Word Study - Psalm 51:7-10 - Create
Word Study: Psalm 51:10 Create (בְּרָא)
Robert R. Crawford
OTCL 505: Research, Writing, and Ministry
Preparation
June 2025
Contents
“Select
Only the Most Important Words for Your Study”
“Determine
the Hebrew Word from Which the English Word Was Derived”
“Determine
the Hebrew Verb Stem”
“List
All the English Words Used for that Hebrew Root”
“Note
Any Changes in Meaning if the Verb Changes Stem”
“Consider
How the Contextual Settings Influenced Each of the English Word Choices”
Introduction
Psalm 51:7-13 is the passage selected for this
paper, with the word “create’ (בְּרָא) in verse 10 as the key word for this word
study (Ps. 51:10, ESV). It is important to understand why David asked for
forgiveness of sin in this Psalm. One must examine 2 Samuel for contextual
insight to find this answer. The Psalm begins with an allusion to the story from
2 Samuel where God sent the prophet Nathan to David (Ps. 51:1, 2 Sam 12:1-15).[1] Nathan presented
the rebuke he received from God for David, telling him God was extremely
displeased with his actions (2 Sam. 12:1-12). We read in verse 13 that David
realized the magnitude of his sin (2 Sam. 12:13) with Bathsheba and the murder
of her husband Uriah (2 Sam. 12:9). He prayed, confessed his sin to God, and
asked for restoration (Ps. 51:1-19). God forgave David (2 Sam 12:13), but there
were consequences for his sin. The child conceived with Bathsheba (his son) was
afflicted, got sick, and died after he was born (2 Sam. 12:13-18). David’s
reaction and his love for God are very apparent here after he lost his son.
David did not get angry with God for his son’s death; rather, “…he went into
the house of the Lord and worshiped (2 Sam. 12:20). David expresses to God that
he is a wretch with a corrupt heart. This word study examines the importance of
the Hebrew verb בְּרָא, determines its root and stem, considers
the differences in meaning influenced by stems, and analyzes the contextual
settings. The Hebrew word בְּרָא, according to Walton, is “the Hebrew verb bārāʾ,
translated as ‘create’” where one sees it in the first book of the Bible,
Genesis 1:1.[2] Next,
the discussion turns to the importance of this particular word selected for
study.
“Select
Only the Most Important Words for Your Study”[3]
In Psalm 51, David presented a request to God
for divine restoration, a renewal of heart and spirit (Ps. 51:10). The Psalm
informs readers that David clearly understood that God cares about a man's
heart. In Psalm 51:6 David prays, “[b]ehold, you delight in truth in the inward
being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart (Ps. 51:6).” David knew only
God could renew him and that it would need to happen from the inside out (Ps.
51:6, 10). He asks God to “create” a “clean heart” in him and to “renew a right
spirit” inside of him (Ps. 51:10). This word “create” is central to the entire passage
and Psalm 51 as a whole for several reasons. First, David knew sin corrupted internally,
not only because of his actions, but also from birth (Ps. 51:5).[4] He pleaded
with the Lord not only to forgive him, but to give him a new beginning, to wipe
the slate clean, and to “create” something incorruptible in him, a “clean
heart” (Ps. 51: 1-2, 7, 10). Second, David’s response to God’s rebuke is a
humble example. It provides believers with hope in a faithful God who responds
to true repentance. The third reason this word is so vitally important is that only
God can create a new thing from nothing. According to Walton, in Genesis 1:1,
“…‘create’ is the English word for bringing something into existence.”[5]
“Determine the Hebrew
Word from Which the English Word Was Derived”[6]
The word בְּרָא has a root word with “Strong's Number
H1254 matches the Hebrew בָּרָא
(bārā'), which occurs 54 times” in the KJV Bible.[7] The
word בָּרָא is a
simple active (Qal) Hebrew verb.[8] According
to Roden:
The root word for ‘created’ is בָּרָא, meaning ‘to create’…In the English
translation, you will note that we inflected “create” into “created,” showing
completed action in the past. The inflection of the word בָּרָא is part of the Qal perfect conjugation and
is inflected according to that pattern of inflection.[9]
While that may seem
like a mouthful, it is important to recognize the difference between “create” (Ps.
