Psalms 101:3-7

Context

101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest.¹

I hate doing evil;²

I will have no part of it.³

101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person;⁴

I will not permit⁵ 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.⁶

101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land,⁷

and allow them to live with me.⁸

Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me.⁹

101:7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace.¹⁰

Liars will not be welcome in my presence.¹¹

[101:3] ¹tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”

[101:3] ²tn 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 mss. The form appears to be derived from a verbal root שׂוּט (sut, “to fall away; to swerve”; see Ps 40:4).

[101:3] ³tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”

[101:4] ⁴tn 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).

[101:4] ⁵tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.

[101:5] ⁷tn Heb “[one who has] pride of eyes and wideness [i.e., arrogance] of heart, him I will not endure.”

[101:6] ¹⁰tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”

[101:6] ¹¹tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”

[101:6] ¹²tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”

[101:7] ¹³tn Heb “he will not live in the midst of my house, one who does deceit.”

[101:7] ¹⁴tn Heb “one who speaks lies will not be established before my eyes.”