“In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.”
The psalmist describes the wicked in terms of moral and financial corruption, suggesting those whose hands grasp bribes and pursue schemes. The phrase "whose right hand is full of bribes" invokes legal contexts where corruption undermines justice and perverts courts. In ancient contexts, the right hand symbolized power, so a hand full of bribes becomes a metaphor for abusing authority to accumulate wealth through injustice. The psalmist's refusal reflects commitment to covenant justice and God's legal order. This verse complements earlier denunciation by specifying the wicked's transgressions in concrete terms.
Church Fathers on Psalms 26:10
Of David himself. 1. It may be attributed to David himself, not the Mediator, the Man Christ Jesus, but the whole Church now perfectly established in Christ. 2. “Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my innocence” Psalm 25:1. Judge me, O Lord, for, after the mercy which You first showed me, I have some desert of my innocence, the way whereof I have kept. “And trusting in the Lord I shall not be moved.” And yet not even so trusting in myself, but in the Lord, I shall abide…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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