Psalms 51:3 (WEB)

Passage

For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.

Nearby Context

Psalms 51:1 Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

Psalms 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.

Psalms 51:3 For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.

Psalms 51:4 Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.

Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was born in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity Cleanse..." into verse 4's "Against you and you only I have...", so "transgressions" and "constantly" 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 "transgressions" and "constantly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.