The psalmist now pleads for a complete spiritual renewal. He asks for a clean heart, by which is probably meant not so much a heart free of impurity as a single-minded, wholehearted devotion to God’s will (as in Matt 5.8; see Anderson).
In verse 10b put a new and right spirit within me translates “renew a loyal spirit in me.” Here “spirit” has to do with attitude, will, desire, and not with “spirit” as opposed to body. The word right translates a Hebrew word which means steadfast, firm; so it is a spirit that is constant in its devotion to God. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “a new and faithful spirit”; another possibility is “a new and constant spirit”; Bible en français courant “renew and strengthen my spirit.” In many languages if the local word for spirit is used in line b, the meaning is apt to refer to the spiritual existence in contrast to the physical. Therefore in those languages it may be advisable to use the word for heart in both lines a and b; for example, “a heart which is pure and a new heart which is loyal.”
The two lines in verse 11 express the same thought. Cast me not away: the psalmist prays that God will not abandon him because he has sinned. God’s presence is the same as his holy Spirit, that is, his power, which is called holy because it is God’s and accomplishes his will. From thy presence must sometimes simply be translated “from you.”
In many languages the term holy Spirit can here be translated as “your spirit.” God’s breath-spirit is the source of all human life and vitality; in the creation of humankind (Gen 2.7) God breathed life-giving breath into a clay model and it became a living being; in Psalm 104.29-30 it is the breath-spirit of God which gives life to all animals; when he holds it back, they die. So God’s breath-spirit is the source of life, not only of physical existence but, in a higher sense, of meaningful life, life in fellowship with and dependent upon God, life that is dedicated to him.
The phrase God’s holy Spirit does not carry the developed ideas it has in the New Testament and in Christian theology. Only here and in Isaiah 63.10, 11 (which see) is the phrase used in the Old Testament. Eaton, who believes the psalm was composed by a king, defines “holy spirit” here as “the power or presence of God at the centre of Israel and working in his chosen ruler” (Kingship and the Psalms, page 71).
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .