Introduction
Psalm 51 is the psalm of King David's repentance, recited "when Natan the prophet came to him, after he had come to Bat-Sheva." In the previous parts, we examined the psalm's initial supplications for atonement. From this point forward, we continue following the sequence of the verses: from the plea to hide His face from sins, through the request for the joy of salvation and a generous spirit, to the plea "Save me from bloodguilt," and the distinction between the tongue's singing and the opening of the lips.
"Hide Your face from my sins" - Do not remember and do not punish
הַסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מֵחֲטָאָי וְכׇל עֲוֺנֹתַי מְחֵה׃ - Hide Your face from my sins, and erase all my iniquities.
Radak explains: "Hide Your face from my sins" - so that my sins are not before Your face. The meaning is: do not remember them, and do not punish for them any longer. This reflects a genuine spiritual reality, as it is said, "He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov, nor has He seen perversity in Yisrael" - as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not gaze upon the sins of Yisrael. Therefore David asks: hide Your face from my sins, and erase all my iniquities - everything I have done until this day - for I am returning to You in complete repentance.
The Alshich's Question: Why the Redundant Pleas?
The holy Alshich raises a difficulty: David had seemingly already requested, "Thoroughly wash me of my iniquity," and now he asks again, "and erase all my iniquities"? He had already pleaded, "and cleanse me of my sin," and now he asks, "Hide Your face from my sins"? King David thus appears to address the same matter twice - once asking for cleansing from iniquity and once for its erasure, once asking for purification from sin and once for the hiding of the divine countenance from sins.
The Alshich answers: let us examine the phrasing closely. Earlier, "my iniquity" (avoni) and "my sin" (chatati) were stated in the singular, whereas "my transgressions" ("according to Your abundant compassion, erase my transgressions" - p'sha'ai) was stated in the plural. The explanation is that up to this point, King David was speaking solely about the episode of Bat-Sheva, where there was one iniquity (avon) and one sin (chet), but two deliberate transgressions (pesha'im). From here on, he proceeds to plead for the rest of his sins and iniquities - but not transgressions, as he had no willful rebellion except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. Therefore, he now says, "Hide Your face from my sins" - all my sins, "and erase all my iniquities" - all my iniquities.
The Path of Gradual Request
David's method of supplication is gradual, as seen in numerous psalms. This is comparable to the Midrashic parable of a person who comes to someone's house and asks, "Could I just have a glass of water?" They bring him a glass of water. He says, "Perhaps a drop of syrup, so it is not just plain water?" They add syrup. He asks, "Might there be a little something to go with it?" They bring him a slice of bread. He says, "A slice of bread with nothing spread on it..." and ultimately he ends up with fattened fowl. This is the "salami" approach - a little more, and then a little more. This is also proper conduct when making a request: a person should not ask for everything all at once, but should proceed step by step. David began with the episode of Bat-Sheva, and then continues and pleads: Master of the Universe, hide Your face from all my sins, and erase all my iniquities.
"Restore to me the joy of Your salvation" - Do not withhold salvation from me
הָשִׁיבָה לִּי שְׂשׂוֹן יִשְׁעֶךָ וְרוּחַ נְדִיבָה תִסְמְכֵנִי׃ - Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and let a generous spirit sustain me.
Beyond asking for the forgiveness of the sin, David adds and says: Master of the Universe, do not withhold from returning to me the joy of Your salvation - the rejoicing over the deliverance You grant me from my enemies. For seemingly, there is reason to fear: look where the joy of salvation brought you; the rejoicing over victory in battle was ultimately what led you to sin. To this David says: nevertheless, do not withhold the joy of Your salvation from me on account of this sin; continue to deliver me in battles. Even though this cause brought about my downfall, nevertheless, "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation" as at first.
