Bible Strands
Psalms 51:15
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God as a penitent seeking deliverance from bloodguilt, framing the request between a plea for salvation in Psalms 51:14 and a declaration that God rejects ritual sacrifice in Psalms 51:16.
The words — The Hebrew תִּפְתַּח (tiftach) translates literally as "you will open," directly governing שְׂפָתָי (s'fatai, "my lips") to express dependence on divine action for speech.
The thread — The request to declare praise aligns with Psalms 9:14, which states the goal is to declare all praises, and Hebrews 13:15, which instructs believers to continually offer praise through Jesus.
Why it lands — The text asserts that verbal worship depends on God unlocking speech, not human effort. This requires the reader to treat praise as a God-enabled response to forgiveness rather than a self-generated ritual.
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
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Cross-references
- Psalms 63:3 Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You.
- Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.
- Psalms 9:14 that I may declare all Your praises—that within the gates of Daughter Zion I may rejoice in Your salvation.
- Psalms 119:13 With my lips I proclaim all the judgments of Your mouth.
- Ezekiel 29:21 In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
- Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
- Ezekiel 3:27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
- 1 Samuel 2:9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
- Mark 7:34 And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).
- Ezekiel 16:63 so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your disgrace, declares the Lord GOD.”