Word Study: Psalm 51:5 (NKJV)

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me."

Key Hebrew Words

1. "Brought forth" - חוֹלָלְתִּי (cholalti)
- Root: חול/חיל (chul/chil) - to writhe, twist, whirl, dance, be in anguish
- In the Polal stem (passive): "I was brought forth with labor pains"
- Refers to the birth process itself, emphasizing the pain and struggle of childbirth
- Not just "born" but brought forth through the travail of labor

2. "Iniquity" - עָוֹן (avon)
- Root: עוה (avah) - to bend, twist, distort
- Meaning: guilt, moral perversity, punishment for iniquity
- Different from "sin" (חטא) - avon carries the weight of guilt and the consequences of wrongdoing
- Implies a condition or state, not just individual acts
- Often translated as "guilt," "iniquity," or "moral evil"

3. "Sin" - חֵטְא (chet)
- Root: חטא (chata) - to miss the mark, go wrong, sin
- The most common Hebrew word for sin
- Original meaning: to miss a target or goal
- Emphasizes the failure to meet God's standard

4. "Conceived" - יֶחֱמַתְנִי (yechemat'ni)
- Root: יחם (yacham) - to be hot, conceive
- Literally: "warmed me" or "made me hot"
- Poetic term for conception
- Emphasizes the beginning of life in the womb

Theological Interpretation

David is not saying his mother sinned in conceiving him or that conception itself is sinful. Rather, he's expressing that:

1. From his earliest existence, even from conception, he was part of a fallen humanity
2. His sinful nature was present from the very beginning of his life
3. The depth of his condition - sin isn't just about actions but about his fundamental human state

This verse is often cited in discussions of original sin and the doctrine that humanity inherits a sinful nature from Adam. David uses the strongest possible language to acknowledge the pervasiveness of sin in human nature - it's not just what we do, but part of what we are from our very beginning.