Psalms 24:4

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
clean	נְקִ֥י ne.Ki	H5355	innocent · adjective, masculine singular construct
hands	כַפַּ֗יִם kha.Pa.yim	H3709	the hollow hand or palm (so of the paw of an animal · noun, common feminine dual absolute
pure	וּֽבַר u.var-	H1249	beloved · conjunction + adjective, masculine singular construct
heart	לֵ֫בָ֥ב le.Vav	H3824	the heart (as the most interior organ) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
up	נָשָׂ֣א na.Sa'	H5375	to lift · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
soul	נַפְשִׁ֑י naf.Shi	H5315	properly · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix
vanity	לַשָּׁ֣וְא la.Shav'	H7723	evil (as destructive) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
sworn	נִשְׁבַּ֣ע nish.Ba'	H7650	to seven oneself · verb, niphal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
deceitfully	לְמִרְמָֽה le.mir.Mah	H4820	fraud · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Job 17:9 The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
Psalms 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness i…
Psalms 26:6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
Isaiah 33:15-16 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribe…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 24:3-6

From this world, and the fulness thereof, the psalmist's meditations rise, of a sudden to the great things of another world, the foundation of which is not on the seas, nor on the floods. The things of this world God has given to the children of men and we are much indebted to his providence for them; but they will not make a portion for us. And therefore, I. Here is an enquiry after better things, Psa 24:3. This earth is God's footstool; but, if we had ever so much of it, we must be here but a while, must shortly go hence, and Who then shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who shall go to heaven hereafter, and, as an earnest of that, shall have communion with God in holy ordinances now? A…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 24:4

lifted up his soul--is to set the affections (Psa 25:1) on an object; here, vanity--or, any false thing, of which swearing falsely, or to falsehood, is a specification.

John Gill on Psalms 24:4

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart,.... Though "clean hands" are mentioned first, as being more obvious to view, and better known, and more subject to the cognizance and observation of others; yet a "pure heart" is first in being and in order; from whence cleanness of hands, when right and truth springs: no man has a pure heart naturally and of himself: the heart is desperately wicked; the imagination of the thoughts of it is evil continually; the mind and conscience are defiled with sin; nor can any man make his heart clean, or say he is pure from sin; but it is God that creates a clean heart, and renews a right spirit within men, and purifies the heart by faith, which is led to the…

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John Calvin on Psalms 24:1-4

Psalm 24:1-4 1. The earth is Jehovah's, and the fullness thereof; [539] the world, and they that dwell therein: 2. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. 3. Who shall ascend unto the hill of Jehovah? who shall stand in his holy place? 4. He who is clean of hands, and pure of heart; who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 1. The earth is Jehovah's. We will find in many other places the children of Abraham compared with all the rest of mankind, that the free goodness of God, in selecting them from all other nations, and in embracing them with his favor, may shine forth the more conspicuously. The object of the beginning of the psal…

The Church Fathers

Truly Judas ascended onto the mountain of the Lord, but he did not stand in his holy place. He was not innocent in hands or pure in heart, but a thief who was taking the money.
— Evagrius Ponticus, NOTES ON THE PSALMS 23[24].4

It is appropriate, he is saying, for him who desires to ascend that mountain both to purify his soul of idle thoughts and to keep his hands away from such pursuits. He put "hands" in place of pursuits, and by "heart" he implied desires: with the latter we form our intentions, and by the former we put them into action.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 24:4

Let no one speak deceitfully to his neighbor. The mouth of the malevolent is a deep pit. The innocent person, while he believes easily, falls readily; but though he falls, he rises; and the shuffler, with all his arts, goes headlong to ruin, from which he can never rise or escape. Therefore let everyone weigh well his words, and let him not say to another what he would not say to himself.
— Callistus I of Rome, EPISTLE 2:5

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Hand — Called by Galen “the instrument of instruments.” It is the symbol of human action (Ps. 9:16; Job 9:30; Isa. 1:15; 1 Tim. 2:8). Washing the hands was a symbol of innocence (Ps. 26:6; 73:13; Matt.…
Heart — According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. “Heart” and “soul” are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp.…
Psalms, Book Of — The present Hebrew name of the book is Tehill’im, “Praises;” but in the actual superscriptions of the psalms the word Tehillah is applied only to one, (Psalms 145:1) ... which is indeed emphatically…
Access To God · A privilege of saints — A privilege of saints
Deceit · .Free from — .Free from
Heart · .Pure — .Pure
Heart, Character Of The Renewed · Pure — Pure
Holiness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Honesty · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Integrity · 16:19,20; — 16:19,20;
Penitent · PROMISES TO — PROMISES TO
Purity

Psalms 24:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 24:3-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 24:4

John Gill on Psalms 24:4

John Calvin on Psalms 24:1-4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Psalms 24:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 24:3-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 24:4

John Gill on Psalms 24:4

John Calvin on Psalms 24:1-4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Psalms 24:1-6

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Psalms 24:4

Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 24:4