Psalm 51:17 means that God is not impressed by ritual alone. What he values most is a heart that is honestly broken over sin and humbly turned back toward him, and he does not turn that heart away. David, the king who had committed adultery and arranged a man’s death, speaks these words in his prayer of repentance. He is pleading with God after the prophet Nathan confronted him.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 (WEB)
What Psalm 51:17 Means
The verse begins by saying that the sacrifices God wants are “a broken spirit.” In the worship of Israel, animal sacrifices were real and commanded, yet David recognizes that an offering given without a sincere heart behind it misses the point. The word for broken here describes something crushed or shattered, which points to deep grief over wrongdoing rather than a mild sense of regret.
The second line adds the phrase “a broken and contrite heart.” Contrite means truly sorry and willing to change, not just sorry for being caught. David then says that God “will not despise” such a heart. That is a promise of welcome. The verse does not say that sorrow earns forgiveness or that feeling bad guarantees restoration, but it does say that God does not turn away a person who comes to him in honest humility.
The Context of Psalm 51:17
Psalm 51 is traditionally attributed to David and is headed as his prayer after Nathan rebuked him for his sin with Bathsheba, as recorded in 2 Samuel 12. It belongs to the penitential psalms, a group of prayers used by believers who need to confess their failures. The audience is God himself, though the psalm is also prayed by every later reader who recognizes their own need for mercy.
The verses just before this one ask God to open David’s lips so he can declare God’s praise (verse 15), and verse 16 says God takes no pleasure in burnt offerings. Verse 17 therefore answers a natural question: if sacrifice is not what God delights in, what does he want? Verses 18 and 19 then turn toward Jerusalem and the restored worship of the nation, which shows that a changed heart leads to right worship in the wider community.
Key Phrases in Psalm 51:17
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
(WEB)
This verse says the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. It echoes the same comfort found in Psalm 51:17, showing that God draws close to people who are humbled by their need rather than turning away from them.
Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
(WEB)
Isaiah describes God as the one who dwells with the contrite and humble in spirit. Read alongside Psalm 51:17, it reveals that God’s holiness and his nearness to the lowly are not in conflict but belong together in his character.
A Short Prayer From Psalm 51:17
Lord, I come to you without excuses. I have done things I am ashamed of, and I have tried to hide them behind good habits and busy routines. Break the hardness in me where pride has taken root. Give me a heart that is truly sorry and willing to turn back to you, not out of fear of getting caught but out of love for who you are.
Thank you that you do not despise a broken and contrite heart. Receive what I bring you today, even if it feels small or messy, and make me honest with you and with the people I love. Amen.
