The penitential psalms are so called because these are expressive of sorrow for sin. These are psalms 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, 142.
in these seven psalms moral or covenantal failure is at the heart of the lament. The prayer is specifically for forgiveness for that failure, even when the immediate problem is some other crisis. While there may be petition for deliverance from those other problems, the forgiveness of sin is at the heart of the prayer. More...
