Text: Psalm 51:16-17
OT Text Referred to: Leviticus 1:4
Subject: atonement by hand-laying vs. broken spirit
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Contrast + Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Leviticus 1:4 prescribes hand-laying (סָמַךְ, samakh) on the burnt offering's head to effect כַּפָּרָה (kapparah, "atonement"), establishing the sacrificial mechanism for restoring the sinner's standing before God. Psalm 51:16-17, written from David's post-adultery crisis, declares that God does not delight in זֶבַח (zevach, "sacrifice") or עוֹלָה (olah, "burnt offering"), but instead accepts a "broken and contrite heart" (לֵב נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה). David does not reject the Levitical system but recognizes that no prescribed offering covers his sin of deliberate murder and adultery — the system has limits that only divine mercy can transcend. The contrast exposes a tension between ritual mechanism and heart condition that the Levitical code itself cannot resolve.