Sons of Korah was founded by Matthew Jacoby and Matthew continues to co-ordinate the project. Matthew, who recently completed his doctorate in philosophy and theology at the University of Melbourne, teaches on the spirituality of the psalms and his concise commentary on the settings of the psalms is a feature that is woven through most concert events. In all things Sons of Korah seek to provide an impacting musical journey into the spirit and world of the psalms. The other regular touring members of the group are Jayden Lee, Rod Wilson and Mike Avery. In most cases Sons of Korah tour as a four piece band though they occasionally expand for bigger events.
Sons of Korah is also a partner of the Bible Societies in Australia and New Zealand and in most cases they tour in support of the work of the Bible Society.
Psalm 51
Sons Of Korah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
According to your unfailing love
According to your great compassion
Blot out my transgression
Wash away all my iniquity
And cleanse me from all my sin
For I know my transgression
Against You only have I sinned
And done what is evil in your sight
So that you are proved right when you speak
And justified when you judge
Surely I was sinful at birth
Surely I was sinful at birth
Surely You desire truth
Truth in the inward parts
And you teach me wisdom
Wisdom in the innermost place
With hyssop make me clean
Wash me whiter than snow
Oh let me joy in gladness
Let the bones you have crushed rejoice
Hide your face from my sin
And blot out my iniquities
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a steadfast spirit within me
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me
Cast me not away from your presence, O Lord
And take not your Holy Spirit from me
And restore unto me the joy of your salvation
And grant me a willing spirit to sustain me
Then I will teach transgressors your
Ways, and sinners will turn back to you
Save me from the guilt upon me Lord,
Who saves me
And my tongue will sing of your
Righteousness, O Lord, the God who saves me
Open up my lips and I will declare your praise,
O Lord
You do not delight in sacrifices, or surely I would bring it
You do not take pleasure in offerings, O Lord
But the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart
And the Lord will never despise a broken spirit and a contrite heart
And the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart
And the Lord will never despise a broken spirit and a contrite heart
Psalm 51, sometimes referred to as the Miserere, has been used as a prayer of confession and repentance for thousands of years. Sons of Korah's rendition of this psalm is a hauntingly beautiful depiction of a sinner's plea for mercy and cleansing. The psalmist begins by asking God for mercy in accordance with His unfailing love and great compassion. He then proceeds to confess his transgressions and his sinful nature, acknowledging that he was sinful from the time of his birth.
The second part of the psalm is a plea for cleansing and renewal. The psalmist desires truth in his inward parts and seeks wisdom in his innermost place. He asks to be made clean with hyssop, and for his sins to be blotted out. The psalmist also asks God to create in him a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within him. He desires to be saved from his guilt and have the joy of God's salvation restored to him. Finally, the psalmist recognizes that God does not delight in outward sacrifices, but rather in a broken and contrite heart.
Overall, Sons of Korah's rendition of Psalm 51 is a beautiful depiction of a sinner's plea for mercy and forgiveness. It speaks to the human condition of sinfulness and the need for cleansing and renewal, and points towards the grace and compassion of God.
