For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.
Parallel translations
- WEB For I will declare my iniquity. I will be sorry for my sin.
- KJV For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
- BSB Yes, I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.
- NASB For I admit my guilt; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.
- NLT But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
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 openly confesses his iniquity and grieves over his sin. He treats his suffering as an occasion for repentance.
Overview
Unlike his enemies, David takes responsibility before God and is sorrowful for his transgression. True repentance involves both acknowledgment and heartfelt sorrow. This honest confession anticipates the gospel pattern where the broken-hearted find mercy (1 John 1:9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Prov 28:13He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
- Ps 32:5I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn’t hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
- Job 33:27He sings before men, and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it didn’t profit me.
- Ps 51:3For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.
- 2 Cor 7:7–11and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, while he told us of your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced still more.
- Job 31:33if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 38:18 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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