Psalms 24:4

4. Clean hands An emblem of innocence from overt sin, as a pure heart, in the next sentence, is of purity of thought, purpose, and intention.

See Job 17:9; Matthew 27:24; 1 Timothy 2:8.

Lifted up his soul unto vanity Offered prayer and sacrifice to idols.

Sworn deceitfully As in Psalms 15:4, where see note. But the text has a broader sense here. The Hebrews were commanded to swear only by “the God of truth,” (Isaiah 65:16; Deuteronomy 6:13;) which implied that they served him, and that their ultimate hope was in him. Hence, to swear by the true God while they served idols, or lived in violation of Jehovah’s laws, was the essence of false swearing. Jeremiah 5:1-2; Jeremiah 7:9; Jeremiah 12:16. “Swearing deceitfully,” is parallel to “lifting up the soul unto vanity,” in previous hemistich.