"And let a generous spirit sustain me" - The Merit of Generosity as Support
And what will guarantee that he does not stumble again? To this David adds the request, "and let a generous spirit sustain me." The Alshich explains: all of David's wars were waged in order to provide for the poor. When Israel needed a livelihood, he told them, "Stretch forth your hands in the troop" - they would go out and battle the enemies, and he would distribute the spoils to the poor. Regarding this he requests: may the generous spirit within me, which leads me into battle, sustain me and uphold me so that I do not fall in the wake of salvation. To be sure, I will experience salvation and the joy of salvation, and that could lead to sin in the way a person's heart becomes haughty through his salvation; yet the very fact that the entire war was a mitzvah, and its purpose was generosity toward the people so they would have a livelihood - may this merit sustain me so that I do not let down my guard into sin, and that no mishap of transgression will come about through it. And while historically this merit did not protect him at that moment, he nevertheless pleads that in the future it will indeed avail.
And the Malbim explains: "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation" - that through this salvation and joy, I will enjoy Your Divine providence, and salvation from all temporal tribulations, not only from wars but from all troubles. And corresponding to what he said, "and do not take Your holy spirit from me," he asks, "and let a generous spirit sustain me" - that this noble, generous spirit will support me to attain the paths of perfection and to achieve Ruach HaKodesh.
"I will teach transgressors Your ways" - The Benefit of David's Teshuvah
אֲלַמְּדָה פֹשְׁעִים דְּרָכֶיךָ וְחַטָּאִים אֵלֶיךָ יָשׁוּבוּ׃ - I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall return to You.
Radak says, as do most commentators here: when You forgive me, I will teach transgressors Your ways - I will teach them and tell them, behold, you see that Hashem pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression, and through this they will repent and You will accept them. Rashi similarly writes: from me they will learn and return. When You forgive me, they will see that there is forgiveness and pardon, even when the sin is great. This is why Chazal said, "David sinned only in order to teach the path of teshuvah to the individual" - that there is a lesson here for an individual, that even if you have sinned, the Holy One, blessed be He, will receive you.
The Malbim notes a precise distinction between posh'im (transgressors) and chata'im (sinners). The posh'im are those who sin out of rebellion - not out of physical desire, but out of defiance; they rebel against Hashem because they believe that Hashem's providence and guidance are not right, harboring doubts and objections against it. Therefore, regarding them it is said, "I will teach transgressors Your ways" - I will teach them Your ways, show them how Your path is full of goodness and lovingkindness, and through this they will return in teshuvah. In contrast, the chata'im do not need to learn the ways of Hashem: they know that the Holy One, blessed be He, is merciful and gracious, and they acknowledge His goodness; they have no doubt about that. Their problem is temptation - they sin out of bodily desire. Therefore, regarding them it is said, "and sinners shall return to You": when they see that I overcame my desires and repented - and David by his nature was inclined toward this, as he was of ruddy complexion, which signifies his nature - they, too, will learn to subjugate their desires and return to You.
The Malbim adds: "I will teach transgressors Your ways" corresponds to his request, "Do not cast me away from Your presence" - for through Your not casting me away from Your presence, the transgressors will see that You are merciful and judge righteously. And "and sinners shall return to You" corresponds to "and do not take Your holy spirit from me" - through that generous spirit, which is the Ruach HaKodesh You grant me, they will repent and say: look, King David overcame his inclination, attained high spirituality, and the Holy One, blessed be He, allowed Ruach HaKodesh to remain with him. This teaches us as well that if we overcome our inclination, the Holy One, blessed be He, will accept our repentance, and we will have siyata diShemaya (Heavenly assistance) to mend our ways.
The Me'am Lo'ez cites another distinction in the name of the Keli Chemdah: posh'im sin in open rebellion, whereas chata'im sin out of lust and in secret. Therefore, the transgressors, who act openly, can be found and seen, and I can approach them and teach them - "I will teach transgressors Your ways"; but the sinners I do not know, as they sin covertly, and therefore it says only "shall return to You" - when they observe me, they will return to You on their own.
