Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart Psalm 51:17
Introduction
In our modern world, we may encounter the phrase “a broken heart and a contrite spirit”in a church lesson that sounds like a sympathy card, yet the original Hebrew suggests a process far more violent and transformative than simple sadness. The Hebrew word for broken, shavar, does not refer to a bruised feeling but to a structural shattering, like pottery smashed against a rock or the splintering of a bone. To be “contrite” is to be dakka—a term meaning to be pulverized, crushed, or ground to pieces.
From a Hebraic perspective, the “heart” (lev) is not merely the emotional center; it is the seat of cognition, will, and moral character. Therefore, a heart that is broken and a spirit that is contrite represent a total moral-spiritual collapse of self-importance before the Almighty. This state is the modern requirement of the law of sacrifice, replacing ancient animal offerings with the personal sacrifice of one’s own will.
Having a broken heart and a contrite spirit is vital – there is no other way around it, or no acceptable substitute. Why would a loving Heavenly Father want the heart, the most essential part, of His children to break? Why would He want a crushed spirit?
While this shattering may feel like an end, the scriptures testify that it is a prerequisite for receiving God’s saving power and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Lord promised to be karov—close enough to touch—to those who are shattered, using their brokenness as an opportunity for a spiritual breakthrough that could never occur when all was well. As we explore this divine pattern, we find that God does not ignore our pain; He patiently cleanses and binds it.
The Book of Mormon presents the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit as the central, modern requirement of the law of sacrifice, replacing the ancient practice of animal sacrifice. It explicitly mandates that this inward attitude is a necessary condition for receiving sacred ordinances.
Word Origin
Broken: In Biblical Hebrew, the words shavar (שבר) or nishbar (נשבר) describe a type of brokenness that is far more violent, structural, and total than the English word implies. While “broken” might suggest a tidy snap or a minor injury, shavar refers to a complete shattering that leaves something in pieces.
1. Violent and Structural Shattering
Shavar is the same word used in the Old Testament to describe:
- Pottery or glass being smashed against a rock.
- Bones being splintered or broken by a lion.
- Ships being “splintered and torn from stem to stern” by ferocious winds.
- Idols being demolished and ground down.
When applied to the heart (lev), this suggests a deep-felt collapse in which self-importance and self-justification are completely demolished.
2. The Redemptive Action of Breaking Bread
Crucially, shavar is the same verb used for breaking bread. This provides a redemptive perspective: breaking is not always for destruction, but to make something distributable and able to reach others. Just as bread is torn open to feed a crowd, a heart broken in the Hebraic sense (nishbar lev) becomes a “broken vessel” that God can use in His service.
3. Brokenness as a “Breakthrough”
Some scholars suggest that shavar can be rendered as a “breakthrough.” This perspective suggests that a shattered heart is one that’s been forcibly opened, thereby allowing God entry. It is described as the “axe” that bursts open the door to God’s presence, allowing prayers to ascend.
4. Divine Brokenness
In many scriptural instances, such as Psalm 34:18, the word appears in the niphal (reflexive) form (nisheberi). This indicates that the subject is “allowing themselves” to be broken. The sources suggest this applies to God Himself, who voluntarily opens His heart to be broken by the sins and suffering of humanity so that He can empathize with and heal the “ruptured-hearted ones.” He is a God who weeps (Moses 7). This is a godly condition.
5. Breaking for Restoration
In the context of the Messiah’s mission to “bind up the brokenhearted” (Isaiah 61:1), shavar represents the first step in a clinical treatment plan. Because God does not skip past the pain, He uses the “shattering” of shavar to honestly name the wound before applying the healing (rafa) and the binding (chabash). This process is meant to break off pride, self-sufficiency, and idols to make room for God’s power.
6. Preparing to Receive the Seed
Agricultural land that has been left uncultivated for a season develops a hardened surface that nutrients cannot penetrate. Spiritually, this is like the “hard crust of sin and complacency” that can form over a human heart. Just as a farmer must use a plow to break this crust, the heart must be “broken” or “shattered” to become receptive to the word of God. Without this breaking—referred to in scripture as breaking up “fallow ground”—the “seed” of God cannot be planted. It is deeply rooted in the Hebrew concept of nir (נִיר), which means to break up or freshly till the soil. In the parable of the Sower, the seed is the Word of God. When the hardened shell of a heart breaks, it becomes “good soil” where the seed of truth can take deep root.
