Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
a. NASB 1995: Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. [New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.]
b. NKJV: Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. [Scripture quotations marked "NKJV" are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.]
c. Classic Amplified: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]
d. Tehillim/Psalms [Because the first three verses of Psalm 51 in the Jewish Bible is one verse, verse 10 in our Bible is verse 12 in the Jewish Bible.]: A pure heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within [THE ARTSCROLL TANACH SERIES TEHILLIM / PSALMS PERSONAL SIZE EDITION VOL.1, VOL. II, VOL. III, VOL. IV, VOL. V. Ⓒ Copyright 1977, 1985, 1996 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.]
e. ESV: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. [Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]
f. Unless otherwise stated, all Greek and Hebrew definitions are from Blue Letter Bible
1. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
a. Create [Strong: 1254 bârâʼ, baw-raw'; a primitive root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes):—choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).]
1). The Genesis record, Henry M. Morris, pages 39, 40: This is the remarkable word bara, used always only of the work of God. Only God can create, that is, call into existence that which had no existence. He “calleth those things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). “The worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3). Men “make” things or “form” things, but they cannot create things. God also can “make” and “form” things (Hebrew asah and yatsar, respectively)), and do so far more effectively and quickly than man can do. The work of creation, however, is uniquely a work of God. The work of making and forming consists of organizing already existing materials into more complex systems, whereas, the act of creating is that of speaking into existence something whose materials had no previous existence, except in the mind and power of God.
a). make [Strong: 6213 ʻâsâh, aw-saw'; a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application:—accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, × certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, feast, (fight-) ing man, finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, hinder, hold (a feast), × indeed, be industrious, journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, × sacrifice, serve, set, shew, × sin, spend, × surely, take, × thoroughly, trim, × very, vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use.] [Genesis 6:15]
b). form [Strong: 3335 yâtsar, yaw-tsar'; probably identical with H3334 (through the squeezing into shape); (compare H3331); to mould into a form; especially as a potter; figuratively, to determine (i.e. form a resolution):—× earthen, fashion, form, frame, make(-r), potter, purpose. [Exodus 32:4]
2). Though David was forgiven and restored, the work of a newly created heart or spirit could not be accomplished under the Mosaic Covenant. The new birth, the born again experience could only be accomplished after the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
a). 2 Corinthians 5:17 [Amplified Bible Classic Edition] Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
b. [in] me [Strong: 589 ʼănîy, an-ee'; contracted from H595; I:—I, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, × which, × who.]
c. [a] clean [Strong: 2889 ṭâhôwr, taw-hore'; or טָהֹר ṭâhôr; from H2891; pure (in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense):—clean, fair, pure(-ness).]
d. heart [Strong: 3820 lêb, labe; a form of H3824; the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything:—care for, comfortably, consent, × considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), × heed, × I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), × regard(-ed), × themselves, × unawares, understanding, × well, willingly, wisdom.]
e. [O] God [Strong: 430 ʼĕlôhîym, el-o-heem'; plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.]
f. renew [Strong: 2318 châdash, khaw-dash'; a primitive root; to be new; causatively, to rebuild:—renew, repair.]
g. [a] right [Strong: 5339 kûwn, koon; a primitive root; properly, to be erect (i.e. stand perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix, prepare, apply), or figurative (appoint, render sure, proper or prosperous):—certain(-ty), confirm, direct, faithfulness, fashion, fasten, firm, be fitted, be fixed, frame, be meet, ordain, order, perfect, (make) preparation, prepare (self), provide, make provision, (be, make) ready, right, set (aright, fast, forth), be stable, (e-) stablish, stand, tarry, × very deed.]
h. spirit [Strong: 7307 rûwach, roo'-akh; from H7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions):—air, anger, blast, breath, × cool, courage, mind, × quarter, × side, spirit(-ual), tempest, × vain, (whirl-) wind(-y).]
i. [within me [Strong: 7130 qereb, keh'-reb; from H7126; properly, the nearest part, i.e. the center, whether literal, figurative or adverbial (especially with preposition):—× among, × before, bowels, × unto charge, eat (up), × heart, × him, × in, inward (× -ly, part, -s, thought), midst, out of, purtenance, × therein, × through, × within self.]
