Psalms 51:5
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Study Note
Study Note
'Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me' — the penitential psalm's deepest self-analysis locates the problem not merely in specific actions (Bathsheba, Uriah) but in a congenital moral condition present from conception. The verse has been foundational in Western theological anthropology as a key locus for the doctrine of original sin from Augustine onward, though it should be noted that the psalmist's point is not to incriminate the mother but to acknowledge the depth of his own corruption by extending it to its earliest possible moment. The contrast with verse 6's 'thou desirest truth in the inward parts' sets up the psalm's profound prayer for inward renewal rather than merely external forgiveness.
Other Translations
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
Lo, in iniquity I have been brought forth, And in sin doth my mother conceive me.
Truly, I was formed in evil, and in sin did my mother give me birth.
Cross References
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and …
And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the …
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be …
How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all …
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires …