Bible Strands
Psalms 24:4
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist answers the liturgical question of v.3 by stating the qualifications for ascending the hill of the LORD. This is a criterion, not a promise.
The words — שָּׁוְא (shav') literally means "emptiness" or "vanity"; the BSB renders it "idol," but the Hebrew word carries the sense of something hollow rather than a specific cultic object.
The thread — The pairing of clean hands and pure heart recurs in James 4:8 and Psalms 51:10, and the "pure in heart" language of Matthew 5:8 echoes the same standard for seeing God.
Why it lands — It reduces access to God's presence to three concrete refusals: no moral compromise, no divided loyalty, no elevation of the empty. It is a test of what a person does not do, not a list of achievements.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
Cross-references
- Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
- Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
- James 4:8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- Job 17:9 Yet a righteous one holds to his way, and the one with clean hands grows stronger.
- Psalms 73:1 A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
- 2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
- Psalms 26:6 I wash my hands in innocence that I may go about Your altar, O LORD,
- Isaiah 33:15 He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—
- 1 Timothy 2:8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or dissension.
- Psalms 143:8 Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.