For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

PSALMS 51:16KJV
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Psalms 51:16 (KJV)

What does Psalms 51:16 mean?

Psalms 51:16 says that God does not desire sacrifices or burnt offerings as the main way to restore a broken relationship with Him. The verse shows that outward religious acts alone are not what God is truly looking for from people.

King David is speaking to God after being confronted about his sin. David recognizes that simply offering animal sacrifices will not fix what he has done wrong. Instead, David is beginning to understand that God wants something deeper than rituals—He wants genuine repentance and a changed heart.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 51:16

  • "Desirest" (חָפֵץ, chafets) means to take pleasure in or to want. Here, it highlights that God’s true pleasure is not in ritual acts themselves.
  • "Sacrifice" (זֶבַח, zevach) refers to the animal sacrifices commonly offered in the temple. David points out that these are not enough on their own.
  • "Delightest" (רָצָה, ratsah) carries the idea of being pleased with or accepting something. The verse stresses that God is not pleased simply by burnt offerings (עֹלָה, olah), which were a central part of Israelite worship.

Why Psalms 51:16 matters

  • Psalms 51:16 clarifies that God values inner sincerity and repentance over external rituals or religious performances.
  • The verse helps explain the larger message of Psalm 51, where David is seeking forgiveness and realizes that God’s mercy is not earned by ritual but by a humble, honest heart.
  • This verse challenges common assumptions in ancient Israel (and sometimes today) that religious actions alone can make things right with God, pointing instead to the need for true transformation inside.

Where else these words appear

“delightest” Hebrew H7521 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 33:10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
  • 2 Chronicles 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
  • Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

“desirest” Hebrew H2654 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 34:19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
  • Job 13:3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.
  • Song of Solomon 2:7 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.