Psalm 26, the 26th psalm of the

Book of Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of ...

the Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writte ...

, begins (in the

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): "Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
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Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek

Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...

and Latin

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translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 25. In Latin, it is known as "Iudica me Domine". The psalm is attributed to

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

by its sub-title. Albert Barnes argues that "there is no reason to doubt the correctness of the superscription", but according to

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

and Emilie Briggs, it is to be dated within the

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(539 to 333 BCE). The Briggs describe the psalm as They add that the "elements of prayer and worship" in verses 9 to 11 are additions by a later editor. The psalm forms a regular part of

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and Nonconformist Protestant liturgies.

Structure

The psalm is divided into 2 parts # Verses 1-11: Pleas and affirmation of justice for the Psalmist # Verse 12: certainty of being heard and confident vows The following observations can be made: * The absence of a complaint. The peculiarity of the absence of an action falls on the Psalm:Craig C. Broyles (2005), ''Psalms Concerning Temple Entry in The Book of Psalms: Composition and Reception'', 261 there is no reference to the wicked, which poses a risk for the psalmist in any way. * The highlighting of the temple. The psalm refers not only to the "house of the Lord" (verse 8) and "Assembly" (verse 12), but also to the rites that are performed by the Psalmist in the Temple: the symbolic washing of hands, the circumambulation of the altar (verse 6) and the subsequent singing (verse 7).

Text

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the

Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...

text in the

and the English translation from the

. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the

Masoretic text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...

come from different textual traditions.A 1917 translation directly from Hebrew to English by the

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can be foun
here
o
here
and an 1844 translation directly from the Septuagint by L. C. L. Brenton can be foun
here
Both translations are in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 25.

Uses

New Testament

Speculatively, this psalm is referenced in the story of the public trial of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. After succumbing to the wishes of the gathered crowd,

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...

purportedly washed his hands to show his innocence of their judgement. In the account, this could function as an outward display of someone mechanically following the psalm verse, but it would be apparent to the original Jewish audience that his abdication of the responsibility of judging justly was not in its spirit.

Judaism

In Judaism, verse 8 is the third verse of Ma Tovu.

Catholic Church

According to the monastic tradition this psalm was since St.

Benedict of Nursia Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...

, performed during the celebration of

matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning (between midnight and dawn). The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which w ...

of Sundays. Today, Psalm 26 is recited or sung during the Daytime Hours on Friday Week 1. Verses 6-12 are said during the Lavabo (washing of the hands) of the

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite or ''usus antiquior'' (), Vetus Ordo or the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) or the Traditional Rite, is the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church codified in ...

Eastern Orthodox Church

In the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

, Psalm 25 (Psalm 26 in the Masoretic Text) is part of the fourth

Kathisma A kathisma (Greek: κάθισμα; Slavonic: каѳисма, ''kai-isma''), literally, "seat", is a division of the Psalter, used in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Catholic churches. The word may also describe a hymn sung at Matins, a ...

division of the Psalter, read at

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning (between midnight and dawn). The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which w ...

on Monday mornings, as well as on Wednesdays during

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

at the Sixth Hour. Psalm 25/26 is also read at the rite of the consecration of a church, after the consecration of the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

Coptic Orthodox Church

In the Agpeya, the

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, this psalm is prayed in the office of

Terce Terce is a canonical hour of the Divine Office. It consists mainly of psalms and is held around 9 a.m. Its name comes from Latin and refers to the third hour of the day after dawn. Along with Prime, Sext, None, and Compline, Terce belongs ...

Book of Common Prayer

In the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

's ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the title given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christianity, Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer (1549), fi ...

'', this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the fifth day of the month.Church of England
Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter
as printed by

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in 1762, pp. 196ff

Musical setting

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque music, Baroque composer and organ (music), organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and one of the most important composers of ...

wrote a setting of a metric paraphrase of Psalm 26 in German, "Herr, schaff mir Recht, nimm dich mein an", SWV 123, for the '' Becker Psalter'', published first in 1628.

Notes

References

External links

* * * Mechon-mamre: Hebrew and English * Text of Psalm 26 according to th
1928 Psalter

Of David. / Judge me, LORD! / For I have walked in my integrity.
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
Psalm 26 – Standing in an Even Place
enduringword.com
Psalm 26 / Refrain: Lord, I love the place where your glory abides.

Psalm 26
at biblegateway.com
Hymns for Psalm 26
hymnary.org {{Psalms 026