Psalms 51:17 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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

Psalms 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not 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.

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

Psalms 51:19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "sacrifices", "broken", "contrite", "heart", "thou", and "wilt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "sacrifices", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "For thou desirest not sacrifice else would..." into verse 18's "Do good in thy good pleasure unto...", so "Spirit" and "sacrifices" 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 "Spirit" and "sacrifices" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.