51:10; בְּרָא)
and the inflected Hebrew word translated to English as “created”
(Gen 1:1; בָּרָא) or ברא “to
create”, as the root word without the vowel points.[10] To be
clear, David was most likely not saying God created, or was going to create; he
was most likely saying create. While no translation is perfect, in this case,
contextual content and supporting scripture for the inflected word’s usage,
support the chosen word create as correct. The ESV translation (and most other
translations) uses create because it is the most appropriate word choice for
the Hebrew word בְּרָא in
English, considering the context of this passage. The next section considers
the verb stems.
“Determine
the Hebrew Verb Stem”[11]
The outline below provided by Strong’s, the
most applicable usage is the verb stem “Qal…imperative בְּרָא… 4. of
transformations: a clean heart Psalm 51:12 [Psalm 51:10] (|| חִדֵּשׁ); new heaven and earth Isaiah 65:17 (in
place of old); transformation of nature Isaiah 41:20; with double accusative בורא ירושׁלם גילה transform Jerusalem into rejoicing Isaiah
65:18.”[12]
Outline
of Biblical Usage:
I.
to create, shape, form
1. (Qal) to shape, fashion, create (always with
God as subject)
1. of heaven and earth
2. of individual man
3. of new conditions and circumstances
4. of transformations
2. (Niphal) to be created
1. of heaven and earth
2. of birth
3. of something new
4. of miracles
3.
(Piel)
1. to cut down
2. to cut out
II.
to be fat
1. (Hiphil) to make yourselves fat[13]
“List All
the English Words Used for that Hebrew Root”[14]
The Bible Word Study, Logos Bible
Software, lists ברא as “created, be created, creates, creator, and
creation.”[15] The Bible
in Basic English (BBE) translates this verse as “make a clean heart in me…”
(Ps. 51:10, BBE). Schmidt lists Strong’s “H1254 bârâ˒ baw-raw' A primitive
root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down
(a wood), select, feed (as formative processes): - choose, create (creator),
cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).”[16]
Additionally, “The KJV translates Strong's H1254 in the following manner:
create (42x), creator (3x), choose (2x), make (2x), cut down (2x), dispatch (1x),
done (1x), make fat (1x).”[17]
“Note Any
Changes in Meaning if the Verb Changes Stem”[18]
The
Qal, Niphal, Piel, and Hiphil verb stems changes below are also from Strong’s,
with Qal being the most common, and Hiphil only used once. This is the most
obscure biblical usage of the word.
Qal
Perfect Genesis 1:1 + 19 times; Imperfect יִבְרָא Genesis 1:21, 27; Numbers 16:30;
Infinitive בְּראֹ
Genesis 5:1; Imperative בְּרָא
Psalm 51:12; Participle בּוֺרֵא
Isaiah 42:5 + 10 times; suffix בֹּרַאֲךָ
Isaiah 43:1; בּוֺרְאֶיךָ
Ecclesiastes 12:1; — shape, fashion, create, always of divine activity, with
accusative of thing, seldom except in P and Isa2.
Niph.
Perfect 2nd person feminine singular נִבְרֵאתְ Ezekiel 21:35; 3rd person plural נִבְרְאוּ Exodus 34:10 + 2 times; Imperfect יִבָּרֵא֑וּן Psalm 104:30; Infinitive suffix הִבָּרַאֲךָ Ezekiel 28:13; הִבָּֽרְאָךְ Ezekiel 28:15; הִבָּֽרְאָם Genesis 2:4; Genesis 5:2; Participle נִבְרָא Psalm 102:19
Pi.
