Psalm 19:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

NIV: Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

NASB: Also keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be innocent, And I will be blameless of great wrongdoing.

CSB: Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

NLT: Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

KJV: Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

NKJV: Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

The prior verse referred to "hidden sins," meaning those a person may commit without realizing it until later. Here, however, David prays the Lord will restrain him from committing willful sins, called "presumptuous sins" in this case. Willful sins are committed with the eyes wide open.

When David committed adultery with Bathsheba he was fully aware of what he was doing. He saw her and sent for her. He also willfully arranged for Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, to be killed in battle. He was, therefore, guilty of adultery and murder. Both acts violated obvious moral law and the explicit commandments God had given to Israel (Exodus 20:13–14). No sacrifice could atone for willful sins, but when David confessed his sins, God forgave him (Psalm 32:5; 51:16–17; 2 Samuel 12:13).

Committed often enough, willful sins can become addictive and enslave their victim. David affirms here that if willful sins did not rule him, he would be beyond reproach and great transgression. The original Hebrew language does not include the definite article "the" with "great transgression." Most likely, David does not have one specific sin in mind. If he did, perhaps, by "great transgression" David meant the sin of idolatry.

Psalm 19:7–14 introduces the law of the Lord—meaning Scripture—as God's perfect revelation of Himself and His will. The prior passage identified nature as a revelation of God. Psalm 119, as well, extols God's Word as His perfect revelation and cites the blessings which come to those who love and obey it.

David refers to the details of creation as evidence for God's power and design. The appearance and function of nature are evidence of God's majesty. The second half of this psalm also celebrates God's revelation, but in the form of His Word. The law, precepts, and commandments of God are hailed for their perfection and benefit.

This psalm of David celebrates two separate revelations which God has given human beings. He has revealed Himself in nature and in Scripture. Psalm 8 is a companion psalm because it, too, refers to nature as revealing God's majesty. Romans 1:18–25 also points out that God revealed himself through nature, but the passage indicates that disobedient people rejected this revelation.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.