I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.
Parallel translations
- WEB I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
- KJV I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
- BSB And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
- NASB I was also blameless with Him, And I kept myself from my wrongdoing.
- NLT I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David was blameless before God and kept himself from his own iniquity. It matters because integrity involves guarding against the sin to which one is prone.
Overview
David claims to have been blameless toward God, keeping himself from his particular iniquity. This describes sincere integrity and watchfulness against besetting sin, not sinless perfection. Full and final blamelessness belongs to Christ alone, who keeps and perfects his people for the day of his appearing.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Matt 18:8–9If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
- Matt 5:29–30If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
- Ps 37:27Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever.
- 1 Sam 26:23Yahweh will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; because Yahweh delivered you into my hand today, and I wouldn’t stretch out my hand against Yahweh’s anointed.
- Ps 11:7For Yahweh is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright shall see his face.
- 1 Chr 29:17I know also, my God, that you try the heart, and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things. Now I have seen with joy your people, who are present here, offer willingly to you.
- Ps 17:3You have proved my heart. You have visited me in the night. You have tried me, and found nothing. I have resolved that my mouth shall not disobey.
- Ps 7:1–8A meditation by David, which he sang to Yahweh, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. Yahweh, my God, I take refuge in you. Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 18:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.