Line by Line Meaning
Have mercy on me O God
I ask that You show compassion to me, God
According to your unfailing love
May Your love that never fails guide me
According to your great compassion
May You show me mercy with Your great compassion
Blot out my transgression
Erase my wrongdoing completely
Wash away all my iniquity
Cleanse me of all my wickedness
And cleanse me from all my sin
Leave no trace of my sinfulness in me
For I know my transgression
I am fully aware of my offense
And my sin is always before me
My wrongdoing is constantly on my mind
Against You only have I sinned
I have sinned ultimately against You, God
And done what is evil in your sight
I have acted wickedly in Your eyes
So that you are proved right when you speak
My wrongdoing proves Your justice when You speak about it
And justified when you judge
You are shown to be righteous when You judge me
Surely I was sinful at birth
I have been sinful from birth
Surely You desire truth
You desire honesty and truthfulness
Truth in the inward parts
Truthfulness at my core
And you teach me wisdom
You educate me about the value of wisdom
Wisdom in the innermost place
Wisdom deep within me
With hyssop make me clean
Cleanse me thoroughly, as with hyssop
Wash me whiter than snow
Cleanse me to the point of being whiter than snow
Oh let me joy in gladness
May I experience joy and happiness
Let the bones you have crushed rejoice
May my broken bones rejoice in You
Hide your face from my sin
Do not look upon my sin
And blot out my iniquities
Erase my wickedness
Create in me a clean heart, O God
Make my heart pure, God
And renew a steadfast spirit within me
Grant me a resolute spirit
Cast me not away from your presence, O Lord
Do not abandon me, Lord
And take not your Holy Spirit from me
Do not let Your Spirit leave me
And restore unto me the joy of your salvation
Let me feel the happiness of being saved by You again
And grant me a willing spirit to sustain me
Let me have a steadfast, willing spirit for You to support me
Then I will teach transgressors your ways
I will teach those who break the law about Your ways
And sinners will turn back to you
Sinners will return to You
Save me from the guilt upon me Lord,
Rescue me from the guilt that weighs on me, Lord
Who saves me
You, who rescues me
And my tongue will sing of your righteousness, O Lord, the God who saves me
I will praise Your righteousness with my voice, God who saves me
Open up my lips and I will declare your praise, O Lord
Let me speak so I can declare Your praise, Lord
You do not delight in sacrifices, or surely I would bring it
You do not find pleasure in offerings, or else I would offer them
You do not take pleasure in offerings, O Lord
You do not enjoy offerings, Lord
But the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart
What pleases You, God, is a humble and repentant heart
And the Lord will never despise a broken spirit and a contrite heart
You will never reject a heart that is humble and repentant, Lord
And the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart
What pleases You, God, is a humble and repentant heart
And the Lord will never despise a broken spirit and a contrite heart
You will never reject a heart that is humble and repentant, Lord
Contributed by Peyton K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Astralentity73
I've sinned for so long. I feel unclean. I turned my back on God all those years ago. I see the evil in this world and I've had enough of it. I am sorry and i seek forgiveness.
@Patch4christ
Here is God's promise for you. There is hope; He is faithful:
" If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9
@BrendanMurrayJubana
The Lord will never despise a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Sometimes the hardest this is to forgive for yourself. Praise God for his mercy, forgiveness and love.
@lyndelld1
Believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and be washed clean of your sins :)
@lyndelld1
@@BrendanMurrayJubana I was just reading that. Thank you Jesus Christ the Messiah!
@pieterleah1211
@floyd visser https://youtu.be/CcQ4cNJ2eeU
@LaurenLanguages
My children ask me to sing this song to them every night to fall asleep to. They say, "Please sing us the long song." I cannot think of a better song to fall asleep to...asking God to cleans us from our sin and praising Him. Thank you Sons of Korah for turning this beautiful, important Psalm into such a beautiful lullaby...although they are never asleep at the end since they bust out with "open up my lips and I will declare your praise!" I can't think of a better way to end the day... pondering my sins from that day and asking for God's forgiveness and singing of His righteousness.
@EdThePastor
God bless you and your children
@333hifi
Thank you for sharing this Lauren. My son used to go to sleep listening to the Light of Life album, and he could sing the songs too. God bless you and your beautiful Children. Rod Wilson Drummer Sons of Korah (-:
@philiparcher2868
It IS a good-thing to Remember where you have come from ,sometimes...(NOT Every Night!) GOD FORGETS THOSE THINGS if you have Really Repented and turned away from them...HE Does Not CONSTANTLY,Unrelentingly Remind you of your Sin(that is Something Other and it isn't GOD! It could be a "False-Guilt" or "The Accuser"(make sure you aren't Accusing and Beating yourself for things GOD Has Forgiven and Forgotten!) The Blood Of Jesus-Christ ,shed for us All,Cleanses away Sin and Makes us CLEAN Before Him.Nothing Else!!! GOD IS NOT THE ACCUSER...HE Fires His Arrows of Conviction into your heart,now and again...often even! It is a Good Thing to Know the Difference. God is NOT The OGRE-Sky-GOD watching,waiting ,lurking in the Shadows with a club in His Hand to beat you with every time you messed-up.. No HE's got His Bow and Arrow and He hits the Bullseye EVERY Time!!!(Conviction of Sin,Not Condemnation.we ourselves,Condemn ourselves...with a little help from "Santa's little Helpers"....