"Deliver me from bloodguilt" - The Blood of Uriah
הַצִּילֵנִי מִדָּמִים אֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהֵי תְשׁוּעָתִי תְּרַנֵּן לְשׁוֹנִי צִדְקָתֶךָ׃ - Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
Radak explains: "Rescue me from bloodguilt" - from the blood of Uriah, that You not punish me for shedding his blood. A precise nuance is noted here: seemingly, he should have used the Name Havayah, which represents the attribute of mercy, since he is pleading for mercy - why then does he mention the Name Elokim, which represents the attribute of strict justice? Rather, Radak explains, because You are everything, and it is in Your power to forgive; You are the Master of all powers, You are capable and the Judge, and it is in Your power to judge and to forgive.
In simple terms, this resembles the distinction between the governance of justice (Hanhagat HaMishpat) and the governance of unity (Hanhagat HaYichud), which the Ramchal discusses extensively, as examined in Derech Hashem and elsewhere. The governance of justice is the constant and regular system of providence: "A king establishes the land through justice." The governance of unity, by contrast, operates beyond the natural order: the Holy One, blessed be He, directs His world purely by His sovereign will, and no one can question what He does or how He acts, regardless of strict merit or justice. This was the case with the Exodus from Egypt - by strict merit we were not meant to be redeemed, yet through the governance of unity Hashem redeemed us. And so it will be in the future: even if Israel lacks sufficient merits to be redeemed, "As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders," in the manner of a king who breaks through fences without anyone protesting. Therefore David says: You are Elokim, everything is in Your hands, and no one can stay Your hand - please, rescue me from bloodguilt, so that I will not be judged for the blood of Uriah.
We have already seen that the incident with Uriah was not actual murder, yet it was nevertheless stated, "and you killed him with the sword of the children of Ammon." This was the basis for the grievance against him: even if he was liable to execution for treason against the monarchy, you should have executed him yourself - why by the hand of the children of Ammon? We have already noted several explanations for this claim, including the words of the Zohar, which need not be repeated here. David therefore cries out: "God of my salvation" - You will save me from this judgment, and then "my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness." When You forgive me, my tongue will joyously sing of Your righteousness in forgiving me when I repented before You.
Malbim: "And He Shall Restore the Lamb Fourfold"
Malbim explains that the plea "Rescue me from bloodguilt [damim]" corresponds directly to what David himself ruled in response to the parable of Nathan the prophet: "And he shall restore the lamb fourfold [arba'atayim]." Here, "damim" does not mean money - David was not being sued for money - rather, "he shall restore fourfold" means that he would have to pay four times over, that is, a very heavy price. Indeed, King David paid a heavy price: his son Avshalom rose up from within his own house and rebelled against him, lying with his concubines before the eyes of the sun, and David was driven from his throne, and so on. Regarding this he pleads: rescue me from the price (damim) that I decreed in my own verdict, for I do not want to endure such severe punishment, and then "my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness."
Tongue and Mouth, Righteousness and Praise
אֲדֹנָי שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח וּפִי יַגִּיד תְּהִלָּתֶךָ׃ - O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise.
Malbim notes the contrast between "my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness" and "open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise." In his characteristic way - as seen frequently throughout Mishlei and Tehillim - he distinguishes between the tongue (lashon) and the mouth (peh): the mouth is external, while the tongue is internal. Therefore, the tongue symbolizes understanding (binah), inward contemplation, and depth, whereas the mouth and lips symbolize external speech.
Malbim further explains: "righteousness" (tzedakah) refers to Hashem's inherent righteousness in and of Himself, whereas "praise" (tehillah) is what others sing in praise and acclaim of Him, publicizing His deeds. That is, righteousness resides in Hashem, and others praise Him for that righteousness. David therefore pleads: Master of the Universe, rescue me from bloodguilt, and then in my deeper understanding I will recognize Your righteousness - that You do not deal with me according to strict justice, but according to the attribute of mercy. According to strict justice, it would be appropriate that "he shall restore the lamb fourfold"; when You instead deal with me with mercy, I will contemplate this, and my tongue will sing aloud of Your righteousness - this is the internal expression, the spirit of understanding within me.
