Psalms 26:1-7

1 [A Psalm] of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in my integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; [therefore] I shall not slide.

2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

3 For thy loving-kindness [is] before my eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.

4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.

5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

6 I will wash my hands in innocence: so will I compass thy altar, O LORD:

7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.

Psalms 26:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

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.