Psalm 51:19 (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."
Key Word Analysis
"Then" ('āz)
Hebrew: אָז
Indicates a future time, specifically after the conditions in verse 18 are fulfilled (the building up of Zion's walls)
Shows sequence and consequence
"be pleased" (ḥāp̄ēṣ)
Hebrew: חָפֵץ
Means to delight in, take pleasure in, desire
Implies God's acceptance and favorable reception
Contrasts with verse 16 where God does not "desire" sacrifice alone
"sacrifices of righteousness" (zibḥê-ṣeḏeq)
Hebrew: זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק
Sacrifices (זֶבַח) = offerings, things slaughtered
Righteousness (צֶדֶק) = rightness, justice, what is right
These are sacrifices offered in the right spirit, by righteous people, or according to God's righteous requirements
Implies both proper procedure and proper heart attitude
"burnt offering" ('ōlâ)
Hebrew: עֹלָה
Literally "that which goes up" (as smoke)
A sacrifice completely consumed on the altar
Symbolizes total dedication to God
"whole burnt offering" (kālîl)
Hebrew: כָּלִיל
Means complete, entire, whole
Emphasizes the totality of the offering—nothing held back
May refer to the same sacrifice as 'ōlâ with added emphasis
"bulls" (pārîm)
Hebrew: פָּרִים
Young bulls or oxen
Valuable sacrificial animals representing significant offering
Used for important sacrifices (Leviticus 4:3-14)
"altar" (mizbēaḥ)
Hebrew: מִזְבֵּחַ
Place of sacrifice
Derived from root meaning "to slaughter"
The designated place for meeting God through sacrifice
Context and Meaning
This verse concludes David's penitential psalm. After confessing his sin (vv. 1-5), requesting cleansing (vv. 6-12), and pledging to teach others (vv. 13-17), David looks forward to a time when external sacrifices will again be acceptable to God—but only after inward renewal and restoration of Jerusalem. The key theological point is that ritual without righteousness is empty (v. 16-17), but righteousness without ritual is incomplete. When heart and ceremony align, God is pleased.