Psalms 26:4

4 I do not sit with false men, nor do I consort with dissemblers;

Psalms 26:4 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 26:4

I have not sat with vain persons
Or "men of vanity" F20; who are full of it; who are addicted to the vanities of the world; who pursue the riches, honours, pleasures, and profits of it; which is no other than walking in a vain show: whose thoughts, words, and actions are vain; who are vainly puffed up in their fleshly mind, and walk in the vanity of it; who take the name of God in vain, and whose common discourse is foolish, frothy, light, and empty; and who are men of a vain conversation, and are rash, imprudent, and deceitful: men of bad principles may very well go by this name, who are vain and unruly talkers, and whose doctrines are doctrines of vanity, and no other than vain babbling; and also men guilty of idolatrous practices, who observe lying vanities, and worship them, and lift up their souls unto them; with such vain men, in any of these senses, the psalmist would have nothing to do; he would not keep company with them, nor have any communion, consultation, and conversation with them; it may be, he may have some respect to the men that were about Saul, to whom such a character agreed; or he may say this, and what follows, to remove a calumny cast upon him and his friends; as if they that were with him were such men as here described, and in ( Psalms 26:5 ) ;

neither will I go in with dissemblers:
or "hidden" or "unknown" persons {u}, who lie in private lurking places, to murder the innocent, or secretly take away the good names and characters of men, and it is not known who they are; or who commit sin secretly; go into secret places to do their works in the dark, and hide themselves to do evil; as the Targum, Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret it; who love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil; or who cover themselves with lying and flattering words, that it is not known what their real intentions be; they speak one thing, and mean another; are an assembly of treacherous men: such are all deceitful workers, who lie in wait to deceive, and walk in craftiness; and hypocrites, who have the form of religion, but are strangers to the power of it; and who are to be turned away from, and avoided; the houses, assemblies, cabals, and company of such, are to be shunned; see ( Genesis 49:6 ) ( Jeremiah 9:2 ) ; or such as are "signed", or "marked"; that is, infamous persons F23.


FOOTNOTES:

F20 (awv ytm Me) "cum hominibus vanitatis", Gejerus, Michaelis.
F21 (Mymlen Me) "cum occultis", Vatablus, Michaelis; "absconditis", Gejerus; so Ainsworth.
F23 Vide Schultens de def. Hod. ling. Heb. s. 188.

Psalms 26:4 In-Context

2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
3 For thy steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to thee.
4 I do not sit with false men, nor do I consort with dissemblers;
5 I hate the company of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go about thy altar, O LORD,
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.