John Calvin Commentary Psalms 24:4

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And hath not sworn deceitfully." — Psalms 24:4 (ASV)

He who is clean of hands, and pure of heart. Under the purity of the hands and of the heart, and the reverence of God’s name, he encompasses all religion and signifies a well-ordered life. True purity, no doubt, has its seat in the heart, but it manifests its fruits in the works of the hands.

The Psalmist, therefore, very properly joins the purity of the whole life to a pure heart; for the person who boasts of having a sound heart acts foolishly if they do not show by their fruits that the root is good. On the other hand, it will not be enough to conform the hands, feet, and eyes to the rule of righteousness, unless purity of heart precedes outward continence.

If anyone should think it absurd that the first place is given to the hands, we answer without hesitation that effects are often named before their causes—not because they precede them in order, but because it is sometimes advantageous to begin with things that are best known. David, then, intended for the Jews to bring pure hands into the presence of God, along with a sincere heart.

To lift up, or to take his soul, I have no doubt here means to swear. Therefore, it is required of God's servants that when they swear, they do so with reverence and in good conscience; and this specific example, by synecdoche, signifies the duty of observing fidelity and integrity in all affairs of life.

That oaths are mentioned here is apparent from the words that immediately follow, And has not sworn deceitfully, which are added to explain what precedes it. However, as there is a twofold reading of the Hebrew word for soul (meaning, it may be read as my soul or his soul because of the vowel point hirek), some Jewish commentators read, Who has not lifted up my soul to vanity, understanding the word my as spoken by God—an interpretation I reject as harsh and strained.

This way of speaking carries great emphasis, for it means that those who swear offer their souls as pledges to God. Some, however, may prefer the opinion that to lift up the soul means to apply it to lying—an interpretation I do not strongly object to adopting, as it makes little difference to the meaning.

A question may be raised here: why does David not say anything about faith and calling upon God? The reason for this is easily explained.

Since it seldom happens that a person behaves uprightly and innocently toward others unless they are endowed with the true fear of God so as to walk carefully before Him, David very rightly assesses people's piety toward God by the nature of their conduct toward their fellow human beings.

For the same reason, Christ (Matthew 23:23) represents judgment, mercy, and faith as the principal points of the law; and Paul calls charity at one time the end of the law (1 Timothy 1:5) and at another the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14).