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Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Psalms 51:11

Cast me not away. — This phrase is used of the formal rejection of Israel by the God of the covenant (2 Kings 13:23; 2 Kings 17:20; 2 Kings 24:20; Jeremiah 7:15). Its use here not only confirms the explanation of the notes above, but makes in favour of understanding the whole psalm of the community.

Take not thy holy spirit. — Commentators have discussed whether this means the spirit of office given to the king on his anointing (1 Samuel 16:13), or of grace, and Calvinists and Lutherans have made the text a battle-ground of controversy. Plainly, as the parallelism shows, the petition is equivalent to a prayer against rejection from the Divine favour, and is not to be pressed into any doctrinal discussion.

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See also Psalms 51:11 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Psalms 51:11. _CAST ME NOT AWAY FROM THY PRESENCE_] Banish me not from thy house and ordinances. _TAKE NOT THY HOLY SPIRIT FROM ME._] I know I have sufficiently grieved it to justify its depar...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    CAST ME NOT AWAY FROM THY PRESENCE - That is, Do not reject me, or cast me off entirely; do not abandon me; do not leave me in my sin and sorrow. The language is derived from the idea that true happin...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    Psalms 51 The Confession _ 1. Conviction and prayer for forgiveness (Psalms 51:1)_ 2. Prayer for cleansing and restoration (Psalms 51:9) 3. Blood guiltiness acknowledged ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    LI. A PENITENTIAL PSALM. Psalms 51:1. Prayer for pardon and inward renewal. Psalms 51:13. A promise to proclaim God's mercy and bring sinners back to Him. Psalms 51:18 f. Prayer for the restoration

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    TAKE NOT. Not. proper prayer for those now "in Christ": for, see John 14:16. HOLY SPIRIT. See the only other O.T. occurrences of the expression (Isaiah 63:10; Isaiah 63:11). Hebrew. _ruach._ App-9....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The upright "behold God's face" (Psalms 11:7): He admits them to His presence for ever (Psalms 41:12). The spirit of Jehovah came upon David, as it departed from Saul (1 Samuel 16:13-14). Did David fe...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Repeated prayer for pardon, cleansing, and renewal. The change from the future to the imperative (see above) indicates that a fresh division of the Ps. begins here....

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    CAST ME NOT AWAY FROM THY PRESENCE— _From before thy face._ Heb. The _coming to God's presence,_ was the approaching the tabernacle of the ark, and its courts, where the sacrifices were offered, and t...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PSALMS 51 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE The Prayer of a Penitent. ANALYSIS Stanza I, Psalms 51:1-4., Petitions for Pardon and Cleansing sustained by Confessions, Condemning Self and Vindicating God. Stanza II....

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD; AND RENEW A RIGHT SPIRIT WITHIN ME._ -Prayer for the Spirit fittingly follows his prayers for purification, complete forgiveness, and the joy of assurance. For the...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THY HOLY SPIRIT] The only other mention of this in the OT. is in Isaiah 63:10; Isaiah 63:11....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    Title.—(RV) 'For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David: when Nathan the prophet' came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.' It is impossible not to feel the general appropriateness of this Ps....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    PSALMS 42:72 _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ Words in boxes are from the Bible. Words marked with a *star are described in the word list at the end. The translated Bible text has yet to go through Advanced Che...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    _[Psalms 51:13]_ אַל ־תַּשְׁלִיכֵ֥נִי מִ לְּ פָנֶ֑יךָ...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Psalms 51:1 THE main grounds on which the Davidic authorship of this psalm is denied are four. First, it is alleged that its conceptions of sin and penitence are in advance of his stage of religious d...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE SACRIFICES GOD ACCEPTS Psalms 51:11 It is not enough to be forgiven; the true penitent longs to be kept from breaking out into the old sins. He desires a _clean_ heart that abhors the least taint...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This is the first of a number of psalms (eighteen) to which titles are prefaced which connect them with David, eight out of the number having historic references. There is a remarkable fitness in ever...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _It punished the wicked, and asserted thy just providence. (Haydock) --- Good. Thy saints find the greatest comfort in thee. (Calmet)_...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Pardon alone, without the renewings of the Holy Ghost, will not complete the mercy. Hence, David prays not only to be cleansed, but to be renewed, to be strengthened by the Holy Ghost against any futu...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Psalms 51 is the true remnant's confession. They have fully entered into the mind of God (see Psalms 51:16). There is true and complete humiliation for sin before God, yet confidence in Him. He is loo...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    CAST ME NOT AWAY FROM THY PRESENCE,.... As abominable; as a vessel in which he had no pleasure; with indignation and wrath; as one that is angry with another, cannot bear him in his sight, but bids hi...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Ver. 11. _Cast me not away from thy presence_] Deprive me not of communion with thee and comfort from thee; for that is a pie...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Cast me not away from thy presence_ That is, from thy favour and care. _Take not thy Holy Spirit from me_ Thy sanctifying Spirit, by which alone I can have acquaintance and fellowship with thee. _Res...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    NEW OBEDIENCE AS A FRUIT OF FAITH...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Cast me not away from Thy presence, for he had once felt the excruciating agony of being excluded from the mercy of God and feared a repetition of the experience, AND TAKE NOT THY HOLY SPIRIT FROM ME,...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    7-15 Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    FROM THY PRESENCE, i.e. from thy favour, and care, and gracious communion with thee. THY HOLY SPIRIT; thy sanctifying Spirit, by which alone I can have acquaintance and fellowship with thee....

