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See the exact Psalms 51:4 form guide with morphology, clause role, and guardrails.
OpenForm Insight
How בְּדָבְרֶ֗ךָ Works in Psalms 51:4
A focused form insight on Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular in Psalms 51:4.
Focused term בְּדָבְרֶ֗ךָ bə·ḏā·ḇə·re·ḵā H1696 Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular
Psalms 51:4 - BSB
Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
The Question
How does בְּדָבְרֶ֗ךָ function in Psalms 51:4?
Short Answer
בְּדָבְרֶ֗ךָ is a Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular in Psalms 51:4. David's confession places God's speech and judgment together. The form marks "when You speak" as part of God's vindication, while the passage supplies the theological weight.
What the Form Is Doing
בְּדָבְרֶ֗ךָ appears in Psalms 51:4 as a Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular. It forms a temporal or circumstantial phrase, literally close to "in Your speaking," and identifies God as the one whose speech vindicates His judgment.
The bet-prefixed infinitive construct with a second-person suffix ties the act of speaking to God's vindication in Psalms 51:4; the verse makes God the speaker and judgment the setting.
Why It Matters for Interpretation
David's confession places God's speech and judgment together. The form marks "when You speak" as part of God's vindication, while the passage supplies the theological weight.
The form connects God's speech to the verse's confession that God is right in His judgment.
Translation Effect
The bet preposition with the infinitive construct and second-person suffix directly supports the English temporal phrase "when You speak."
The form guide should support the public Bible reading, not replace it with a private rendering.
What It Does Not Prove
Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or passage theology from Prep-b | V-Qal-Inf | 2ms alone. The form identifies the occurrence-level phrase, not the whole doctrine.
Grammar should serve context, not override it.
Do not make the inf label prove more than the sentence supports.
Evidence from the Form Guide
The BSB+ row for Psalms 51:4 links the English rendering "when You speak" with בְּדָבְרֶ֗ךָ, Strong's H1696, and the parsing label Prep-b | V-Qal-Inf | 2ms.
When teaching Psalms 51:4, connect the bet preposition, infinitive construct, and attached suffix to the English "when You speak" inside the confession of God's right judgment.
What It Does Not Prove
- Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or passage theology from Prep-b | V-Qal-Inf | 2ms alone. The form identifies the occurrence-level phrase, not the whole doctrine.
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not make the inf label prove more than the sentence supports.
- Do not use the stem label by itself to settle a theological claim.