Psalm 51 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 51:6
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Psalm 51
Create a clean heart
Verse 51:1 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:1] For the director. A psalm of David,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:1] For the end. A psalm of David,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: The performance heading differs.
Verse 51:2 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:2] when Nathan the prophet came to him,
after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:2] when Nathan the prophet came to him,
when he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The superscription's encounter agrees; the ancient name forms differ. Familiar English names are used where the referent is the same.
Verse 51:3 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:3] Be gracious to me, God, according to Your steadfast love;
according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellions.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:3] Have mercy on me, God, according to Your great mercy,
and according to the abundance of Your compassion blot out my lawless deed.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek explicitly calls mercy great and makes the lawless deed singular; Hebrew rebellions is plural.
Verse 51:4 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:4] Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:4] Wash me more and more from my lawlessness,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The intensive washing and cleansing agree. Hebrew follows the read imperative herev, beside written hereveh, directly displayed in the accessed Rashi source (RASHI-PS51, 51:4).
Verse 51:5 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:5] For I know my rebellions,
and my sin is always before me.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:5] For I know my lawlessness,
and my sin is continually before me.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew names plural rebellions; Greek singular lawlessness.
Verse 51:6 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:6] Against You, You alone, I sinned
and did evil in Your eyes,
so that You are righteous in Your word
and pure when You judge.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:6] Against You alone I sinned
and did evil before You,
so that You may be justified in Your words
and prevail when You are judged.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew has God judging; Greek has God being judged. Reception: Augustine reads the Greek-shaped clause through Christ's unjust trial and vindication. Romans 3:4 also quotes it in affirming God's truth (AUG-PS51, §9; SBL-ROM-PS).
Verse 51:7 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:7] Look, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin my mother conceived me.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:7] For look, I was conceived in lawless deeds,
and in sins my mother conceived me.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew's first line concerns being brought forth; Greek conception, with both guilt terms plural. Reception: Rashi relates the condition to procreation or sinful parents; Augustine reads it as humanity's inherited bond from Adam, while denying that lawful marriage is itself sin (RASHI-PS51, 51:7; AUG-PS51, §10).
Verse 51:8 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:8] Look, You desire truth in the inward parts;
in the hidden place You teach me wisdom.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:8] For look, You loved truth;
You made known to me the unseen and hidden things of Your wisdom.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew locates truth and instruction within the person; Greek makes hidden divine wisdom the content revealed.
Verse 51:9 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:9] Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:9] You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed;
You will wash me, and I will be whitened beyond snow.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew petitions for purification; Greek predicts sprinkling. Reception: Rashi connects hyssop with ritual purification; Augustine reads its lowly growth as a figure of Christ's cleansing humility (RASHI-PS51, 51:9; AUG-PS51, §12).
Verse 51:10 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:10] Make me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones You crushed exult.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:10] You will make me hear exultation and gladness;
humbled bones will exult.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew explicitly makes God the crusher of bones; Greek leaves the agent unexpressed and calls them humbled.
Verse 51:11 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:11] Hide Your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:11] Turn Your face away from my sins,
and blot out all my lawless deeds.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The removal of sins from divine scrutiny agrees.
Verse 51:12 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:12] Create a clean heart for me, God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:12] Create a clean heart in me, God,
and renew an upright spirit in my inward parts.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew steadfast and Greek upright describe the renewed spirit differently.
Verse 51:13 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:13] Do not cast me away from Your presence,
and do not take Your holy spirit from me.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:13] Do not cast me away from Your face,
and do not remove Your holy Spirit from me.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The pleas agree. Capitalization in the Greek column follows Christian reception; the Hebrew is not forced into a later personal identification.
Verse 51:14 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:14] Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and let a noble spirit sustain me.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:14] Restore to me the exultation of Your salvation,
and strengthen me with a governing spirit.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew can make the noble spirit the sustaining subject; Greek explicitly asks God to strengthen by a governing spirit. Noble follows Rashi's leadership sense of nedivah (RASHI-PS51, 51:14).
Verse 51:15 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:15] I will teach rebels Your ways,
and sinners will return to You.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:15] I will teach the lawless Your ways,
and the ungodly will turn back to You.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The restored speaker will teach others to return.
Verse 51:16 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:16] Deliver me from bloodshed, God, God of my salvation;
my tongue will sing aloud of Your righteousness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:16] Rescue me from bloodshed, God, God of my salvation;
my tongue will exult in Your righteousness.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both retain the plural blood expression as bloodshed. Reception: Rashi interprets the plea as escape from death by the sword in punishment for killing Uriah (RASHI-PS51, 51:16).
Verse 51:17 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:17] Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:17] Lord, You will open my lips,
and my mouth will announce Your praise.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew is rendered as petition; Greek future as assurance.
Verse 51:18 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:18] For You do not desire sacrifice, or I would give it;
You do not delight in a burnt offering.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:18] For if You had desired sacrifice, I would have given it;
You will not delight in burnt offerings.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek explicitly formulates the first clause as a counterfactual condition.
Verse 51:19 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:19] God's sacrifices are a broken spirit;
a broken and crushed heart, God, You will not despise.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:19] A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and humbled heart God will not despise.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew has plural sacrifices, a crushed heart and direct address; Greek singular sacrifice, a humbled heart and third-person statement.
Verse 51:20 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:20] Do good to Zion in Your favor;
build Jerusalem's walls.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:20] Do good to Zion, Lord, in Your good pleasure,
and let Jerusalem's walls be built.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek adds Lord and makes the building passive.
Verse 51:21 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[51:21] Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,
burnt offering and whole offering;
then bulls will be offered upon Your altar.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[50:21] Then You will delight in a sacrifice of righteousness,
an offering and burnt offerings;
then they will bring calves upon Your altar.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: The sacrificial terms and their numbers differ; Hebrew bulls become Greek calves.