Psalms 25:11For your name's sake, Yahweh, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
The setting
Ancient Israel, ~1000 BC. David, overwhelmed by his own sin, possibly after the Bathsheba incident, crying out in his palace in Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: crushed by guilt but desperate for mercy
The original word
salach (סָלַח) — to forgive, literally 'to lift away' like removing a burden
Why it matters
The phrase 'for your name's sake' means God's reputation depends on His mercy
Read with care
What most readers miss in Psalms 25:11
David doesn't minimize his sin — he calls it 'great' while asking for forgiveness
Common misconceptionPeople think God forgives because we're not that bad. David says his sin is GREAT and God forgives for His own name's sake — not because we deserve it.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Psalms 25:11
Bible Genome reading
Psalms 25:11 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Psalms 25:11 comes from the book of Psalms, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to David. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the psalm genre of biblical literature. Key themes include confession, forgiveness, sin acknowledgment. Notable phrases: pardon my iniquity; for it is great. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does Psalms 25:11 mean to you, today?
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