Text: Psalms 51:16-17
OT Text Referred to: Psalms 1:4
Subject: Sacrifice limitations (B)
Source: John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1763)
Reference Type: Echo
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Psalm 51:17 declares "a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise (לֹא תִבְזֶה, lo tivzeh)" — the penitent sinner's sacrifice. Psalm 1:4 describes the wicked as "chaff that the wind drives away" — crushed, weightless, dispersed. The echo between the two psalms lies in the shared imagery of brokenness: the wicked are broken and scattered involuntarily, while the repentant sinner offers voluntary brokenness before God. One form of being "crushed" leads to destruction (Psalm 1's chaff); the other form leads to restoration (Psalm 51's contrite heart). David's penitential theology transforms what is catastrophic for the wicked into a means of grace for the repentant.