Psalms 51:15 (DBY)

Passage

Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

Nearby Context

Psalms 51:13 I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall return unto thee.

Psalms 51:14 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

Psalms 51:15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

Psalms 51:16 For thou desirest not 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 a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "open", "lips", "mouth", "shall", "declare", and "praise". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "open", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God thou..." into verse 16's "For thou desirest not sacrifice else would...", so "lord" and "open" 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 "lord" and "open" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.