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See the exact Psalms 51:16 form guide with morphology, clause role, and guardrails.
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How תִרְצֶֽה׃ Works in Psalms 51:16
A focused form insight on Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular in Psalms 51:16.
Psalms 51:16 - BSB
For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
The Question
How does תִרְצֶֽה׃ function in Psalms 51:16?
Short Answer
תִרְצֶֽה׃ is a Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular in Psalms 51:16. The form clarifies the direct address to God and the clause's sharp claim about divine pleasure. It strengthens the movement from outward offering to the contrite heart named in the next verse.
What the Form Is Doing
תִרְצֶֽה׃ appears in Psalms 51:16 as a Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular. It identifies what the speaker says God does not take pleasure in, keeping the sacrifice statement tied to Psalm 51's repentance context.
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular functions as the addressed predicate in Psalms 51:16. The verse's negative wording governs the sense: God does not take pleasure in burnt offering as an isolated substitute for repentance.
Why It Matters for Interpretation
The form clarifies the direct address to God and the clause's sharp claim about divine pleasure. It strengthens the movement from outward offering to the contrite heart named in the next verse.
The form carries the direct address to God in Psalm 51's contrast between outward offering and contrite repentance.
Translation Effect
The form directly supports the addressed action "take pleasure," while the surrounding wording supplies "no."
The form guide should support the public Bible reading, not replace it with a private rendering.
What It Does Not Prove
Do not make the imperfect form alone abolish sacrifice or prove that God rejects all offering language. The form clarifies the addressed action in this clause; Psalm 51:16-17 governs the theological claim.
Grammar should serve context, not override it.
Do not make the imperfect label prove more than the sentence supports.
Evidence from the Form Guide
The BSB+ row for Psalms 51:16 links the English rendering "You take no pleasure" with תִרְצֶֽה׃, Strong's H7521, and the morphology tag V-Qal-Imperf-2ms.
When teaching Psalms 51:16, use this form to show that the statement is addressed to God and concerns what he does not delight in, then read it with the broken-spirit emphasis that follows.
What It Does Not Prove
- Do not make the imperfect form alone abolish sacrifice or prove that God rejects all offering language. The form clarifies the addressed action in this clause; Psalm 51:16-17 governs the theological claim.
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not make the imperfect label prove more than the sentence supports.
- Do not use the stem label by itself to settle a theological claim.