Psalms 51:2 (DBY)

Passage

Wash me fully from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Nearby Context

Psalms 51:1 {To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.} Be gracious unto me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according to the abundance of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

Psalms 51:2 Wash me fully from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalms 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is continually before me.

Psalms 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in thy sight; that thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, be clear when thou judgest.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wash", "fully", "mine", "iniquity", and "cleanse". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wash" and "fully", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "To the chief Musician A Psalm of..." into verse 3's "For I acknowledge my transgressions and my...", so "wash" and "fully" 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 "wash" and "fully" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.