The True Judge

God, You know my folly, and my guilt is not hidden from You.  Psalm 69:6 [Hebrew Bible]  Robert Alter

Not hidden – True confession.  David admits his “folly.”  God knows all about this ʾiwwelet.  These are acts that display moral stupidity, not simply ignorance.  This man actually knows what he is doing isn’t proper.  He’s not the nābāl who is unaware of his offense.  But he’s also not kĕsîl who is morally reprobate and incapable of altering the course of his life.  Return to the ethical way is possible for the ʾiwwelet, and David’s encounter with the prophet Nathan is an example.  David repented.  A nābāl wouldn’t even know he needed to repent.  A kĕsîl wouldn’t care.

Guilt, however, is another issue.  The root is ʾāšam (be desolate, be guilty, to offend, to acknowledge offense, to trespass.)^[1]  David is transparent.  He has sinned against God—and men.  David proclaims that he isn’t hiding anything.  In particular, he’s not hiding his “guilt,” the Hebrew ʾašmot, a word that means offense and trespass.  It’s not the same as the word for sin.  That’s ḥaṭṭāʾâ, to miss the mark, to deviate from the way.  Nor is it pešaʿ, the Hebrew word for rebellion, a breach of relationships.  What David writes about are those acts which require reparations or restitution.  Leviticus outlines many such actions, and provides rituals for dealing with the consequences.  Since David uses a word which incorporates all the facets of “guilt,” he is expressing his awareness regarding both cultic and social acts.  But guilt is the only thing on David’s mind.

The verb kāḥad (to hide) is important.

This verb, which appears in the Nilhal, Piel, and Hiphil, occurs thirty-two times in the Old Testament. It means to keep something back, to refuse to make it known. Since something which is unknown has no independent existence, the verb also denotes non-existence or effacement. There are no known cognates in the other Semitic languages.

In distinction from the other Hebrew words rendered “hide” or “conceal” (ḥābāʾ, ṭāman, sātar, and ʿālam, which see), kāḥad has to do with refusing to declare something.^[2]

What is the impact here?  David acknowledges that there were times when he knew he was wrong.  He admits it and offers no excuses before God.  But he also knows that he has done what he could to correct this behavior.  He isn’t covering it up.  This step is crucial for two reasons.  First, it establishes that there is nothing left from his previous acts that still need restitution.  No enemy can complain that David owes him something.  But secondly, David acknowledges the impact of his actions on the community of faith.  He knows that what he has done has diminished God’s name, and rather than ask for vindication, he asks that those who have been harmed by his lack of faith be protected from shame.

It is unfortunate that our religious world often places too much emphasis on the state of the individual sinner.  We concentrate on redemption and sing praises when someone returns to the fold, but we don’t often acknowledge the harm caused to the righteous by those who have gone astray.  We forget that the world views God through the lens of those who claim to be His servants, and when one betrays the way, all other followers suffer shame.  Of course, forgiveness brings the wayward soul back to grace, but the public damage is done and often can’t be undone.  The greatest threat to the Kingdom is not the pagan.  It is the penitent.

Topical Index: ʾiwwelet, fool, ʾašmot, guilt, ḥaṭṭāʾâ, sin, kāḥad, to hide, Psalm 69:6

^[1] Livingston, G. H. (1999). 180 אָשַׁם. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 78). Chicago: Moody Press.

^[2] Oswalt, J. N. (1999). 972 כָחַד. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 436). Chicago: Moody Press.