The Meaning of Psalms 73:13 Explained

Psalms 73:13

KJV: Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

YLT: Only -- a vain thing! I have purified my heart, And I wash in innocency my hands,

Darby: Truly have I purified my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency:

ASV: Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart, And washed my hands in innocency;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Verily I have cleansed  my heart  [in] vain,  and washed  my hands  in innocency. 

What does Psalms 73:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalm 73:1-15 - Deceptive Prosperity
The opening psalms of this third Book of Psalms are by Asaph; see 2 Chronicles 29:30. The r.v. margin substitutes only for surely in Psalms 73:1. There is none good but God and God is only good. "His every act pure goodness is; His path unsullied light." Israel, as here intended, is not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. See John 1:47 and Romans 2:28-29.
We have in these verses a good man's temptation. In every age God's people have asked whether God can possibly know all that is taking place on the earth, and if He does know, why He allows evil to prosper. The dark spirit who is ever at our elbow whispers that we should have done as well, and better, if we had not been quite so scrupulous in our business dealings; and we are held back from giving expression to our thoughts only by the fear that we might cause God's weaker children to stumble. This reticence is, of course, wholly commendable. A Christian man confessed the other day that the irreligion of his children was due to his critical and captious speech. By all means keep these dark and faithless thoughts locked in your own breast; you have no right to scatter thistle-down. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 73

1  The prophet, prevailing in a temptation
2  Shows the occasion thereof, the prosperity of the wicked
13  The wound given thereby, diffidence
15  The victory over it, knowledge of God's purpose

What do the individual words in Psalms 73:13 mean?

Surely [in] vain I have cleansed my heart and washed in innocence my hands
אַךְ־ רִ֭יק זִכִּ֣יתִי לְבָבִ֑י וָאֶרְחַ֖ץ בְּנִקָּי֣וֹן כַּפָּֽי

אַךְ־  Surely 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַךְ  
Sense: indeed, surely (emphatic).
רִ֭יק  [in]  vain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רִיק  
Sense: emptiness, vanity, empty, idle, vain.
זִכִּ֣יתִי  I  have  cleansed 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: זָכָה  
Sense: to be clean, be pure, be clear.
לְבָבִ֑י  my  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
וָאֶרְחַ֖ץ  and  washed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: רָחַץ  
Sense: to wash, wash off, wash away, bathe.
בְּנִקָּי֣וֹן  in  innocence 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נִקָּיׄון 
Sense: innocency.
כַּפָּֽי  my  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc, first person common singular
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.