Psalms 51:15
Psalms 51:15 in Multiple Translations
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
O Lord, let my lips be open, so that my mouth may make clear your praise.
Lord, open my lips so I can speak your praise!
Open thou my lippes, O Lord, and my mouth shall shewe foorth thy praise.
O Lord, my lips thou dost open, And my mouth declareth Thy praise.
Lord, open my lips. My mouth will declare your praise.
O LORD, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
O Yahweh, help me to speak in order that I may praise you.
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 51:15
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 51:15 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה
פֹשְׁעִ֣ים
דְּרָכֶ֑י/ךָ
וְ֝/חַטָּאִ֗ים
אֵלֶ֥י/ךָ
יָשֽׁוּבוּ
אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה
lâmad
H3925
to learn
V-Piel-1cs
פֹשְׁעִ֣ים
pâshaʻ
H6586
to transgress
V-Qal
דְּרָכֶ֑י/ךָ
derek
H1870
way
N-cp | Suff
וְ֝/חַטָּאִ֗ים
chaṭṭâʼ
H2400
sinner
Conj | Adj
אֵלֶ֥י/ךָ
ʼêl
H413
to(wards)
Prep | Suff
יָשֽׁוּבוּ
shûwb
H7725
to return
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
Use ← → arrow keys to navigate between words.
Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 51:15
אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה
lâmad
H3925
"to learn"
V-Piel-1cs
To learn or teach in the Bible means to guide someone, like using a rod to direct an animal. It is about instructing or training someone, as seen in Proverbs and Psalms. Teaching is an important theme in the Bible.
Definition: : teach 1) to learn. teach, exercise in 1a) (Qal) to learn 1b) (Piel) to teach 1c) (Pual) to be taught, be trained Also means: la.mad (לָמַד ": learn" H3925H)
Usage: Occurs in 80 OT verses. KJV: (un-) accustomed, [idiom] diligently, expert, instruct, learn, skilful, teach(-er, -ing). See also: Deuteronomy 4:1; Psalms 119:66; Psalms 18:35.
פֹשְׁעִ֣ים
pâshaʻ
H6586
"to transgress"
V-Qal
To transgress means to break away from authority, like rebelling or revolting against God or others, as seen in Psalm 51:1. It involves intentional disobedience. This concept is key in understanding sin and guilt.
Definition: 1) to rebel, transgress, revolt 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to rebel, revolt 1a2) to transgress 1b) (Niphal) to be rebelled against
Usage: Occurs in 37 OT verses. KJV: offend, rebel, revolt, transgress(-ion, -or). See also: 1 Kings 8:50; Isaiah 46:8; Psalms 37:38.
דְּרָכֶ֑י/ךָ
derek
H1870
"way"
N-cp | Suff
Derek refers to a road or path, and can also mean a way of life or manner of action. It is often used to describe a journey or direction, and can be used figuratively to describe a person's character or moral path.
Definition: : road/route 1) way, road, distance, journey, manner 1a) road, way, path 1b) journey 1c) direction 1d) manner, habit, way 1e) of course of life (fig.) 1f) of moral character (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 626 OT verses. KJV: along, away, because of, [phrase] by, conversation, custom, (east-) ward, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward, (high-) (path-) way(-side), whither(-soever). See also: Genesis 3:24; Deuteronomy 28:29; 1 Kings 15:34.
וְ֝/חַטָּאִ֗ים
chaṭṭâʼ
H2400
"sinner"
Conj | Adj
This word describes someone who has committed a crime or sin, making them guilty. It is used to describe those who have broken God's laws. The KJV translates it as 'offender' or 'sinner'.
Definition: 1) sinners adj 2) sinful 3) exposed to condemnation, reckoned as offenders
Usage: Occurs in 19 OT verses. KJV: offender, sinful, sinner. See also: Genesis 13:13; Psalms 51:15; Psalms 1:1.
אֵלֶ֥י/ךָ
ʼêl
H413
"to(wards)"
Prep | Suff
This Hebrew word means 'to' or 'toward', showing direction or movement. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus, to indicate where someone is going. The KJV translates it in various ways, like 'about', 'according to', or 'against'.
Definition: 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)
Usage: Occurs in 4205 OT verses. KJV: about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in). See also: Genesis 1:9; Genesis 21:14; Genesis 31:13.
יָשֽׁוּבוּ
shûwb
H7725
"to return"
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp
This Hebrew word means to return or turn back, and can be used literally or figuratively. It is often used to describe someone returning to God or repenting from sin, as seen in the book of Psalms and the prophets.
