Psalms 51:8 (WEB)

Passage

Let me hear joy and gladness, That the bones which you have broken may rejoice.

Nearby Context

Psalms 51:6 Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Psalms 51:7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalms 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness, That the bones which you have broken may rejoice.

Psalms 51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities.

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Purify me with hyssop and I will..." into verse 9's "Hide your face from my sins and...", so "hear" and "gladness" 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 "hear" and "gladness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.