Psalm 18 26

Psalm 18:26 kjv

With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

Psalm 18:26 nkjv

With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

Psalm 18:26 niv

to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.

Psalm 18:26 esv

with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

Psalm 18:26 nlt

To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

Psalm 18 verses

Psalm 18 26 Meaning

Psalm 18:26 states a fundamental principle of divine justice and interaction: God responds to humanity in a way that mirrors their moral disposition. With those who are pure of heart and walk in integrity, God reveals Himself as pure, clear, and beneficial in His dealings, bestowing favor and guidance. Conversely, with those who are twisted, perverse, and morally corrupt in their ways, God's dealings with them appear intricate, baffling, or opposing, as His righteous judgment reflects back their own crookedness, leading to their entanglement or downfall. It illustrates God's unyielding holiness meeting human conduct.

Psalm 18 26 Context

Psalm 18 is a psalm of thanksgiving from King David, a parallel account of which is found in 2 Samuel 22. It celebrates God's mighty deliverance of David from all his enemies, especially from Saul. Verses 20-24 form a section where David affirms his own integrity and righteousness before God as a reason for divine favor, emphasizing his blameless walk and obedience to God's ways. Building on this personal testimony, Psalm 18:25-27 then broadens the principle, articulating a universal theological truth about God's just character: His actions and dealings with all people correspond to their own character and conduct. Therefore, verse 26 serves to explain how God's nature expresses itself reciprocally in His interactions with humanity—His purity meeting purity, and His righteousness confounding perversity.

Psalm 18 26 Word analysis

• With the pure (עִם-נָבָר, ‘im-navar):
  • ‘im (עִם): A preposition meaning "with," indicating a relationship or association.
  • navar (נָבָר): From a root meaning "to purify, to make clean." Here, it functions as an adjective meaning "pure," "clean," "selected," or "tried and proved." It refers to moral integrity, sincerity of heart, and walking in uprightness before God. This purity is not a claim to sinless perfection but to a genuine, unadulterated devotion and fidelity to God's covenant.
• you show yourself pure (תִּתָּבָר, tittalavar):
  • Root is נבר (navar). The form is Hithpael imperfect, indicating a reflexive action: "to show oneself pure," "to make oneself appear pure," or "to deal purely." It implies that God manifests His purity, faithfulness, and clarity in His actions and blessings towards the upright. His dealings with them are straightforward, gracious, and beneficent, reflecting His own pure nature.
• and with the crooked (וְעִם-עִקֵּשׁ, w'im-‘iqesh):
  • w'im (וְעִם): "And with."
  • ‘iqesh (עִקֵּשׁ): From a root meaning "to twist, distort, pervert." As an adjective, it means "twisted," "perverse," "crooked," or "devious." This describes someone who deliberately deviates from what is right, is morally perverse, deceitful, or whose heart is stubbornly resistant to God's will. It refers not just to actions but to a corrupt inward disposition.
• you show yourself twisted (תִּתְפַּתָּל, titpathal):
  • Root is פתל (pathal), meaning "to twist, wrestle, struggle, be entangled." The Hithpael imperfect, reflexive form, means "to show oneself twisted," "to act perversely," "to be subtle," or "to deal shrewdly/complexly." This is anthropopathic language, meaning it describes divine action in human terms. It does not imply God is perverse in His character. Rather, it means that God's actions and dealings towards the "crooked" appear difficult, entangling, confounding, or even as wrestling against them. His righteous judgments confound their wicked schemes, and their own perversity leads to self-inflicted struggles and defeat, making God's opposition to them seem like a "twisting" of their paths.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "With the pure you show yourself pure": This phrase highlights God's reciprocal grace. When a person walks in integrity before God, seeking to live purely and honestly, God meets that sincerity with His own pure, unambiguous, and blessing-filled presence and provision. There is harmony and clarity in this divine-human relationship.
• "and with the crooked you show yourself twisted": This phrase speaks to divine justice. For those whose ways are deceitful, perverse, or rebellious against God, God’s response is to entangle them in the consequences of their own actions or to confront their deviance with a seemingly complex, oppositional divine hand. God’s ultimate moral straightness and opposition to perversion means that for the perverse, the path with God will be one of conflict, frustration, and eventual judgment, reflecting their own contorted nature back to them.

Psalm 18 26 Bonus section

This verse powerfully illustrates anthropopathism, where human emotions or characteristics are attributed to God to explain divine actions. God Himself is never truly "twisted" or perverse; such attributes are alien to His nature (Jas 1:17; 1 Jn 1:5). The "twistedness" refers to the effect of God's holy dealings upon the crooked, where His righteous judgments ensnare and confound those who stubbornly oppose Him, turning their own ways back upon them. It underlines that divine holiness will not accommodate human sin but will inevitably respond in judgment, even if that response feels confounding to the unrighteous. This verse strongly aligns with the wisdom literature in the Bible, particularly the Book of Proverbs, which frequently expounds on the cause-and-effect relationship between righteous living and divine blessing, and between wicked living and divine judgment or self-inflicted harm. It highlights that God's character is both loving to the pure and a consuming fire to those who rebel.

Psalm 18 26 Commentary

Psalm 18:26 encapsulates a core tenet of biblical theology: the consistent nature of God’s interaction with humanity based on their character and conduct. God, in His absolute purity and righteousness, mirrors the path one chooses. He does not deviate from His perfect nature, but His dealings appear different depending on the recipient. For those with pure hearts and upright walk, God’s way is clear, direct, and full of blessing and favor; His presence is a straightforward comfort and guide. However, for those who choose a path of deceit and moral perversion, God’s holy opposition to sin causes their path to become tangled and their schemes to unravel, often through their own means. He effectively out-twists the twisted, not by becoming perverse, but by ensuring that their own deviousness becomes their undoing. This verse serves both as an assurance to the righteous of God's favor and a solemn warning to the wicked of His unwavering justice. It urges introspection: our experience of God directly reflects our posture toward Him.

• Example 1: A person sincerely seeks to live righteously and confesses sin. God, being pure, graciously forgives and provides a clear path for them.
• Example 2: A person habitually practices deceit. God, opposing such crookedness, allows their own lies to eventually ensnare them, leading to exposure and struggle.