Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness’ sake, Yahweh.
- BSB Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellious acts; remember me according to Your loving devotion, because of Your goodness, O LORD.
- ESV Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!
- NKJV Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.
- NASB Do not remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoings; Remember me according to Your faithfulness, For Your goodness’ sake, Lord.
- NLT Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David asks God not to remember his youthful sins but to remember him in love. He pleads for forgiveness grounded in God's goodness, not his own record.
Overview
Aware of past transgressions, David prays that God would blot out the memory of his sins and instead deal with him according to steadfast love. He appeals to God's goodness rather than his own worthiness. This longing for sins to be remembered no more is answered in the new covenant, where through Christ God forgives iniquity and remembers sin no more.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 21
- Isa 43:25I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
- Isa 38:17Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
- Heb 10:16–18This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
- Heb 8:12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
- Job 13:26For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.
- Jer 3:25We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
- Ps 51:1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
- Ps 79:8O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.
- Eph 2:4–8But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
- Eph 1:6–7To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
- Ps 119:124Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.
- Prov 5:7–14Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
- Ps 6:4Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake.
- Ps 109:26Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:
- Ps 31:16Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.
- Isa 64:9Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
- Job 20:11His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.
- John 5:14Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
- John 5:5And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
- Ps 109:16Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
- Ps 109:14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 25:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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