Psalm 26:10

In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

26:9 David, in this psalm, appeals to God touching his integrity. - David here, by the Spirit of prophecy, speaks of himself as a type of Christ, of whom what he here says of his spotless innocence was fully and eminently true, and of Christ only, and to Him we may apply it. We are complete in him. The man that walks in his integrity, yet trusting wholly in the grace of God, is in a state of acceptance, according to the covenant of which Jesus was the Mediator, in virtue of his spotless obedience even unto death. This man desires to have his inmost soul searched and proved by the Lord. He is aware of the deceitfulness of his own heart; he desires to detect and mortify every sin; and he longs to be satisfied of his being a true believer, and to practise the holy commands of God. Great care to avoid bad company, is both a good evidence of our integrity, and a good means to keep us in it. Hypocrites and dissemblers may be found attending on God's ordinances; but it is a good sign of sincerity, if we attend upon them, as the psalmist here tells us he did, in the exercise of repentance and conscientious obedience. He feels his ground firm under him; and, as he delights in blessing the Lord with his congregations on earth, he trusts that shortly he shall join the great assembly in heaven, in singing praises to God and to the Lamb for evermore.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In whose hands is mischief - The word here rendered "mischief," means properly "purpose, counsel, plan;" then, an evil purpose, "mischief, wickedness, crime." The idea is, either that they intended to do mischief, and that they employed their hands to accomplish it, or that the fruit or result of their wicked plans was in their hands; that is, they had in their possession what they had secured by robbery, or plunder, or dishonesty.

And their right hand is full of bribes - Margin: "filled with." The word here rendered "bribes" means properly "a gift," or "present;" and then, a gift offered to a judge to procure an unjust sentence, 2 Kings 16:8; Proverbs 6:35; Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 10:17. The general meaning is that he did not desire to be associated either with men who openly committed crime, or with those who could be corrupted in the administration of justice.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10. Their whole conduct is that of violence and fraud.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

In whose hands is mischief; who not only imagine mischief in their hearts, but persist in it, and execute it with their hands.

Their right hand; which should be stretched out to execute justice, and punish offenders.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

In whose hands is mischief,.... Every abominable wickedness; as idolatry, adultery, murder, &c. the word signifies and is sometimes used for mischief conceived in the mind, artificially devised and contrived there; here mischief committed, the hand being the instrument of action, and intends whatever is prejudicial to the person, character, and properties of men;

and their right hand is full of bribes; whereby the eyes of judges are blinded, the words of the righteous perverted, men's persons respected, and judgment wrested, Deuteronomy 16:19.

Geneva Study Bible

In whose hands is {g} mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.

(g) Whose cruel hands execute the malicious devises of their hearts.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - In whose hands is mischief; i.e. who are always occupied with some mischief or other - always engaged in carrying out wicked devices (see Proverbs 12:2; Proverbs 14:17). And their right hand is full of bribes. Which they have taken to condemn the innocent (comp. Psalm 15:5; Isaiah 1:23; Jeremiah 22:17, Ezekiel 22:12; Hosea 4:10; Micah 3:11, etc.). Psalm 26:10

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

It is now, for the first time, that the petition compressed into the one word שׁפטני (Psalm 26:1) is divided out. He prays (as in Psalm 28:3), that God may not connect him in one common lot with those whose fellowship of sentiment and conduct he has always shunned. אנשׁי דּמים, as in Psalm 5:7, cf. ἄνθρωποι αἱμάτων, Sir. 31:25. Elsewhere זמּה signifies purpose, and more particularly in a bad sense; but in this passage it means infamy, and not unnatural unchastity, to which בּידיהם is inappropriate, but scum of whatever is vicious in general: they are full of cunning and roguery, and their right hand, which ought to uphold the right - David has the lords of his people in his eye - is filled (מלאה, not מלאה) with accursed (Deuteronomy 27:25) bribery to the condemnation of the innocent. He, on the contrary, now, as he always has done, walks in his uprightness, so that now he can with all the more joyful conscience intreat God to interpose judicially in his behalf.