Psalms 51:16 (ASV)

Passage

For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.

Nearby Context

Psalms 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; [And] my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

Psalms 51:15 O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

Psalms 51:16 For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering.

Psalms 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Psalms 51:18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "thou", "delightest", "sacrifice", "else", "give", "hast", and "pleasure". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "O Lord open thou my lips And..." into verse 17's "The sacrifices of God are a broken...", so "light" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.