Perfect בֵּרֵאתָ
Joshua 17:15; בֵּרֵאתוֺ
Joshua 17:18; Infinitive absolute בָּרֵא
Ezekiel 21:24 (twice in verse); Ezekiel 23:47
Hiph.
Infinitive לְהַבְרִיאֲכֶם 1
Samuel 2:29 to make yourselves fat.[19]
There are four stems out of the seven for this
word. Qal has “shape, fashion, create, always of divine activity” Ecclesiastes
12:1 also uses “Creator" (Eccles. 12:1). Niphal has “be created, have been
done"; Piel has “cut down, cut out”, and Hiphil has “to make yourselves
fat.”[20] Out of the many inflected words above,
obscure usages of the word are וּבֵרֵאתָ “and cut down” (Josh.
17:18), “choose” (Ezek. 21:19), and “dispatched” (Ezek. 23:47). Out of the many
inflicted words above, obscure usages of the word are “and cut down” (Josh.
17:18) “choose” (Ezek. 21:19) “dispatched” (Ezek. 23:47) and “by making
yourselves fat” (1 Sam.
2:29).
“Consider How the
Contextual Settings Influenced Each of the English Word Choices”[21]
When non-believers or believers wander away
from God, but then repent and wholeheartedly turn to God, He welcomes them home
and creates something new (Ezek. 36:26; 2 Cor. 5:17). David asked God for a new
and pure heart, not a restored heart. According to Ash, “[t]his prayer
anticipates—and believes—the promised new covenant (e.g., Jer. 24:7; 32:39;
Ezek. 11:19; 36:26), for it involves a new creation, a “new self” (cf. 2 Cor.
5:17; Gal. 6:15; Eph. 4:24).”[22] David
saw himself as lost, similar to when a new believer gives their heart to Christ
for the first time; he knew God needed to intervene. However, as seen with
David and Bathsheba’s first son, the consequences of sin can be great even with
true repentance. David realized how far from God he had become; therefore, he
requested that God create a new heart inside him.
Looking at the use of the word in Genesis, in Walton’s
book The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate,
he devotes an entire chapter, “Proposition 3”, to the word create, where
Walton states:
If existence is defined in material terms,
creating is a material activity. If existence is defined in functional terms,
creating is a function-giving activity. We cannot assume that creating is a
material activity just because our ontology happens to be material. We must let
the word and its usage speak for itself…It has long been observed that in the
contexts of bārāʾ no materials for the creative act are ever mentioned, and an
investigation of all the passages mentioned above substantiate that claim…. scholars then draw the conclusion that bārāʾ implies
creation out of nothing (ex nihilo). One can see with a moment of thought that
such a conclusion assumes that “create” is a material activity.[23]
The passages Walton refers to
in the quote above are from “Table 1” in his book, where he conducted extensive
research from the books of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Psalm,
Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Jerimiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Malachi about the objects of
the verb בְּרָא (bārāʾ).[24] The bottom line is that people cannot create something from
nothing; it is simply not scientifically possible because material is required.
According to Walton, it can “…be confidently asserted that the activity is
inherently a divine activity and not one that humans can perform or participate
in.”[25] Hamilton agrees, stating “…the
subject of bārāʾ, is never anyone but
God.”[26]
Conclusion
David
chose the Hebrew verb בָּרָא (bārā’) in Psalm 51:10; this verb conveys theological significance,
highlighting that he knew it would take God’s power to restore their
relationship. He knew sin had corrupted his heart internally. He knew only
God’s love, mercy, and power could provide the possibility of obtaining a new
heart aligned with God’s purpose. David chose בָּרָא, a word exclusively used for
God's divine activities, stressing that only God can create a renewed heart and
spirit. David knew his relationship with God was on the line.
