20:9

This verse uses a rhetorical question to emphasize that no one can truthfully claim to be morally pure. The parallel parts give the content of the rhetorical question. They are similar in meaning.

9a Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure ;

9b
I am cleansed from my sin ”?

20:9a

Who can say: This clause is a rhetorical question. The implied answer is “No one.” Some other ways to translate this question are:

• Use a slightly different rhetorical question. For example:

Can any of us really say, “…”? (Contemporary English Version)

• Use a rhetorical question and make the implied answer explicit. For example:

Who can say, “…”? No one, of course!

• Use a statement. For example:

No one can say, “…” (New Century Version)

I have kept my heart pure: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “I have purified/cleansed my heart.” It can refer to a past action or to a present condition. For example:

I have cleansed my heart (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
I am innocent (New Century Version)

This clause refers primarily to a person’s thoughts and motives. Some other ways to express this meaning are:

My thoughts are pure (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I have a clear conscience (Revised English Bible)

20:9b

I am cleansed from my sin: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “I am pure from my sin,” as in the New American Standard Bible. The verb “to be pure/clean” is used frequently in the Old Testament to refer to ritual cleanness. Here it refers primarily to a person who is morally pure and is not guilty of sinful deeds. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

I am purified of my sin (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
I am pure and free from sin (New Living Translation (2004))

General Comment on 20:9a–b

In addition to the options given in 20:9a, some other ways to translate the parallel parts are:

• Use a rhetorical question for each line. See the first meaning line in the Display.

• Use a rhetorical question for one line and a statement for the other line. For example:

Can anyone say, “I have a clean conscience”? No, no one can truthfully say, “I am not guilty of any sin.”

• Use an indirect quote in one or both lines. For example:

Can anyone really say that his conscience is clear, that he has gotten rid of his sin? (Good News Translation)

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