A psalm of David.
101:1 I will sing about loyalty and justice!
To you, O Lord, I will sing praises!
101:2 I will walk in 2 the way of integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. 3
101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. 4
I hate doing evil; 5
I will have no part of it. 6
101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; 7
I will not permit 8 evil.
101:5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.
I will not tolerate anyone who has a cocky demeanor and an arrogant attitude. 9
1 sn Psalm 101. The psalmist, who appears to be a king, promises to promote justice in his land and vows to rid his royal court of evildoers.
2 tn Heb “take notice of.”
3 tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”
4 tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”
5 tn Heb “the doing of swerving [deeds] I hate.” The Hebrew term סֵטִים (setim) is probably an alternate spelling of שֵׂטִים (setim), which appears in many medieval Hebrew
6 tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”
7 tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6).
8 tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.
9 tn Heb “[one who has] pride of eyes and wideness [i.e., arrogance] of heart, him I will not endure.”