Logos Bible Study

Psalm 32:1–5

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32:1How blessed1 is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,2

whose sin is pardoned!3

32:2How blessed is the one4 whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,5

in whose spirit there is no deceit.6

32:3When I refused to confess my sin,7

my whole body wasted away,8

while I groaned in pain all day long.

32:4For day and night you tormented me;9

you tried to destroy me10 in the intense heat11 of summer.12

(Selah)

32:5Then I confessed my sin;

I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.

I said, “I will confess13 my rebellious acts to the Lord.”

And then you forgave my sins.14

(Selah)

Read in Logos
Psalm 32:5: I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin…

Footnotes

  1. 1 The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
  2. 2 Heb “lifted up.”
  3. 3 Heb “covered over.”
  4. 4 Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”
  5. 5 Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord does not impute wrongdoing.”
  6. 6 In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.
  7. 7 Heb “when I was silent.”
  8. 8 Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
  9. 9 Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
  10. 10 Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (léshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (léshuddiy, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense. You tried to destroy me. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
  11. 11 The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
  12. 12 Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
  13. 13 The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
  14. 14 Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Blessed is the one

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the one

whose sin the Lord does not count against them

and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent,

my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

For day and night

your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was sapped

as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you

and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess

my transgressions to the Lord.”

And you forgave

the guilt of my sin.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

How joyful is the one

whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered!

How joyful is a person whom

the Lord does not charge with iniquity

and in whose spirit is no deceit!

When I kept silent, my bones became brittle

from my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was drained

as in the summer’s heat.

Selah

Then I acknowledged my sin to you

and did not conceal my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

Oh, what joy for those

whose disobedience is forgiven,

whose sin is put out of sight!

Yes, what joy for those

whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,

whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

When I refused to confess my sin,

my body wasted away,

and I groaned all day long.

Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.

My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

Interlude

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you

and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”

And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

Interlude

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Happy is he whose transgression is taken away,

whose sin is covered.

Happy is a person to whom Yahweh does not impute iniquity

and in whose spirit there is not deceit.

When I kept silent, my bones were worn out

due to my groaning all the day.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me.

My vigor was changed into the dry heat of summer. Selah

I made known my sin to you, and my iniquity I did not cover.

I said, “I will confess concerning my transgressions to Yahweh,”

and you took away the guilt of my sin. Selah

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no guile.

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old

Through my roaring all the day long.

For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me:

My moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

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.

Public Domain