Psalm 26

Listen to Psalm 26

I Will Bless the Lord

1 1Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have 2walked in my integrity, and I have 3trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 4Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and 5my mind. [a]
3 For your 6steadfast love is before my eyes, and I 7walk in your 8faithfulness.
4 I do not 9sit with men of 10falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I 11hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I 12wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your 13wondrous deeds.
8 O Lord, I 14love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
9 15Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of 16bribes.
11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on 17level ground; in 18the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

Psalm 26 Commentary

Chapter 26

David, in this psalm, appeals to God touching his integrity.

- David here, by the Spirit of prophecy, speaks of himself as a type of Christ, of whom what he here says of his spotless innocence was fully and eminently true, and of Christ only, and to Him we may apply it. We are complete in him. The man that walks in his integrity, yet trusting wholly in the grace of God, is in a state of acceptance, according to the covenant of which Jesus was the Mediator, in virtue of his spotless obedience even unto death. This man desires to have his inmost soul searched and proved by the Lord. He is aware of the deceitfulness of his own heart; he desires to detect and mortify every sin; and he longs to be satisfied of his being a true believer, and to practise the holy commands of God. Great care to avoid bad company, is both a good evidence of our integrity, and a good means to keep us in it. Hypocrites and dissemblers may be found attending on God's ordinances; but it is a good sign of sincerity, if we attend upon them, as the psalmist here tells us he did, in the exercise of repentance and conscientious obedience. He feels his ground firm under him; and, as he delights in blessing the Lord with his congregations on earth, he trusts that shortly he shall join the great assembly in heaven, in singing praises to God and to the Lamb for evermore.

Unlock Deeper Insights: Get Over 20 Commentaries with Plus! Subscribe Now

Psalm 26 Commentaries

Cross References 18

  • 1. 26:1 See Ps. 7:8
  • 2. 26:1 ver. 11
  • 3. 26:1 See Ps. 11:1
  • 4. 26:2 See Ps. 7:9; 17:3; 139:23
  • 5. 26:2 Ps. 7:9
  • 6. 26:3 [Ps. 25:10]
  • 7. 26:3 2 Kgs. 20:3; [Ps. 86:11]
  • 8. 26:3 [Ps. 25:10]
  • 9. 26:4 See Ps. 1:1
  • 10. 26:4 Job 11:11
  • 11. 26:5 Ps. 31:6; 139:21, 22
  • 12. 26:6 Ps. 73:13; [Ex. 30:19, 20; Deut. 21:6]
  • 13. 26:7 See Ps. 9:1
  • 14. 26:8 [Ps. 27:4]
  • 15. 26:9 [Ps. 28:3]
  • 16. 26:10 Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19
  • 17. 26:12 See Ps. 27:11
  • 18. 26:12 Ps. 22:25

Footnotes 1

  • [a] 26:2 Hebrew 'test my kidneys and my heart'

Chapter Summary

Psalm of David. The occasion of this psalm seems to be the quarrel between Saul and David, the former listening to calumnies and reproaches cast upon the latter, and persecuting him in a violent manner. The argument of it is the same, in a great measure, with the seventh psalm, and is an appeal made to God, the Judge of the whole earth, by the psalmist, for his innocence and integrity; Theodoret thinks it was written by David when he fled from Saul.
Unlock Deeper Insights: Get Over 20 Commentaries with Plus! Subscribe Now
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025