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Psalms 51:11 away H7993 (H8686) presence H6440 take H3947 (H8799) Holy H6944 Spirit H7307 Cast -...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    A PRAYER FOR TRANSFORMATION (PSALMS 51:10). Genuine repentance seeks not only forgiveness, but transformation of life. It is no good asking for forgiveness if we intend to do it again. So David wanted...

  • Scofield's Bible Commentary

    TAKE NOT No believer of this dispensation, aware of the promise of His abiding (John 14:16) should pray, "Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me." (Ephesians 4:30) but while Christian position is not found...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Psalms 51 David, in the opening of this Psalm, appeals for mercy. No penitent man ever approached God on the side of His justice. The Pharisee, indeed, appeals to righteousness; but the publican appe...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Psalms 51:10 I. Here is a remarkable outline of a holy character. Of these three gifts "a right spirit," "Thy Holy Spirit," a "free spirit" the central one alone is in the original spoken of as God's,...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    We will first read Psalms 51:1 : If we need any music to this Psalm, we must have the liquid melody of tears, sighs, cries, entreaties. It is above all the others, the penitential Psalm. It is the Psa...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    A psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, and rebuked him, in the name of God, for his great sin with Bathsheba. Psalms 51:1. _Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindess:...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    May God graciously grant to all of us the grace which shall enable us to enter into the penitential spirit which is so remarkable in this Psalm! Psalms 51:1. _Have mercy upon me, O God,_ He breaks t...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    It is a Psalm, and therefore it is to be sung. It is dedicated to the chief Musician, and there is music in it, but it needs a trained ear to catch the harmony. The sinner with a broken heart will und...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Let us read two Psalms of penitence. Repentance, and faith go hand in hand all the way to heaven. Repenting and believing make up a large measure of the Christian life. First, let us read the 51 st Ps...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    There are many sweet notes in Christian music, but to my own heart there is none so softly, tenderly, sweet as the note of repentance. Full assurance rings out her clarion trumpet strain, and we ought...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Psalms 51:1. _Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions._ There may be some people who think themselves...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    This Psalm is dedicated to the chief musician, so that it was intended to be sung. Yet it is not by any means a joyous piece of music. It seems more fit to be sung or sighed as a solo for the solitary...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    There are seven penitential Psalms, but this seems to be the chief one of the seven. The language of David is as suitable to us today as it was to him, and though much was lost to the cause of righteo...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: The penitential prayer of David. CHARACTERS: God, David. CONCLUSION: All the believer's wrong doing comes to a climax at the foot of the throne, being violation of God's law. While the pena...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    The title of this psalm, supported by the whole weight of rabbinical authority, and by the LXX, refers it to the repentance and recovery of David, “when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me._ A MOST NEEDFUL PRAYER CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT This psalm is, beyond all others, a photograph of penitent David. You may...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness._ THE FIFTY-FIRST PSALM A darker guilt you will scarcely find--kingly power abused--worst passions yielded to. Yet this psalm breathes from...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 51:1. This is probably the best known of the “Penitential Psalms” (Psalms 6:1;...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 51:6 One who is repentant craves a fresh sense of God’s presence (vv. Psalms 51:8, Psalms 51:11),

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 51:11 TAKE NOT YOUR HOLY SPIRIT FROM ME. Some scholars argue that here David asks God not to remove the divine anointing for kingship (compare note on 1

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    INTRODUCTION THE superscription informs us both as to the author of the psalm, and the occasion of its composition. “To the Chief Musician, a Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, aft...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION THIS is the first of a series of fifteen psalms assigned by their titles to David, and mostly attached to special circumstances in his life, which are said to have furnished the occasions f...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Shall we turn now in our Bibles to Psalms 51:1-19. David is surely one of the most outstanding characters of the Old Testament. He was greatly hated and greatly loved. He had the capacity to inspire t...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 16:14; 2 Kings 13:23; 2 Kings 17:18;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    A PENITENT'S PRAYER Psalms 51:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We will set forth, by way of introduction, the story of David's sin and of how he was reproved by Nathan, the Prophet. We may also emphasize how D...

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