Psalms

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Psalm 26

1 By David. Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have integrity, and I trust in the Lord without wavering. 2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me. Examine my kidneys and my heart³.⁠ 3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, and your loyalty continually motivates me. 4 I do not associate with deceitful men, or consort with those who are dishonest. 5 I hate the mob of evil men, and do not associate with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence,¹¹ so I can appear before your altar, O Lord,⁠ 7 to give you thanks, and to tell about all your amazing deeds. 8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live, the place where your splendor is revealed. 9 Do not sweep me away with sinners, or execute me along with violent people, 10 who are always ready to do wrong or offer a bribe. 11 But I have integrity. Rescue me and have mercy on me! 12 I am safe, and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 26:6 and Matthew 27:24

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

Summary

Matthew describes Pilate washing his hands to distance himself from responsibility, a gesture that recalls Psalm 26 where washing hands symbolizes innocence before coming to the altar, suggesting Matthew used the Hebrew Bible to shape his narrative.

Passages

Psalm 26:6

Hebrew Bible

4 I do not associate with deceitful men, or consort with those who are dishonest. 5 I hate the mob of evil men, and do not associate with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence,¹¹ so I can appear before your altar, O Lord, 7 to give you thanks, and to tell about all your amazing deeds. 8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live, the place where your splendor is revealed.

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Matthew 27:24

New Testament

22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?” They all said, “Crucify him!” 23 He asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but that instead a riot was starting, he took some water, washed his hands before the crowd and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. You take care of it yourselves!” 25 In reply all the people said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them. But after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... This segment of the narrative has less to do with Jesus than with Pilate; for those reading or hearing Matthew, it is not Jesus but the character of Pilate that is on trial. As one proverb observed: 'A judge passes judgment on himself as much as on the accused'. Though Pilate knows the unjust motivation of the charges ('envy' - 27:18; compare Mark 15:10; Acts 5:17) and receives a divine warning (27:19), political expediency takes precedence over justice. But the narrative does not try Pilate alone: the insistent people, blindly following their blind religious leaders (27:20; compare 15:14; 23:16), embrace the moral responsibility Pilate seeks to evade. (Perhaps in view of his community's conflict with Jewish authorities or the greater responsibility adhering to those who should know the most, Matthew portrays Pilate as less guilty than Jesus' own people. Washing hands most obviously constituted a repudiation of responsibility for innocent blood in Jewish tradition, as in Deuteronomy 21:6-7; Psalm 26:6; Isaiah 1:15-16; Letter of Aristeas 306; compare the Gospel of Peter, fragment 1:1) ..."

Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 874–875.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Psalms150 psalms

Compare Psalm 26:6 and Matthew 27:24

Summary

Passages

Psalm 26:6

Matthew 27:24

References

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