Psalm 51:4

Let God Be True

Quoted by the apostles in Romans 3:4, in the older Greek wording

Side by Side

The Older Text

Septuagint, translated before Messiah

Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil before thee: that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

The Later Text

Masoretic, finished about 1,000 years after the cross

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Quoted in Romans 3:4

Paul’s Old Testament

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Your KJV reads: the Hebrew in Psalm 51, where Elohim judges, and the Greek in Romans 3, where Elohim is judged.

See what changed and why ↓

What Your Bible Says

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
Romans 3:4 KJV

Paul quotes David to prove that Elohim is always in the right, even when men are not.

What the Psalm Says

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Psalm 51:4 KJV

This is David after his sin with Bathsheba. He owns his guilt and says Elohim is right to judge him.

What Changed

In the Hebrew, Elohim sits on the bench. He is clear when He gives His sentence. In the Greek, Elohim stands in the court as if on trial, and He wins His case.

The pictures flip, but the point is the same. Whether He judges or is judged, Yahuah comes out right.

Why Paul Used It

Paul is answering a hard question. If some in Israel did not believe, has Elohim failed to keep His word (Romans 3:3)? The Greek wording fits his answer exactly. Let men take Elohim to court; He will win.

Purpose of the Change

No motive evident: wording variation only. It matters because Paul quoted the Greek wording, which is why your KJV says “be clear when thou judgest” in the Psalm and “overcome when thou art judged” in Romans.

The Bottom Line

David said Elohim is clear when He judges. Paul quoted the Greek: He wins when He is judged. Either way, He is right.

The altar gives the last word: “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments” (Revelation 16:7).

Dig Deeper The evidence, for anyone who wants it

Clear and Overcome

The Hebrew word for “be clear” means to be clean or pure, found innocent. In Aramaic, the sister language of Hebrew, the same root came to mean to win or overcome. That likely explains how a word about being cleared became a word about winning. No Hebrew letters were changed. It is a translation choice.

Two Ways to Read One Greek Word

The Greek for “when thou art judged” can also mean “when thou goest to court.” Either way, Elohim is the one standing in the case, and He is the one who wins.

Against Thee Only

David broke the commandments: adultery and murder. He confessed that his sin was first against Yahuah, who gave them. The commandments did not change after his sin. David was the one who needed a clean heart.