This
word holds insight into several theological principles in the wider context of Psalm
51. Create points to full dependence on God alone for the forgiveness of sin. It
tells believers that sin is a serious matter of the heart, which requires inward
renewal. It points to repentance with humility and a longing for the
restoration of a right, joyful relationship with God. David’s use of bārā’ confirms
that supernatural power is required from God to renew a heart. This word study of
create in Psalm 51:10 points to God’s glory. He alone can make a
human heart new.
Bibliography
Ash, Christopher. The Psalms (4 Volume Set):
A Christ-Centered Commentary. Crossway. 2024.
Bible Word Study. Logos Bible Software. accessed June 25,
2025. https://www.logos.com.
Hamilton, Victor P. Handbook on the Pentateuch. 2nd ed.
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. 2005.
Platt,
David. et al. Exalting Jesus in Psalms 51-100. B&H Publishing Group.
2020.
Roden, Chet. Elementary Biblical Hebrew : An
Introduction to the Language and Its History. Second edition. San Diego,
Calif: Cognella Academic Publishing. 2024.
Schmidt, Muhammad Wolfgang G. A.. A Hebrew-English Reference Manual To The Hebrew
Text Of The Old Testament. Based on the Leningrad Codex and Strong’s
Hebrew-English Lexicon, Diplomica Verlag. 2017.
Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (ESV). Blue Letter
Bible. Accessed 22-28 June, 2025. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1254/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
Walton, John H. The Lost World of Genesis
One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. InterVarsity Press. 2009.
.
[1]
Christopher Ash, The Psalms (4 Volume Set): A Christ-Centered Commentary,
(Crossway), 2024, 1685-1687.
[2]
John H. Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the
Origins Debate, (InterVarsity Press), 2009, 32.
[3]
Chet Roden, Elementary Biblical Hebrew: An Introduction to the Language and
Its History, Second edition. (San Diego, Calif: Cognella Academic
Publishing), 2024, 69-70.
[4]
David Platt, et al. Exalting Jesus in Psalms 51-100, (B&H Publishing
Group), 2020, 17-18.
[5]
Walton, The Lost World of Genesis, 32.
[6]
Roden, Elementary Biblical Hebrew, 70.
[7]
"H1254 - bārā' - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)." Blue Letter Bible.
Accessed 23 Jun, 2025. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1254/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
[8]
Roden, Elementary Biblical Hebrew, 91.
[9]
Ibid., 100.
[10]
Ibid., 100.
[11]
Ibid., 100.
[12]
"H1254 - bārā' - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)." Blue Letter Bible.
Accessed 22 Jun, 2025. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1254/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
[13]
"H1254 - bārā' - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)." Blue Letter Bible.
Accessed 28 Jun, 2025. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1254/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
[14]
Roden, Elementary Biblical Hebrew, 93.
[15]
Bible Word Study, Logos Bible Software, accessed June 25, 2025, https://www.logos.com,
[16]
Muhammad
Wolfgang G. A. Schmidt, A Hebrew-English Reference Manual To The Hebrew Text
Of The Old Testament. Based on the Leningrad Codex and Strong’s
Hebrew-English Lexicon, Diplomica Verlag, 2017, 96.
[17]
"H1254 - bārā' - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)." Blue Letter Bible.
Accessed 24 Jun, 2025. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1254/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
[18]
Roden, Elementary Biblical Hebrew, 95.
[19]
"H1254 - bārā' - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)." Blue Letter Bible.
Accessed 26 Jun, 2025.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1254/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
[20]
"H1254 - bārā' - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)." Blue Letter Bible.
Accessed 28 Jun, 2025.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1254/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
[21]
Roden, Elementary Biblical Hebrew, 95.
[22]
Christopher Ash, The Psalms (4 Volume Set), 1692-1693.
[23]
Ibid., 32, 34-36.
[24]
Ibid., 33-35.
[25]
Ibid., 33.
[26]
Victor P. Hamilton, Handbook on the Pentateuch, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic, 2005), 32.
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