Psalms 51:16 (LSB)

Passage

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

Nearby Context

Psalms 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

Psalms 51:15 O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise.

Psalms 51:16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

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

Psalms 51:18 By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "delight", "sacrifice", "otherwise", "give", "pleased", "burnt", and "offering". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "delight", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "O Lord open my lips That my..." into verse 17's "The sacrifices of God are a broken...", so "light" and "delight" 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 "delight" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.