The Meaning of Psalms 51:15 Explained

Psalms 51:15

KJV: O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

YLT: O Lord, my lips thou dost open, And my mouth declareth Thy praise.

Darby: Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

ASV: O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

O Lord,  open  thou my lips;  and my mouth  shall shew forth  thy praise. 

What does Psalms 51:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 51:11-19 - The Sacrifices God Accepts
It is not enough to be forgiven; the true penitent longs to be kept from breaking out into the old sins. He desires a clean heart that abhors the least taint of sin; a right or steadfast (r.v., margin) spirit, influenced by God's holy Spirit, and therefore a willing spirit as well. Then shall follow the joy of salvation, success in soul-winning, humility of soul, the blessing of Zion, and the upbuilding of the Church. What glorious results are these-like the fair colors extracted from coal-tar!
There are no sacrifices so dear to God as broken hearts; no offerings so precious as contrite spirits. It would be impossible to compute all the walls that have been built; all the Jerusalems, that have been blessed, all the congregations that have been moved, all the revivals that have resulted because sinful men and women have been loved back from the pit of corruption and reinstated into the clear shining of God's forgiveness and favor. Do not be content with forgiveness; seek restoration to the old place and then strive for a better. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 51

1  David prays for remission of sins, whereof he makes a deep confession
6  He prays for sanctification
16  God delights not in sacrifice, but in sincerity
18  He prays for the church

What do the individual words in Psalms 51:15 mean?

Lord my lips open and my mouth shall show forth Your praise
אֲ֭דֹנָי שְׂפָתַ֣י תִּפְתָּ֑ח וּ֝פִ֗י יַגִּ֥יד תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ

אֲ֭דֹנָי  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
שְׂפָתַ֣י  my  lips 
Parse: Noun, fdc, first person common singular
Root: שָׂפָה  
Sense: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding.
תִּפְתָּ֑ח  open 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: פָּתַח 
Sense: to open.
וּ֝פִ֗י  and  my  mouth 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
יַגִּ֥יד  shall  show  forth 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ  Your  praise 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: תְּהִלָּה  
Sense: praise, song or hymn of praise.