Psalms 51:10 - Exposition

Create in me a clean heart, O God ; i.e. do more than purify me—do more than cleanse me ( Psalms 51:7 ); by an act of creative power ( בּרא ) make in me a new clean heart. Compare the Christian doctrine of the "new birth" and "new life." And renew a right spirit within me. "Heart" and "spirit" are used interchangeably for the inward essence of man; but, as Professor Cheyne observes, "Heart emphasizes the individual side of a man's life; spirit, its Divine, or at least preternatural side." David, in asking both for a new heart and a new spirit, requests the renovation of his entire mental and moral nature, which he recognizes as corrupt and depraved.