Definition: : return 1) to return, turn back 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn back, return 1a1a) to turn back 1a1b) to return, come or go back 1a1c) to return unto, go back, come back 1a1d) of dying 1a1e) of human relations (fig) 1a1f) of spiritual relations (fig) 1a1f1) to turn back (from God), apostatise 1a1f2) to turn away (of God) 1a1f3) to turn back (to God), repent 1a1f4) turn back (from evil) 1a1g) of inanimate things 1a1h) in repetition 1b) (Polel) 1b1) to bring back 1b2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig) 1b3) to lead away (enticingly) 1b4) to show turning, apostatise 1c) (Pual) restored (participle) 1d) (Hiphil) to cause to return, bring back 1d1) to bring back, allow to return, put back, draw back, give back, restore, relinquish, give in payment 1d2) to bring back, refresh, restore 1d3) to bring back, report to, answer 1d4) to bring back, make requital, pay (as recompense) 1d5) to turn back or backward, repel, defeat, repulse, hinder, reject, refuse 1d6) to turn away (face), turn toward 1d7) to turn against 1d8) to bring back to mind 1d9) to show a turning away 1d10) to reverse, revoke 1e) (Hophal) to be returned, be restored, be brought back 1f) (Pulal) brought back
Usage: Occurs in 953 OT verses. KJV: ((break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep)) [idiom] again, (cause to) answer ([phrase] again), [idiom] in any case (wise), [idiom] at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call (to mind), carry again (back), cease, [idiom] certainly, come again (back), [idiom] consider, [phrase] continually, convert, deliver (again), [phrase] deny, draw back, fetch home again, [idiom] fro, get (oneself) (back) again, [idiom] give (again), go again (back, home), (go) out, hinder, let, (see) more, [idiom] needs, be past, [idiom] pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, [phrase] say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, [idiom] surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw. See also: Genesis 3:19; Numbers 8:25; Judges 8:13.
Study Notes — Psalms 51:15
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 51:15 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 51:15
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 51:15
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 51:15
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 51:15
- Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
- Sermons on Psalms 51:15
Context — Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
13Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
14Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalms 63:3–5 | Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift my hands. My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods; with joyful lips my mouth will praise You. |
| 2 | Hebrews 13:15 | Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name. |
| 3 | Psalms 9:14 | that I may declare all Your praises— that within the gates of Daughter Zion I may rejoice in Your salvation. |
| 4 | Ezekiel 29:21 | In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” |
| 5 | Psalms 119:13 | With my lips I proclaim all the judgments of Your mouth. |
| 6 | Ezekiel 3:27 | But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house. |
| 7 | Exodus 4:11 | And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD? |
| 8 | Ezekiel 16:63 | so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your disgrace, declares the Lord GOD.” |
| 9 | Mark 7:34 | And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). |
| 10 | 1 Samuel 2:9 | He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail. |
Psalms 51:15 Summary
This verse, Psalms 51:15, is a prayer where the psalmist asks God to help him speak and share God's praise. The psalmist recognizes that he cannot do this on his own and needs God's help, as we all do (Romans 8:26). When we ask God to open our lips, we are asking Him to give us the ability to share His love and goodness with others, and this is in line with what is written in Psalm 40:3, where the psalmist says that he has a new song in his mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. By praying this prayer, we can declare God's praise and share His love with those around us, as a natural outflow of our relationship with Him (Hebrews 13:15).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to have God open our lips?
This is a prayer for God to give us the ability to speak and share His praise, as seen in Psalms 51:15, where the psalmist asks God to open his lips so he can declare God's praise, similar to what is written in Ezekiel 29:21, where God opens the mouth of Ezekiel to speak His words.
Why does the psalmist need God to open his lips?
The psalmist recognizes his own inability to praise God without God's help, as stated in Psalms 51:15, and this is in line with what is written in Romans 8:26, where the Spirit helps us in our weakness, and in Psalm 119:18, where the psalmist asks God to open his eyes to see the wonders of God's law.
How can we declare God's praise if our lips are not open?
We cannot declare God's praise on our own, we need God's help, as the psalmist says in Psalms 51:15, and this is supported by Hebrews 13:15, which says that we should continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, and by Psalm 40:3, where the psalmist says that he has a new song in his mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Is this prayer just for the psalmist or can we pray it too?
