Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence,
Parallel translations
- KJV Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
- BSB Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in innocence I have washed my hands.
- NKJV Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence.
- NASB Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence;
- NLT Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
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
Asaph laments that keeping his heart clean and his hands innocent seems to have been pointless.
Overview
Comparing himself to the prospering wicked, he questions whether his pursuit of purity was worthwhile. This is the low point of his doubt. His honesty exposes a wrong way of measuring godliness by present reward, a perspective God will soon correct through worship and eternal truth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 21:15What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What profit should we have, if we pray to him?’
- Ps 26:6I will wash my hands in innocence, so I will go about your altar, Yahweh;
- Job 34:9For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.’
- Job 35:3That you ask, ‘What advantage will it be to you? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’
- Jas 4:8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- Heb 10:19–22Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
- Ps 51:10Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.
- Mal 3:14You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God;’ and ‘What profit is it that we have followed his instructions, and that we have walked mournfully before Yahweh of Armies?
- Job 9:27If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face, and cheer up;’
- Job 9:31yet you will plunge me in the ditch. My own clothes shall abhor me.
- Ps 24:4He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 73:13 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.