Following that, "O Lord, open my lips" - the lips represent outward speech: I will make this known to others and proclaim Your Name, "and my mouth shall declare Your praise" to others, so that they too will praise and exalt You. Thus there are two stages: the internal understanding with which I contemplate these matters, followed by disseminating and recounting them to others. Accordingly, David asks, on the one hand, that the Holy One, blessed be He, grant him lovingkindness through which he will perceive these truths internally, and on the other hand, that he himself will reciprocate to Hashem, may He be blessed, by publicizing His praise, thereby sanctifying His Name for good.
"Rescue Me from Bloodguilt, O God" - Homiletical Insights
The Rebbe of Stolin explains in a Chassidic vein, with profound beauty: "Rescue me from damim [money], O God" - rescue me, Master of the Universe, from allowing money to become my god! For how many people is money their deity, serving it day and night? Therefore David pleads: let not money become my god; let it not be the focus of all my thoughts, toil, and preoccupation from morning until night.
The Me'am Lo'ez connects this verse to the preceding one: "I will teach transgressors Your ways" - and yet Chazal warn, "You shall surely rebuke your fellow, and not bear sin because of him," teaching that one must be cautious when rebuking not to humiliate or utter harsh words that will hurt, and the one offering rebuke must do so gently. And this is what David is asking: after "I will teach transgressors Your ways" - Master of the Universe, let me not spill his blood through rebuke, "Save me from bloodguilt, O God," so that I do not rebuke him in a way that shames and humiliates him.
The Me'am Lo'ez further cites in the name of Anavah Tehillah: David prays that he may merit to teach transgressors the ways of Hashem, and through this save his own soul. For in Yechezkel it is written, "and you did not speak to warn the wicked... he shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand" - you had the ability to rebuke him and did not rebuke him, and therefore his blood is demanded of you. Concerning this David requests: "I will teach transgressors Your ways," and through this "save me from bloodguilt," so that I will not bear "and his blood I will require at your hand," because I will teach the transgressors Your ways, and consequently Hashem will not demand their blood from my hand.
The Me'am Lo'ez additionally cites in the name of Zera Yaakov: David asks, "I will teach transgressors Your ways" - grant me the merit, Master of the Universe, to bring merit to the public, for Chazal said that whoever brings merit to the public, no sin will come through his hand, and consequently, "Save me from bloodguilt, O God" - through bringing merit to the public I will be saved from sins.
The Holy Ari and the Wisdom of the Palm
It is related of the holy Ari, who was proficient in the wisdom of the palm and could see in it what sins a person had, that once he was asked to look at someone's palm, and he said that he could not see anything. They asked him: Why? He told them: Because this person is engaged in bringing merit to the public, and whoever brings merit to the public, no sin comes through his hand - and sin is not etched into his hand. It is well known that the Ari could perceive people's sins in many ways: through the forehead, through the pulse, and more, discerning a person's shortcomings, sins, and reincarnations. Yet when it came to one who brought merit to the public, he said that sin was not engraved on his palm, and no sin could be identified on him. This is precisely what the Zera Yaakov explains: one who merits "I will teach transgressors Your ways" merits being saved from bloodguilt, from iniquities, and from sins.
In summary:
In this section of the psalm, King David ascends step by step: first he asks for the hiding of God's face from his sins and the erasure of all sins and iniquities - not only the sin and iniquity regarding Batsheva - and does so in a gradual manner as proper etiquette in prayer. Afterward, he asks for the restoration of the joy of salvation, requesting that the merit of the generous spirit - his wars fought to sustain the poor - support him so that he does not fall again. From there, he turns to the public benefit: "I will teach transgressors Your ways" to the rebels who question Hashem's governance, and "sinners will return to You" to those who stumbled out of lust, that they may learn from his repentance and overcoming. Finally, "Save me from bloodguilt" - from the blood of Uriah and the fourfold penalty - and as a result, "my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness" in deep inner recognition, and "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise" by publicizing His Name among the multitude. From this comes a great lesson for every person: one who brings merit to the public will not have sin come about through him, and he is even assured that he will be saved from bloodguilt and from iniquities.