This prayer can be prayed by anyone who wants to declare God's praise, as it is a humble recognition of our need for God's help to speak and share His praise, similar to what is written in Matthew 7:7-8, where Jesus teaches us to ask and seek God's help.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways I can declare God's praise in my daily life, and how can I ask God to open my lips to do so?
- How does my heart need to be prepared to declare God's praise, and what role does humility play in this process, as seen in Psalms 51:17?
- What are some things that might be 'closing' my lips, preventing me from declaring God's praise, and how can I ask God to help me overcome them?
- How can I balance the desire to declare God's praise with the recognition of my own sinfulness and need for forgiveness, as seen in Psalms 51:1-14?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 51:15
O Lord, open thou my lips,.... The Targum adds, "in the late"; which were shut with a sense of sin, with shame of it, and sorrow for it; and though they were in some measure opened in prayer to God
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 51:15
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
Open thou my lips; which are shut with shame, and grief, and horror. Restore unto me the opportunity, and ability, and liberty which formerly I had of speaking to thee with freedom, and boldness, and familiarity, as this phrase signifies, 24:27 ,20.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
Psalms 51:15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.Ver. 15. O Lord, open thou my lips] Which now I find stopped and sealed up, as it were, with the sin that doth so easily beset me; so that whereas I promised before to "sing aloud of thy righteousness," this I shall never be able to do without thy special furtherance, nisi verba suppedites et tanquam praeeas, unless thou please to supply me both with affections and expressions, as well as with matter of praise. And my mouth shall show forth thy praise] David had not been dumb till now, all the while he lay in his sin, but all he did was but liplabour, and therefore lost labour. Daniel confesseth the like of himself and his people, Daniel 9:13, "All this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth." Prayed they had, but because they turned not from their iniquities, they got nothing by their prayers or praises. God is a fountain, and if he meet with a fit pipe (as is an ordinance rightly performed), there he usually conveyeth his grace; but if he meet with a foul pipe and obstructed, there he doth not confer a blessing. The Pharisees were not a button the better for all their long prayers, because rotten at heart.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
(15) My lips.—Comp. Psalms 71:15. The sense of forgiveness is like a glad morning to song-birds.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
Verse 15. O Lord, open thou my lips] My heart is believing unto righteousness; give me thy peace, that my tongue may make confession unto salvation. He could not praise God for pardon till he felt that God had pardoned him; then his lips would be opened, and his tongue would show forth the praise of his Redeemer.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 51:15
15. open thou] Lit. as P.B. V., thou shalt open, i.e. when thou openest. Not the occasion for praise only, but the power to praise aright is the gift of God. Cp. Psalms 40:3. In this verse and the preceding one there may be an allusion to the public worship of God. Cp. Psalms 26:6-7. He may be tacitly comparing himself to the leper who has been pronounced clean, and restored to that fellowship with the congregation from which he had been excluded.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 51:15
O Lord, open thou my lips - That is, by taking away my guilt; by giving me evidence that my sins are forgiven; by taking this burden from me, and filling my heart with the joy of pardon.
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 51:15
15. Open thou my lips—His lips were closed as to praise and thanksgiving. How can a guilty soul speak the praises of God? He longs for the return of the spirit and freedom of praise.
Sermons on Psalms 51:15
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
Love Never Faileth by George Warnock | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of truth and wisdom in our inner being. He quotes from Psalm 51, where David asks God to purify him and make him clean. The sp |
|
The Cross in Psalm 51 by Art Katz | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the holiness and costliness of God's mercy. He warns against reducing the message of salvation to a formula or turning it into shallow chorus |
|
Psalms 51 by Chuck Smith | Chuck Smith explores Psalm 51, a penitential psalm reflecting David's deep confession after his sin with Bathsheba. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging sin before God, re |
|
|
Zion, God's Habitation by George Warnock | George Warnock preaches on the significance of Zion as a place of rest, righteousness, power, joy, holiness, beauty, and praise. He emphasizes how Zion represents a spiritual stron |
|
In Winter Time as Defined Above by St. Benedict of Nursia | St. Benedict of Nursia outlines a structured order for the Night Office, beginning with a call to open lips in praise to the Lord, followed by the chanting of Psalms, the Ambrosian |
|
God's Chosen People Have Forgotten Him by Bob Jones III | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of remembering and acknowledging God in our lives. He warns against becoming complacent and forgetting the source of our bless |
|
The Echo and the Insufficiency of Hell by John Piper | In this sermon, the speaker explores the theme of the echo and insufficiency of hell. He explains that hell is an echo of the glory of God's infinite worth and Christ's infinite su |