Because the style and diction of the two translations, King James Version and Sidney’s Psalter, are so different, the exactness of the translation is more questionable in Sidney’s Psalter translation due to the added tone, style and diction.
Psalm Chapter 51 (King James Version of the Bible) is written by David in response to his great sin that he committed with Bathsheba, one of his mighty men’s wives. Knowing that Bathsheba is Uriah’s wife, David decides to commit adultery with her anyways while her husband is away at battle and she becomes pregnant. In an attempt to fix his problem, David has Uriah placed at the frontlines of a deadly battle in which Uriah is killed. After all of this sin, God sends the prophet Nathan to rebuke David for his sins. In the end, David repents and God removes his sin, but not without forever consequences. In Psalm 41:4, David pleads for God’s forgiveness saying “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned” meaning that David believes that the only one that he sinned against was God, not including Uriah whose wife he got pregnant and had him killed. However, ultimately, David believes that the greatest sin was to God. In verse 5 of Psalm chapter 51, David admits that he was conceived and born with sin, concluding that the sin is his alone and that he deserves whatever punishment he will receive from God.
Moving on to the Psalm chapter 51 translation of the bible in the Sidneys’ Psalter, there are immediate differences between the two translations. First, and most obvious to me, is the rhyming pattern. In verse 15 of Sidney’s Psalter, the same message is revealed that was written in verse 5 of the King James Version reading, “My mother, loe! When I began to be, conceiving me, with me did sinne conceive”. While the message is the same, the style and diction is very different. With the rhyming pattern implemented into this translation, it would be difficult to have an exact translation considering that words must be chosen carefully. While the same message may be made as in the King James Version, the diction, style, and tone make the read entirely different.