What does Psalm 25:18 mean?
ESV: Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
NIV: Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
NASB: Look at my misery and my trouble, And forgive all my sins.
CSB: Consider my affliction and trouble, and forgive all my sins.
NLT: Feel my pain and see my trouble. Forgive all my sins.
KJV: Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
NKJV: Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins.
Verse Commentary:
Perhaps David attributed his suffering to his past sins. In this verse he asks God to forgive all his sins. David was keenly aware of his sins, but he was equally aware of God's power to forgive. Sin can steal a believer's peace and joy. It can also lead to physical suffering as chastisement from the Lord.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul noted that some of the Corinthians were weak and ill because they were violating the sacredness of the Lord's Supper. Some of the sinning Corinthians had even died because the Lord had judged them (see 1 Corinthians 11:27–30). However, not all sickness and suffering is due to sin. The Lord allowed Paul to suffer to keep him humble and dependent on Him (2 Corinthians12:7–9). When Jesus and His disciples passed by a certain man who was born blind, the disciples asked Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2). Jesus replied that the blindness was not due to sin, "but that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3).
Verse Context:
Psalm 25:15–22 records more of David's prayer. He is facing multiple dangers, but he trusts the Lord to deliver him. In this regard, his plea resembles that of his prayer for deliverance in Psalm 22. The concluding section of Psalm 25 naturally follows David's description of the Lord's steadfast love and mercy. The Lord cares for those who obey Him, so He will not disappoint David in David's time of great need.
Chapter Summary:
This prayer of David uses the Hebrew alphabet as a pattern. This is an acrostic, where verses each begin with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The final verse, however, repeats the letter used in verse 16. David declares his trust in God and the value of the Lord's wisdom. Mixed into these praises of God's truth are multiple requests that David be forgiven of his sins. The psalm ends with David asking for rescue from his enemies, and for a similar redemption for the nation of Israel.
Chapter Context:
Psalm 25 finds David facing difficulty and seeking the Lord's guidance. Proverbs 3:5–6 offers a similar emphasis on divine guidance for those who seek the Lord's will. Deuteronomy 32 provides parallel teaching, as do Psalm 37:1–7 and Psalm 40.
Book Summary:
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.
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Text from ESV, NIV, NASB, CSB, NLT, KJV, NKJV © Copyright respective owners, used by permission.
