Psalms 25:18

Forgive. Heb. naśa’, which has as one of its basic meanings “to lift up,” also “to remove,” and “to carry away.” It is used of forgiveness in a number of passages (Gen. 50:17; Ex. 10:17; 32:32; etc.). Naśa’ is also used of vicarious bearing of sin. The priests were to bear the iniquity of the children of Israel (Lev. 10:17). There is a simple transition from the idea of vicarious sin bearing to the idea of forgiveness. One of the corresponding Greek words, airo, appears in John 1:29 in the statement, “which taketh away the sin of the world.”

Instead of a qoph, which should begin this verse if the regular acrostic pattern were followed, this verse begins with a resh, the letter immediately following in the Hebrew alphabet. At the same time resh appears in its proper place at the beginning of v. 19.