Packed With Meaning

We see in these verses a perfect illustration of Hebrew parallelism. In two short verses, God uses three different words for sin. The first word is transgression, which means to step across the line. When we transgress, we are basically sinning against God. The next word means “missing the mark.” We fall short of God’s righteous standard. And the third word means iniquity – which describes the twistedness of the sinner.

But in these same verses, God also uses some great words of rehabilitation, for getting back into relationship with Him. He says our sins are forgiven – He lifts the load, the burden, of our sin. And our sins are covered. They are eliminated by the blood of Christ. That is why, later in this same psalm, David declares that God’s love is unfailing – and it surrounds the man who trusts in Him!