Salmi 26

1 Di Davide. Fammi giustizia, o Eterno, perch’io cammino nella mia integrità, e confido nell’Eterno senza vacillare.

2 Scrutami, o Eterno, e sperimentami; prova le mie reni ed il mio cuore.

3 Poiché ho davanti agli occhi la tua benignità e cammino nella tua verità.

4 Io non mi seggo con uomini bugiardi, e non vo con gente che simula.

5 Io odio l’assemblea de’ malvagi, e non mi seggo con gli empi.

6 Io lavo le mie mani nell’innocenza, e così fo il giro del tuo altare, o Eterno,

7 per far risonare voci di lode, e per raccontare tutte le tue maraviglie.

8 O Eterno, io amo il soggiorno della tua casa e il luogo ove risiede la tua gloria.

9 Non metter l’anima mia in un fascio coi peccatori, né la mia vita con gli uomini di sangue,

10 nelle cui mani è scelleratezza, e la cui destra è colma di presenti.

11 Quant’è a me, io cammino nella mia integrità; liberami, ed abbi pietà di me.

12 Il mio piè sta fermo in luogo piano. Io benedirò l’Eterno nelle assemblee.

Salmi 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.

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.