Bible Strands
Psalms 51:11
Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David addresses God mid-repentance, positioned between a plea for a clean heart (v. 10) and a plea for restored joy (v. 12). He is asking that the Spirit not be withdrawn as a consequence of his sin.
The words — תַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי (tashlikhēni, "you throw me away") uses a verb of violent discarding, not gentle removal. ר֥וּחַ קָדְשְׁךָ (ruach qodesh-cha, "the spirit of your holiness") is a descriptive phrase, not a fixed title.
The thread — Isaiah 63:10 states the mechanism David fears: Israel "grieved His Holy Spirit" and God "turned and became their enemy." Ephesians 4:30 echoes the same warning to believers.
Why it lands — The verse treats the Spirit's presence as a revocable gift, not an automatic possession. It asks the reader to regard the Spirit's indwelling as something that can be lost, which sharpens the urgency of the surrounding pleas.
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
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Cross-references
- Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
- 2 Kings 13:23 But the LORD was gracious to Israel and had compassion on them, and He turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day, the LORD has been unwilling to destroy them or cast them from His presence.
- Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy, and He Himself fought against them.
- Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
- Genesis 6:3 So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”
- John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.
- Psalms 71:18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.
- Luke 11:13 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
- 1 Samuel 10:10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.
- 1 Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.