Psalm 51:5 (WEB)
Behold, I was born in iniquity. My mother conceived me in sin.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Psalm 51:5 (KJV)
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Key words
- בְּעָווֹן חוֹלָלְתִּיbe'avon cholalti · Hebrew
- 'I was shapen in iniquity' — formed in sin from the start.
- וּבְחֵטְא יֶחֱמַתְנִי אִמִּיuvchet yechematni immi · Hebrew
- 'in sin did my mother conceive me' — the classic text for sin inherited from conception.
Why it matters
David confesses that he was sinful from conception. With Romans 3:23 this is the strongest biblical objection to Mary's sinlessness, and Pitre states it before answering it (p 38): Scripture teaches that all born after the fall are under sin. His reply is that being created without sin does not make one less than human — Adam and Eve before the fall were fully human — and that the New Eve is the exception by grace, not by nature.