprinkling were a type of Christ's blood, and the pardon and holiness that came through it. Sprinkled with this, David knew he must be clean; "for the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin;" and it is "the blood of Christ that justifies."
2. Sanctified also he wishes to be; and there, he says, Wash me. And this is done by the influence of God's Spirit: "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean," Ezekiel 36:25.
Secondly. David, having ended his petitions for pardon, proceeds, -
1. To pray that the evil effects which had been produced by his sin might be removed: "Make me to hear joy and gladness," c.
2. That his body, which was in a pining condition, might be restored: "That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice."
3. A third evil effect of his sin was, that God's face, that is, his favour, was turned away from him: he therefore begs, -
(1) "Hide thy face from my sins." Remember them not against me.
(2) "And blot out mine iniquities." I know there is a long and black catalogue in thy book against me blot it out; blot out the handwriting of ordinances that is against me.
Thirdly. Now follows David's last petition; in which he again craves more particularly the grace of sanctification. He first prayed for remission; next for reconciliation; and now for renovation, which he asks of God in the three following verses: 1. "Create in me a clean heart." 2. "Renew a right spirit within me." 3. "Cast me not away from thy presence." 4. "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me." 5. "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation." 6. "Uphold me with thy free spirit." In which petitions we are to consider, -
1. The subject on which the work is to be done. The heart - the spirit. For as the heart is that part that first lives in nature; so it is the first that lives in grace. The work must begin within, else outward renovation will be to little purpose.
2. The work itself, which is, -
1. A creation. Sin had reduced David's heart to nothing in respect to heavenly affections and things; and to bring it into a state in which it would answer the end of its creation, was to bring something out of nothing; which, in all cases, is the work of Almighty God: "Create in me, O God," c.
2. It is a renovation. All in David was the old man, nothing left of the new man. He prays, therefore, to be renewed in the spirit of his mind: "Renew a right spirit within me."
3. Reconciliation and restitution. Cast me not away - as a dead man nor take away thy Spirit from me, by which I live: "Cast me not away - take not thy Holy Spirit from me."
4. A confirmation in what was good. Uphold - confirm me.
3. WHO was to do this work? Not himself; GOD alone. Therefore, he prays: "O God, create; - O Lord, renew; - uphold by thy Spirit."
4. The quality of this. A cleansing - implied in these remarkable words: - a right spirit, - a holy spirit, - a free spirit; in which some have thought they saw the mystery of the HOLY TRINITY.
1. A right spirit. He felt that he might easily go wrong; a crooked and perverse spirit had prevailed within him, which had led him out of the right way to salvation: "Renew in me a RIGHT spirit.'
2. A holy spirit; one opposed to the carnal spirit that was enmity against God, the motions and desires of which were from the flesh, and tended only to its gratification: "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me." It is God's Holy Spirit that makes the spirit of man holy. Holiness of heart depends on the indwelling of the Holy Ghost.
3. A free spirit. A noble, a princely spirit. Ever since his fall he felt he did nothing good; but by constraint, he was in bondage to corruption. There was no dignity in his mind, sin had debased it. "Ennoble me by a birth from above," and by thy noble Spirit uphold me!
II. He had now presented his three petitions, and now he makes his vows: 1. To teach others; 2. To praise God; and, 3. To offer him such a sacrifice as he could accept.
His first vow. 1. Then, after pardon obtained, "I shall teach;" for a man under guilt is not able to declare pardon to others.
2. "I will teach thy way to sinners;" viz.: that to the stubborn thou wilt show thyself froward; but to the penitent thou wilt show mercy.
The effect of which will be: "Sinners shall be converted unto thee." They who hear of thy justice and mercy, as manifested in my case, will fear, and turn from sin; have faith, and turn to THEE.
His second vow and promise is to praise God: "My tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness." But to this he was 1. Unapt; and must be so till received into favour. And, 2. Unable, till he received the healthful Spirit of the grace of God. Therefore he prays for a capacity to do both: 1. "Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God; then my tongue shall sing." 2. "O Lord, open my lips - and my mouth shall show forth thy praise."
His third promise is about a sacrifice, not of any animal, but of a "broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart," which he knew God would not despise. 1. "Thou desirest no sacrifice, else I would give it thee." No outward sacrifice can be of any avail if the heart be not offered. 2. Nor will the heart be accepted if it be not sacrificed. "The broken spirit and contrite heart," this sacrifice he vowed to bring.
III. Having finished his prayers and vows for himself, he forgets not Jerusalem. He petitions for God's Church; and the reason might be, that he was afraid Jerusalem would suffer because of his sins; for peccant reges, plectuntur Achivi, "the king sins, the people suffer." This was the case when he sinned against God by numbering the people.
His method and his charity in this are both instructive.
1. His method. 1. To be reconciled to God himself; and then, 2. To pray for others. "The prayers of the righteous avail much."
2. His charity, for we are always bound "to remember the afflictions of Joseph, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem." He prays,
1. That God, who out of his good pleasure did choose a Church, would out of his mere good will do it good, and preserve it: "Do good, in thy good pleasure, to Zion."
2. That he would have a special favour, even to the building: "Build thou the walls of Jerusalem;" for these fall not alone; religion and the service of God fall, when the people permit their churches and chapels to be dilapidated or get out of repair. Of this there are multitudes of proofs.
3. For the consequence of Jerusalem's prosperity would be this, that "religion would flourish with it;" then there would be sacrifices, burnt-offerings, and holocausts: "Then they shall offer bullocks upon thine altar."
4. And, what is yet more and better, we shall offer. and THOU wilt accent: "Then thou shalt be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness." Being reconciled to thee, justified, and sanctified; and righteous in all our conduct; all our sacrifices, springing from thy own grace and love in us, shall find a gracious acceptance. Psalms 51:18.
