Psalm 51:19

 Psalm 51:19

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

a. NASB 1995:  Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar. [New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.]

b. NKJV: Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.  [Scripture quotations marked "NKJV" are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.]

c. Classic Amplified: Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, justice, and right, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bullocks will be offered upon Your altar. [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 19 in our Bible is verse 21 in the Jewish Bible.]: Then You will desire the sacrifices of righteousness, burnt-offerings and whole-offering. Then they will offer bullocks upon Your altar.  [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: Then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.  [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. “Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.”

a. Then [Strong: 227 ʼâz, awz; a demonstrative adverb; at that time or place; also as a conjunction, therefore:—beginning, for, from, hitherto, now, of old, once, since, then, at which time, yet.]

b. [shalt thou be] pleased [Strong: 2654 châphêts, khaw-fates'; a primitive root; properly, to incline to; by implication (literally but rarely) to bend; figuratively, to be pleased with, desire:—× any at all, (have, take) delight, desire, favour, like, move, be (well) pleased, have pleasure, will, would.]

c. [with the sacrifices [Strong: 2077 zebach, zeh'-bakh; from H2076; properly, a slaughter, i.e. the flesh of an animal; by implication, a sacrifice (the victim or the act):—offer(-ing), sacrifice.]

d. [of] righteousness [Strong: 6664 tsedeq, tseh'-dek; from H6663; the right (natural, moral or legal); also (abstractly) equity or (figuratively) prosperity:—× even, (× that which is altogether) just(-ice), (un-)right(-eous) (cause, -ly, -ness).]

e. [with] burnt offering [Strong: 5930 ʻôlâh, o-law'; or עוֹלָה ʻôwlâh; feminine active participle of H5927; a step or (collectively, stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke):—ascent, burnt offering (sacrifice), go up to.]

f. [and] whole burnt offering [Strong: 3632 kâlîyl, kaw-leel'; from H3634; complete; as noun, the whole (specifically, a sacrifice entirely consumed); as adverb, fully:—all, every whit, flame, perfect(-ion), utterly, whole burnt offering (sacrifice), wholly.]

g. then [Strong: 227 ʼâz, awz; a demonstrative adverb; at that time or place; also as a conjunction, therefore:—beginning, for, from, hitherto, now, of old, once, since, then, at which time, yet.]

h. [shall they] offer [Strong: 5927 ʻâlâh, aw-law'; a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative:—arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, × mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.]

i. bullocks [Strong: 6499 par, par; or פָּר pâr; from H6565; + a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof):—(+ young) bull(-ock), calf, ox.]

j. upon [Strong: 5921 ʻal, al; properly, the same as H5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications:—above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.]

k. [thine] altar [Strong: 4196 mizbêach, miz-bay'-akh; from H2076; an altar:—altar.]

1). God requires true repentance rather than offerings.

a). Psalm 51:16-19 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

51:18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

51:19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

2). This passage where David is lamenting his sin and what God really requires matches perfectly what Samuel said to Saul

a). 1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.