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NASB | Psalm 51:5 ¶ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Psalm 51:5 ¶ I was brought forth in [a state of] wickedness; In sin my mother conceived me [and from my beginning I, too, was sinful]. [John 3:6; Rom 5:12; Eph 2:3] |
Bible Question:
When do we become sinners; at conception or birth? -If neither (later), cite Scripture and explain Psalm 51:5-6, too. Steve |
Bible Answer: Just as Psalm 51:5 says, we are conceived in, and born in, sin. Psalm 51 as a whole is a prayer of confession, but not of one or even many sins. It is a prayer of confession for one's condition of sinfulness. As James May in his "Interpretation Commentary" comments, "Verse 5 is surely a way of confessing, not a particular transgression, but a whole life conditioned by sin from its beginning, a way of saying not just that I have sinned but that I am in my existence a sinner". He continues, our problem is that we need pardon from the predicament of ourselves, our entire existence. Now such a confession found here in verses 5 and 6, prepare us for the petitions of verse 7ff, to the end of the chapter. Now back to the question of when we become sinners, there are parallels to verse 5 and it's reference to our conception and birth as the beginning of our sinfulness, found in the Prophet Ezekiel's writings. In chapters 16, the Prophet tells of Israel's beginnings in sin that parallels our own beginnings, "Your origin and your birth are of the Land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hitite" (Ezekiel 16:3), parallels similar to this one can be found in chapters 20 and 23, as well as in Isaiah chapter 43, 48. I hope this helps, JCP. |