Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 32:5

"I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah" — Psalms 32:5 (ASV)

I acknowledged my sin unto thee - That is, then I confessed my guilt. I had borne the dreadful pressure as long as I could. I had tried to conceal and suppress my conviction, but I found no relief. The anguish became deeper and deeper; my strength was failing; I was crushed under the intolerable burden, and when I could no longer bear it, I went and made humble confession, and found relief.

The verb used here is in the future tense, “I will acknowledge my sin;” but for a correct understanding of it, it should be regarded as referring to the state of mind at the time mentioned in the psalm, and the resolution which the psalmist then formed. The words “I said” should be understood here. He expresses this in a subsequent part of the verse, doubtless referring to the same time: “I said,” or I formed a resolution to this effect.

The idea is that he could find no relief in any other way. He could not banish these serious and troubling thoughts from his mind; his days and nights were spent in anguish. He resolved to go to God and confess his sin, and to see what relief could be found by such an acknowledgment of guilt.

And mine iniquity have I not hid - That is, I did not attempt then to hide it. I made a frank, a full confession. I stated it all, without any attempt to conceal it; to apologize for it; or to defend it. Previously, he had tried to conceal it, and it was crushing him to the earth. He now resolved to confess it all, and he found relief.

I said - I formed the resolution.

I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord - I will no longer attempt to hide them, or to suppress the convictions of guilt. I will seek the only proper relief by making confession of my sin, and by obtaining forgiveness. This resolution was substantially the same as that of the prodigal son: I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned (Luke 15:18).

And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin - He found that God was willing to pardon; as soon as he made confession, he obtained the evidence of pardon. “All the guilt,” or the “iniquity” of his sin, was at once forgiven; and, as a consequence, he found peace. In what way he had evidence that his sin was forgiven he does not state. It may have been in his case by direct revelation, but it is more probable that he obtained this evidence in the same way that sinners do now, by the internal peace and joy which follows such an act of penitent confession. In regard to this, we may observe:

1. The very act of making confession tends to give relief to the mind; and, in fact, relief can never be found when confession is not made.
2. We have the assurance that when confession is made in a proper manner, God will pardon. (See the notes at 1 John 1:9).
3. When such confession is made, peace will flow into the soul; God will show himself merciful and gracious. The peace that follows from a true confession of guilt before God proves that God has heard the prayer of the penitent and has been merciful in forgiving his offenses.

Thus, without any miracle, or any direct revelation, we may obtain evidence that our sins are washed away, which will give comfort to the soul.