Psalms 51:16 (GNV)

Passage

For thou desirest no sacrifice, though I would giue it: thou delitest not in burnt offering.

Nearby Context

Psalms 51:14 Deliuer me from blood, O God, which art the God of my saluation, and my tongue shall sing ioyfully of thy righteousnes.

Psalms 51:15 Open thou my lippes, O Lord, and my mouth shall shewe foorth thy praise.

Psalms 51:16 For thou desirest no sacrifice, though I would giue it: thou delitest not in burnt offering.

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

Psalms 51:18 Bee fauourable vnto Zion for thy good pleasure: builde the walles of Ierusalem.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "desirest", "sacrifice", "though", "giue", "delitest", and "burnt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "desirest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Open thou my lippes O Lord and..." into verse 17's "The sacrifices of God are a contrite...", so "thou" and "desirest" 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 "thou" and "desirest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.