Psalm 18:20
New International Version
The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

New Living Translation
The LORD rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence.

English Standard Version
The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

Berean Standard Bible
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

King James Bible
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

New King James Version
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

New American Standard Bible
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has repaid me.

NASB 1995
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

NASB 1977
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

Amplified Bible
The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity); According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; he repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; He repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

American Standard Version
Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

Contemporary English Version
You are good to me, LORD, because I do right, and you reward me because I am innocent.

English Revised Version
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD rewarded me because of my righteousness, because my hands are clean. He paid me back

Good News Translation
The LORD rewards me because I do what is right; he blesses me because I am innocent.

International Standard Version
The LORD will reward me because I am righteous; because my hands are clean he will restore me;

Majority Standard Bible
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

NET Bible
The LORD repaid me for my godly deeds; he rewarded my blameless behavior.

New Heart English Bible
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.

Webster's Bible Translation
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

World English Bible
Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
YHWH repays me "" According to my righteousness, "" According to the cleanness of my hands, "" He returns to me.

Young's Literal Translation
Jehovah doth recompense me According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He doth return to me.

Smith's Literal Translation
Jehovah will recompense me according to my justice, according to the cleanness of my hands he will turn back to me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the Lord will reward me according to my justice, and he will repay me according to the purity of my hands.

New American Bible
The LORD acknowledged my righteousness, rewarded my clean hands.

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH rewarded me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands he repaid me.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD is My Rock
19He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me. 20The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands. 21For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.…

Cross References
2 Samuel 22:21
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

Proverbs 11:31
If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

Job 22:30
He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”

1 Samuel 26:23
May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. For the LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I would not extend my hand against the LORD’s anointed.

1 Kings 8:32
then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

2 Chronicles 6:23
then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

Isaiah 3:10
Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor.

Ezekiel 18:24
But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die.

Ezekiel 18:26
If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has committed.

Ezekiel 33:13
If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteous works will be remembered; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.

Ezekiel 33:18
If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it.

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:12
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Matthew 5:20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.


Treasury of Scripture

The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.

rewarded

Psalm 58:11
So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

1 Samuel 24:17,20
And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil…

Proverbs 11:18
The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.

cleanness

Psalm 18:24
Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

Psalm 7:3
O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;

Psalm 24:4
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

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Psalm 18
1. David praises God for his manifold and marvelous blessings














The LORD
The term "LORD" in this context is derived from the Hebrew "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal, self-existent nature. This name is deeply rooted in the history of Israel, signifying God's unchanging faithfulness and His personal relationship with His people. In the conservative Christian perspective, Yahweh is seen as the ultimate authority and the source of all moral and spiritual guidance.

has rewarded me
The Hebrew word for "rewarded" is "gamal," which can mean to deal bountifully or to recompense. This suggests a divine response to human actions, where God, in His justice, acknowledges and blesses the righteous. The concept of divine reward is consistent with the biblical principle of sowing and reaping, where God honors those who live according to His statutes.

according to my righteousness
"Righteousness" in Hebrew is "tsedaqah," referring to a life lived in alignment with God's will and commands. It implies moral integrity and ethical conduct. In the conservative Christian view, righteousness is not self-derived but is a result of a relationship with God, empowered by His grace. This phrase underscores the biblical truth that God values and responds to the moral choices of His followers.

He has repaid me
The word "repaid" comes from the Hebrew "shuv," meaning to return or restore. This indicates a reciprocal action from God, where He restores or gives back in response to human faithfulness. It reflects the biblical theme of divine justice, where God ensures that good is ultimately rewarded.

according to the cleanness of my hands
"Cleanness" in Hebrew is "bor," which denotes purity or innocence. "Hands" symbolize actions or deeds. Together, this phrase highlights the importance of purity in one's actions and intentions. In the conservative Christian tradition, this purity is not just external but stems from a heart transformed by God's Spirit. It emphasizes the holistic nature of righteousness, encompassing both inner motives and outward actions.

(20-23) for this protestation of innocence comp. Psalms 7, 17 and Job, passim. Self-righteous pride and vindication of one's character under calumny are very different things. If taken of the nation at large, comp. Numbers 23:21. Here, also, the text in Samuel offers one or two trifling variations from ours.

Verse 20. - The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness. David has spoken of his "righteousness" already in Psalm 7:8. We must not suppose him to mean absolute blamelessness, any more than Job means such blamelessness by his "integrity" (Job 27:5; Job 31:6). He means honesty of purpose, the sincere endeavour to do right, such conduct as brings about "the answer of a good conscience before God" (1 Peter 3:21). According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me (comp. Job 27:9; Psalm 24:4). "Clean hands" are hands unstained by any wicked action.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has rewarded me
יִגְמְלֵ֣נִי (yiḡ·mə·lê·nî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 1580: To deal fully or adequately with, deal out to, wean, ripen

according to my righteousness;
כְּצִדְקִ֑י (kə·ṣiḏ·qî)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6664: The right, equity, prosperity

He has repaid me
יָשִׁ֥יב (yā·šîḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

according to the cleanness
כְּבֹ֥ר (kə·ḇōr)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1252: Cleanness, pureness

of my hands.
יָ֝דַ֗י (yā·ḏay)
Noun - fdc | first person common singular
Strong's 3027: A hand


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OT Poetry: Psalm 18:20 Yahweh has rewarded me according to my (Psalm Ps Psa.)
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