Later text
Psalm 51:16BSB
For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
Intertextuality Pair
Psalm 51:16 → Leviticus 1:4
Allusion
Earlier text
He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
Significance
Leviticus 1:4 commands the worshiper to lay his hand on the עוֹלָה (olah, "burnt offering") for atonement, while Psalm 51:16 states plainly, "You do not delight in sacrifice" (לֹא תַחְפֹּץ זֶבַח). David's confession after his sin with Bathsheba recognizes that the Levitical system provides no עוֹלָה for high-handed sin — no prescribed ritual can mechanically remove the guilt of deliberate transgression. The psalm does not nullify Leviticus but reveals its boundary: the hand-laying ritual presupposes a penitent heart, and where that heart-condition is present, God accepts the worshiper even when the ritual system's categories are exhausted.
- Found via
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
- Reference Type
- Allusion
- Connection Method(s)
- Contrast + Longitudinal Theme
Linked Mentions 1