Bible Strands
Psalms 25:7
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellious acts; remember me according to Your loving devotion, because of Your goodness, O LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the LORD directly, pleading for divine mercy amid a broader prayer for guidance and deliverance from shame. The request follows a call to recall God's enduring compassion and precedes an affirmation of His upright character toward sinners.
The words — תִּזְכֹּר (tiz.kor) translates to "you remember," paired with אַל (al) "may not," forming a negative imperative that commands God not to retain memory of past offenses. חַסְדְּךָ (chas.de.kha) denotes "your covenant loyalty," grounding the plea in God's established character rather than human merit.
The thread — The motif of God not retaining memory of sin appears in Isaiah 43:25, where the LORD declares He blots out transgressions for His own sake. The New Testament echoes this in Hebrews 10:16 by citing the covenant promise of laws written on hearts, shifting the focus from remembered failures to internal transformation.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to cease relying on personal moral record and instead anchor appeals for mercy in God's covenant faithfulness. It demands direct, unadorned petition without ritual mediation or emotional justification.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 43:25 I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
- Isaiah 38:17 Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
- Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”
- Hebrews 8:12 For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”
- Job 13:26 For You record bitter accusations against me and bequeath to me the iniquities of my youth.
- Jeremiah 3:25 Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.”
- Psalms 51:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
- Psalms 79:8 Do not hold past sins against us; let Your compassion come quickly, for we are brought low.
- Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.
- Ephesians 2:4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,