Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

PSALMS 51:5KJV
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Psalms 51:5 (KJV)

What does Psalms 51:5 mean?

Psalms 51:5 says that the writer, David, recognizes he has been marked by sin from the very beginning of his life, even from conception. David is expressing how deeply rooted his brokenness is, not just in his actions but in his very nature as a human being.

David is speaking to God after being confronted about his wrongdoing with Bathsheba. In this verse, David is not blaming his mother or his birth, but honestly admitting that his struggle with sin is not new or isolated—it has always been part of his human experience. This confession sets the stage for his plea for mercy and cleansing in the rest of the psalm.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 51:5

  • "shapen" (חוֹלָלְתִּי, ḥolalti): This word means "brought forth" or "formed," and it often carries the sense of being brought into existence with pain or labor. Here, it emphasizes that David's condition as a sinner began at the very start of his life.
  • "iniquity" (עָוֹן, ʿavon): This word refers to guilt or moral crookedness, not just a single act but a state of being. David is acknowledging a deep-seated problem, not just a mistake.
  • "sin" (חֵטְא, ḥetʾ): This word means "missing the mark" or falling short. David uses it to describe the context of his conception, highlighting the universality of human imperfection.
  • "mother" (אֵם, ʾem) and "conceive" (יֶחֱמָתְנִי, yeḥematni): These words simply point to the very beginning of David's existence, showing that his awareness of sinfulness goes all the way back to his origins.

Why Psalms 51:5 matters

  • Psalms 51:5 clarifies that David is not blaming his parents or his upbringing for his sin; he is taking personal responsibility and recognizing the depth of the human condition.
  • This verse helps explain why David feels such a desperate need for God's mercy—he sees his need for forgiveness as going beyond just one bad choice.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage by showing that David's confession is thorough and honest, setting an example of humility and self-awareness for anyone seeking forgiveness.

Where else these words appear

“conceive” Hebrew H3179 · used in 9 verses

  • Genesis 30:38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.
  • Genesis 30:41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
  • 1 Kings 1:1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.

“sin” Hebrew H2399 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 41:9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:
  • Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
  • Psalms 103:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

“shapen” Hebrew H2342 · used in 58 verses

  • Genesis 8:10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
  • Psalms 29:8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
  • Isaiah 51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.