Psalms 32:5
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Study Note
Study Note
This verse records the psychological and relational resolution of the psalm's opening: the silence of unconfessed sin (vv. 3–4) gives way to the relief of acknowledged transgression, tracing a movement from somatic suffering ('my bones waxed old') to divine forgiveness. The deliberate three-part acknowledgment — 'my sin... my iniquity... my transgressions' — employs three distinct Hebrew terms for moral failure (chet, avon, pesha) to express comprehensive confession rather than selective admission. Augustine opens his Confessions with a meditation on Psalm 32, making it a foundational text for the Christian tradition of voluntary self-disclosure before God as precondition for forgiveness. The psalm stands as a psychological case study in the health-benefits of confession and is cited in James 5:16's call for mutual accountability in the community.
Other Translations
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. [Selah
My sin I cause Thee to know, And mine iniquity I have not covered. I have said, `I confess concerning My transgressions to Jehovah,' And Thou--Thou hast taken away, The iniquity of my sin. Selah.
I made my wrongdoing clear to you, and did not keep back my sin. I said, I will put it all before the Lord; and you took away my wrongdoing and my sin. (Selah.)
Cross References
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If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
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Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little …
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to …