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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 101

Psalm 101: a vow to walk with a perfect heart and clear the wicked from the house and city

General context

The speaker vows to sing of mercy and judgment to the Lord. He will behave wisely in a perfect way, asks O when wilt thou come unto me, and will walk within his house with a perfect heart. He will set no wicked thing before his eyes, hates the work of those who turn aside, and says it shall not cleave to him; a froward heart shall depart from him and he will not know a wicked person. Whoever privily slanders his neighbour he will cut off, and he will not suffer a high look and a proud heart. His eyes will be on the faithful of the land so that they may dwell with him, and the one who walks in a perfect way shall serve him. A worker of deceit shall not dwell in his house and a teller of lies shall not tarry in his sight. He will early destroy all the wicked of the land, to cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.

Cited passages: Psalms 101:1, Psalms 101:2, Psalms 101:3, Psalms 101:4, Psalms 101:5, Psalms 101:6, Psalms 101:7, Psalms 101:8

Psalms 101 (KJV)

1I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.

2I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

3I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

4A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

5Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.

6Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

7He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.

8I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

This source prints no superscription; the psalm is eight verses and begins with I will sing of mercy and judgment. The speaker is a single I who is not named in the text. His reach is described in widening terms, my house, the faithful of the land, the wicked of the land and the city of the Lord, and he speaks of people who serve me and dwell with me and of cutting off and destroying; the text does not name his office, though these are the words of someone with power over a house and a city. The only question is O when wilt thou come unto me, addressed to the Lord, and it is not answered. The wrongs named are slander, a high look and a proud heart, deceit and lies. No enemy, event or place other than the city of the Lord is named. There is no Selah.

Cited passages: Psalms 101:2, Psalms 101:6, Psalms 101:8, Psalms 101:5, Psalms 101:7

Literary context

The psalm is a list of I will statements, and nearly every verse sets an acceptance against a refusal. Perfect is used three times, a perfect way, a perfect heart, and again a perfect way in verse 6, the last time for others rather than the speaker. The refusals are bodily and spatial: nothing wicked before mine eyes, a froward heart departing, no liar in my sight, no deceiver within my house. After the opening vow to sing, verse 6 is the one wholly positive verse, and the speaker's eyes, which refuse wicked things in verse 3, are turned in verse 6 toward the faithful. The poem starts with singing and ends with destroying, and the two nouns of the first line, mercy and judgment, are not paired again; the rest of the psalm is judgment.

Cited passages: Psalms 101:2, Psalms 101:6, Psalms 101:3, Psalms 101:4, Psalms 101:7, Psalms 101:8, Psalms 101:1

Key moments

  1. Mercy and judgment (Psalms 101:1). The speaker vows to sing of both to the Lord.
  2. When wilt thou come? (Psalms 101:2). The speaker asks when the Lord will come and vows a perfect heart at home.
  3. No wicked thing before mine eyes (Psalms 101:3). The speaker refuses to look at wickedness or let it cleave to him.
  4. Slanderers cut off (Psalms 101:5). Secret slander and a proud heart will not be suffered.
  5. Eyes on the faithful (Psalms 101:6). The faithful of the land are to dwell with the speaker and serve him.
  6. The city of the Lord (Psalms 101:8). The speaker vows to cut off all wicked doers from the city.

For reflection

The speaker vows to sing of mercy and judgment, and every line after that is about judgment. Where, if anywhere, does mercy show in a psalm about cutting off slanderers and liars?

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