Contrite: The Hebrew word dakka (דכא) provides a vivid and intense illustration of what it means to be contrite, moving far beyond simple sadness to a state of total spiritual surrender. Here is what this word reveals about being contrite:
1. A State of Being Pulverized
Literally, dakka means to be crushed, pulverized, or ground to pieces. While the English word “contrite” comes from a Latin root meaning “worn out,” the Hebrew term implies a more violent and complete shattering of the self. It describes an inner condition where one’s self-justification and self-importance have totally collapsed before the Almighty.
2. Intensified Humility
Scripture often pairs the “broken heart” (nishbar lev) with the “crushed spirit” (dakkei ruach) through synonymous parallelism. This pairing serves to intensify the image of lowliness and penitence. To be dakka is to no longer offer God your strength, but your absolute need.
3. A Prerequisite for Salvation
Being dakka is not an end but a necessary prerequisite for receiving God’s saving power. There are promises for those in this state:
- Divine Nearness: The Lord is described as karov (קרוב) —close enough to touch—to those who are crushed in spirit.
- Presence: God dwells in “high and holy places” specifically with those who are contrite.
- Deliverance: To be “crushed” is to reach a point where one realizes they cannot control their own lives, making room for God to provide deliverance (yeshuah).
In summary, dakka tells us that contrition is a moral-spiritual collapse of the carnal ego, which strips away the “hard crust” of sin and complacency to make the heart receptive to God’s healing and grace.
Your Heavenly Father rejoices in your resolve to come unto Him with a broken heart and contrite spirit. Having a contrite spirit is humbly putting yourself in the hands of God; having a broken heart brings what the Apostle Paul described as ” godly sorrow, ” a deep longing of the soul to return to Him whatever the cost.
Elder Neil L. Andersen
Broken Heart and Contrite Spirit and the Sacrament
There are profound symbolic connections between the physical elements of the sacrament and the spiritual state of a broken heart and contrite spirit:
Breaking Bread: The Hebrew word for broken, shavar, is the exact same verb used for the action of breaking bread. Just as a loaf of bread must be shattered (shavar) to be distributed and be useful.
Cleansing Wine: The Hebrew word for “contrite,” dakka literally means “crushed,” “bruised,” or “ground to powder”. While it is a linguistic metaphor rather than a direct technical term for a press, it shares the exact physical imagery of an oil or wine press (gat or puwrah), where olives and grapes are physically crushed and broken under heavy weight to release what is inside.
When applied to a person’s inner self in scriptures like Psalm 51:17 (“a broken and a contrite heart”) or Isaiah 57:15 (“with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit”), it pictures a human heart whose stubborn pride has been crushed and ground down like olives or grapes in a press. Just as a press must crush the fruit to bring forth pure oil (light/anointing) or wine (joy/abundance), the spiritual imagery implies that a “crushed” ego or repentant spirit yields humility and a renewed capacity for God’s blessings.
In the ancient Near East, a physician treating a deep wound would not simply apply a bandage immediately. The wound first had to be exposed and cleaned, typically using wine or oil. After cleansing, they could perform chabash (binding the wound). In the sacrament, the wine represents the blood of Christ that cleanses those with a contrite (crushed) spirit so that God may “bind up” and heal their shattered hearts.
Conclusion
The path of a broken heart and a contrite spirit is not a call to perpetual sorrow, but an invitation to ascend and enter His presence. We have seen that the Hebrew word shavar (broken) describes a structural shattering that, like the breaking of bread, transforms a person into a “broken vessel” that is finally distributable and useful in God’s service. Similarly, the contrite spirit—drawn from the root dakka—represents a self that has been pulverized of its self-importance, making the heart as receptive as freshly tilled soil (nir) waiting for the seeds of God’s Word to take root.
This state of being is the modern requirement of the law of sacrifice, replacing ancient burnt offerings with the personal sacrifice of our own will—the “animal in us”. While the process of being “shattered” is often painful and involves intense personal suffering, it is the essential road that leads us to the Shekinah, the dwelling presence of God. The scriptures promise that the Lord is karov—close enough to touch—to those in this condition. He acts as a clinical physician who honestly names the wound (shavar), treats it with active medical intervention (rafa), and patiently binds it (chabash) under pressure until the soul is restored.
