Psalms 26:6

I maintain a pure lifestyle, ¹  so I can appear before your altar, ²  O Lord,

Ex 30:19,20; Ps 24:4; Ps 43:4; Ps 73:13; Isa 1:16-18; Mal 2:11-13; Mt 5:23,24; 1Co 11:28,29; 1Ti 2:8; Tit 3:5; Heb 10:19-22

¹ tn Heb “I wash my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The imperfect verbal emphasizes that this is his habit.

² tn Heb “so I can go around your altar” (probably in ritual procession). Following the imperfect of the preceding line, the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.