Who’s the Speaker?
Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, and in sin my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5 NASB
In guilt/ in sin – We’ve looked at this crucial verse several times. If you’re interested in how it was mis-used to justify a doctrine of original sin and sinful nature, then you may want to review the previous studies. Why is this important? It’s not just a correction in theology. The doctrine of original sin and the idea of sinful nature, introduced by Augustine and bolstered during the Reformation, laid the groundwork for the claim that human beings are essentially flawed. In contrast to the entire teaching of the Tanakh and contemporary rabbinic Judaism, this idea suggests that the only real solution to the problem of being born is a radical reconstruction of the “soul” through a direct intervention by God. In other words, there is quite literally nothing a human being can do to escape certain eternal punishment caused by being born a sinner. If God doesn’t elect to act, the individually is eternally doomed.
The Hebraic worldview does not endorse this view. But this verse seems to be the single most critical counterpoint, apparently suggesting that we are, in fact, born guilty. How are we supposed to understand this verse in its original context and understand how it was interpreted by theologians who were Greek thinkers? Here are the studies, chronologically:
https://skipmoen.com/2015/09/the-natural-man/
https://skipmoen.com/2015/10/anxiety-attack/
https://skipmoen.com/2011/07/twenty-four-to-one/
https://skipmoen.com/2018/05/the-context-of-humility/
Once you’ve reviewed these investigations, you may realize that not only the interpretation of this verse but even the way it is translated depend on prior theological assumptions (which are rarely even noted). That might not surprise you. You’re used to this by now. Nevertheless, once in a while it’s good to be reminded that what we read in an English Bible isn’t always what the text says.
Topical Index: Psalm 51:5, guilt, sin, sinful nature, original sin
