Psalm 26:6 kjv
I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
Psalm 26:6 nkjv
I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O LORD,
Psalm 26:6 niv
I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, LORD,
Psalm 26:6 esv
I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD,
Psalm 26:6 nlt
I wash my hands to declare my innocence.
I come to your altar, O LORD,
Psalm 26 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 30:19-21 | "Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet with water..." | Priestly washing before ministry, ritual purity. |
| Ps 24:3-4 | "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? ...He who has clean hands and a pure heart." | Spiritual requirements for divine presence. |
| Ps 73:13 | "Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence." | Acknowledging internal purity. |
| Job 17:9 | "The righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger." | Clean hands signify sustained righteousness. |
| Is 1:16 | "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes." | Call to inner cleansing beyond ritual. |
| Jer 4:14 | "O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved." | Call for spiritual washing for salvation. |
| Matt 27:24 | "Pilate took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent...’" | Contrasts with genuine innocence; symbolic public declaration. |
| Mk 7:6-9 | "...leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men..." | Critiques outward ritual without inward change. |
| Acts 2:38 | "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized... for the remission of sins." | Spiritual cleansing and new life in Christ. |
| 1 Tim 2:8 | "I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands..." | Prerequisite of holy hands for acceptable prayer. |
| Heb 10:22 | "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." | New Covenant access to God through Christ's purification. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct..." | Call to imitate God's holiness in daily life. |
| 1 Pet 3:21 | "There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism... the answer of a good conscience toward God." | Spiritual significance of baptism for a clean conscience. |
| Rev 1:5 | "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood..." | Ultimate cleansing through Christ's sacrifice. |
| Eph 2:18 | "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." | Christ provides access to God's presence. |
| Heb 4:16 | "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace..." | Invitation to approach God with confidence through Christ. |
| Heb 9:14 | "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself... cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" | Cleansing of conscience by Christ's blood for serving God. |
| 1 Jn 1:7 | "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." | Continual cleansing for fellowship as we walk in truth. |
| 1 Jn 1:9 | "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." | God's provision for cleansing after confession. |
| Titus 1:15 | "To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure..." | Purity of heart impacts perception. |
| Jam 4:8 | "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." | A call to practical and heart-level cleansing to approach God. |
| 2 Tim 2:21 | "Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master..." | Self-cleansing for usefulness in God's service. |
Psalm 26 verses
Psalm 26 6 Meaning
Psalm 26:6 declares the Psalmist's resolve to live righteously as a prerequisite for approaching God in worship. It expresses a desire for inner moral purity and blameless conduct, symbolized by washing one's hands, so that one might genuinely participate in and draw near to God's sacred presence at His altar. The verse underscores that acceptable worship flows from a life lived in integrity.
Psalm 26 6 Context
Psalm 26 is a fervent appeal from David for divine vindication. The Psalmist is asserting his integrity and upright conduct, particularly in contrast to the wicked who plot evil and practice deceit. He asks God to examine him and discern his true heart. This verse fits within a larger theme where David claims he has walked in truth and trusts in God's faithfulness (Ps 26:3). He portrays his approach to the altar, a central place of Israelite worship, not as an empty ritual but as a culmination of his righteous living, allowing him to praise God wholeheartedly. Culturally, the act of ritual washing before engaging in sacred duties, especially for priests, was prescribed by the Mosaic Law (Ex 30:17-21). However, David, as king, likely uses this imagery metaphorically, expressing a profound moral and spiritual cleansing necessary for true worship, potentially standing against the empty formalism sometimes seen in worship that lacked true inward devotion.
Psalm 26 6 Word analysis
- I will wash: The Hebrew word is rachats (רָחַץ), meaning "to wash, bathe." Here, it signifies a purposeful act of cleansing. While literal ritual washings were part of the Tabernacle/Temple worship, for the Psalmist, it is an adopted priestly metaphor for spiritual purification, indicating intent and action to be pure.
- my hands: Symbolically represents one's actions, deeds, and conduct. "Clean hands" denote moral innocence, blamelessness in behavior, and a life free from guilt or wicked acts (cf. Job 9:30).
- in innocence: The Hebrew is benikkāyôn (בְּנִקָּיוֹן), from niqqayôn, meaning "cleanness," "purity," "blamelessness." It's not merely ritual cleanliness but deep moral integrity. This phrase highlights the state of moral uprightness as the basis for the symbolic washing and access to God.
- so will I compass: The Hebrew is essovah (אֶסֹּבָה), meaning "I will encircle," "I will go around," "I will turn about." This likely refers to the cultic processions around the altar during acts of worship, prayer, and offering, showing engagement in the full sacred ritual.
- thine altar: The Hebrew is mizbêhakhā (מִזְבְּחֲךָ), referring to the Lord's altar. In ancient Israel, the altar was the central point of sacrifice, atonement, and communion with God. Approaching the altar signified drawing near to God's presence, engaging in true worship, and presenting oneself before the divine.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "I will wash my hands in innocence": This phrase functions as a metaphorical declaration of a resolved and cultivated life of purity. It's an assertion that the Psalmist has diligently sought and maintained moral blamelessness in his conduct (represented by "hands"), implying that his outward actions reflect an inward integrity ("in innocence"). It underscores personal responsibility for holiness before God.
- "so will I compass thine altar": This consequence clause highlights the purpose of the preceding purification. Only by achieving this state of "innocence" can one participate fully and acceptably in the most sacred acts of worship at the very heart of God's dwelling—His altar. It speaks to sincere communion and active, worthy engagement in divine service.
Psalm 26 6 Bonus section
- The Psalmist's declaration here contrasts sharply with the actions of Pontius Pilate in Matthew 27:24, who literally washed his hands to disassociate himself from Jesus' condemnation, yet was morally complicit. David's washing signifies a genuine internal commitment to righteousness, not an evasion of responsibility.
- This verse prefigures the ultimate "washing" and purification provided by Christ's sacrifice, which truly cleanses the heart and conscience, enabling genuine approach to God (Heb 9:14, Rev 1:5).
- The "compassing" or encircling of the altar may allude to actual processional elements in Temple worship or a thorough and devoted engagement with all aspects of worship at the altar.
- The Psalmists often appealed to God for vindication based on their righteous living. This verse demonstrates a desire for God to affirm David's conduct, not to earn salvation, but to confirm his relationship with God and silence accusers.
Psalm 26 6 Commentary
Psalm 26:6 eloquently encapsulates the spiritual truth that authentic worship of God is deeply interconnected with a life of integrity. David uses the evocative imagery of ritual washing, familiar from the Levitical laws for priests, to express a deeper spiritual reality: his hands, symbolizing his actions and deeds, are pure and untainted by unrighteousness. This "innocence" is not a claim to sinless perfection but rather a heartfelt pursuit of moral rectitude and a clean conscience before God. He declares his intention to live righteously so that his participation in worship at the Lord's altar—the place of communion, sacrifice, and divine presence—can be sincere and acceptable. The verse subtly counters any notion of empty ritualism, emphasizing that mere external rites are insufficient; true access to God and genuine praise require an accompanying inward holiness and a commitment to righteous living. For believers today, this underscores that our approach to God is not predicated on our own merit, but the purification that comes through Christ, enabling us to walk in newness of life, making our "spiritual sacrifices" acceptable.