1. Introduction
Psalm 50 is the Psalm of repentance par excellence.
Traditionally attributed to David, it was written after the prophet Nathan confronted him over his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12).
It is both a personal confession and a universal plea — the sinner turning back to God, appealing not to merit but to mercy.
Tone: Contrite, intimate, profoundly human.
Themes:
- Guilt and cleansing
- Inner renewal
- True sacrifice is a contrite heart
Structure:
- Plea for mercy and cleansing (vv. 1–9)
- Prayer for renewal and restoration (vv. 10–15)
- True worship and sacrifice (vv. 16–21)
2. Text and Study Format
Verse 1
Latin:
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam; et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam.
Literal English:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy compassions, blot out my iniquity.
Word Notes:
- miserere — imperative of misereor, misereri, “have pity”.
- misericordia, misericordiae (f.) — mercy, compassion.
- miseratio, miserationis (f.) — compassion, pity.
- dele — imperative of delo, delere, delevi, deletum, “wipe away, blot out”.
- iniquitas, iniquitatis (f.) — guilt, wrongdoing.
Verse 2
Latin:
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea, et a peccato meo munda me.
Literal English:
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Word Notes:
- amplius — more fully, thoroughly.
- lavo, lavare, lavi, lautum — wash.
- mundo, mundare, mundavi, mundatum — cleanse, purify.
- peccatum, peccati (n.) — sin.
Verse 3
Latin:
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco, et peccatum meum contra me est semper.
Literal English:
For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.
Word Notes:
- cognosco, cognoscere, cognovi, cognitum — know, recognise.
- semper — always, continually.
Verse 4
Latin:
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci; ut iustificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum iudicaris.
Literal English:
Against thee only have I sinned and done evil before thee, that thou mayest be justified in thy words and prevail when thou art judged.
Word Notes:
- solus, -a, -um — alone.
- iustificeris — 2nd sing. subjunctive of iustifico, be justified.
- vincas — 2nd sing. subjunctive of vinco, conquer, prevail.
Verse 5
Latin:
Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum, et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.
Literal English:
Behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me.
Word Notes:
- conceptus sum — the perfect passive of concipio, conceive.
- The verse reflects universal sinfulness, not maternal guilt.
Verse 6
Latin:
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti; incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi.
Literal English:
Behold, thou hast loved truth; the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast revealed to me.
Word Notes:
- diligo, diligere, dilexi, dilectum — love, value.
- occultus, -a, -um — hidden.
- manifesto, manifestare — make known, reveal.
Verse 7
Latin:
Asperges me hyssopo, et mundabor; lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Literal English:
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed; thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
Word Notes:
- aspergo, aspergere, aspersi, aspersum — sprinkle.
- hyssopus, hyssopi (m.) — hyssop, a plant used for ritual cleansing.
- dealbo, dealbare, dealbavi — whiten, make pure.
Verse 8
Latin:
Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam; et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.
Literal English:
Thou shalt give joy and gladness to my hearing, and the bones that were humbled shall rejoice.
Word Notes:
- auditui — dative “to my hearing”.
- ossa humiliata — the crushed bones (metaphor for inward sorrow).
Verse 9
Latin:
Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis, et omnes iniquitates meas dele.
Literal English:
Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Word Notes:
- ‘Averte’ is the imperative of ‘averto’, meaning ‘turn away’.
- ‘omnes iniquitates‘—plural for completeness.
Verse 10
Latin:
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus, et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.
Literal English:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Word Notes:
- ‘crea’ is the imperative of ‘creo’, ‘create’.
- rectus, -a, -um — upright, true.
- viscera, viscerum (n. pl.) — inward parts, soul.
Verse 11
Latin:
Ne proicias me a facie tua, et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.
Literal English:
Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
Word Notes:
- proicio, proicere — cast away.
- aufero, auferre, abstuli, ablatum — remove, take away.
Verse 12
Latin:
Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui, et spiritu principali confirma me.
Literal English:
Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a willing spirit.
Word Notes:
- redde — imperative of reddo, restore, give back.
- salutaris, salutare (n.) — salvation, saving help.
- confirmo, confirmare — strengthen, make firm.
- spiritus principalis — noble or steadfast spirit.
Verse 13
Latin:
Docebo iniquos vias tuas, et impii ad te convertentur.
Literal English:
I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall return to thee.
Word Notes:
- Docebo — the future of doceo, teach.
- impious, -a, -um — ungodly, wicked.
- converto, convertere — turn, return.
Verse 14
Latin:
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae, et exsultabit lingua mea iustitiam tuam.
Literal English:
Deliver me from blood-guilt, O God of my salvation, and my tongue shall rejoice in thy justice.
Word Notes:
- libera — imperative of libero, free.
- sanguines — plural, meaning “bloodshed”.
- exsulto, exsultare — rejoice, exult.
Verse 15
Latin:
Domine, labia mea aperies, et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.
Literal English:
O Lord, thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise.
Word Notes:
- aperies — future of aperio, open.
- annuntio, annuntiare — proclaim, announce.
Verse 16
Latin:
Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique; holocausta non delectabunt te.
Literal English:
For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it; burnt offerings do not please thee.
Word Notes:
- volo, velle, volui — wish, desire.
- delecto, delectare — delight, please.
Verse 17
Latin:
Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus; cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.
Literal English:
A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Word Notes:
- contribulatus, -a, -um — crushed, broken in spirit.
- contritus, -a, -um — broken, remorseful.
- despicio, despicere — despise, reject.
Verse 18
Latin:
Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion; ut aedificentur muri Ierusalem.
Literal English:
Do good, O Lord, in thy good pleasure to Sion, that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
Word Notes:
- benigne fac — “deal kindly”.
- aedifico, aedificare — build.
- murus, muri (m.) — wall.
Verse 19
Latin:
Tunc acceptabis sacrificium iustitiae, oblationes et holocausta; tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.
Literal English:
Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of righteousness, offerings and burnt offerings; then shall they lay calves upon thine altar.
Word Notes:
- acceptabis — future of accepto, accept.
- oblatio, oblationis (f.) — offering.
- altare, altaris (n.) — altar.
3. Exercises
1️⃣ Translation:
Translate verses 10–12 from English to Latin:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.”
2️⃣ Grammar Practice:
- Identify all imperatives (e.g., miserere, dele, lava, munda, crea).
- Parse dealbabor and redde.
- Explain the poetic parallelism in verses 16–17 (external vs. internal sacrifice).
3️⃣ Composition:
Write two Latin sentences using misericordia, cor, and spiritus.
4️⃣ Vocabulary Matching:
(a) dele —
(b) mundo —
(c) dealbo —
(d) contritus —
(e) benign —
4. Final Comments
Psalm 50 (51) is the heart of penitential prayer — both personal confession and universal truth.
It replaces ritual sacrifice with inner sincerity, anticipating Christ’s teaching on purity of heart:
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus.
Its central insight is that repentance is creative, not destructive: God re-creates the heart and renews the spirit.
This psalm has shaped centuries of worship — in the Latin Miserere, in Orthodox liturgies, and in Western art from Allegri to Bach.
It remains the purest expression of the soul’s return to God:
Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus; cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.