Psalm 26:4

 Psalm 26:4

I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.

a. NLT: I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: I have not sat with men of falsehood; Neither will I go in with dissemblers.

 [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: I have not sat with vain men, And with dissemblers I enter not. [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Classic Amplified: I do not sit with false persons, nor fellowship with pretenders; [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/ Writings: I did not sit with dishonest people, nor did I associate with hypocrites. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

f. The Israel Bible: I do not consort with scoundrels, or mix with  hypocrites; [The English Translation was adapted by Israel 365 from the JPS Tanakh. Copyright Ⓒ 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. All rights reserved.]

g. Peshitta Eastern Text: I have not sat with evil persons; neither have i associated with detestable persons.  [HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT.Copyright  Ⓒ 1933 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1961 by A.J. Holmon Co.; Copyright  Ⓒ 1939 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1967  by A.J. Holmon Co.;  Copyright  Ⓒ 1940 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1968 by A.J. Holmon Co.; Copyright  Ⓒ 1957 by A.J. Holmon Co. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.]

h. NIV: I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

1. “I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.”

a. [I have] not [Strong: 3808 lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

b. sat [Strong: 3427 yashab yaw-shab' a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, X marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle), (down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry.]

c. with [Strong: 5973 `im eem from 6004; adverb or preposition, with (i.e. in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then usually unrepresented in English):--accompanying, against, and, as (X long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from (among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-)to, with(-al).]

d. vain [Strong: 7723 shav' shawv or shav {shav}; from the same as 7722 in the sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain):--false(-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.]

e. persons [Strong: 4962 math math from the same as 4970; properly, an adult (as of full length); by implication, a man (only in the plural):--+ few, X friends, men, persons, X small.]

f. neither [Strong: 3808 lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

g. [will I] go in [Strong: 935 bow' bo a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]

h. with [Strong: 5973 `im eem from 6004; adverb or preposition, with (i.e. in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then usually unrepresented in English):--accompanying, against, and, as (X long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from (among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-)to, with(-al).]

i. dissemblers [Strong: 5956 `alam aw-lam' a primitive root; to veil from sight, i.e. conceal (literally or figuratively):--X any ways, blind, dissembler, hide (self), secret (thing).]

1). I must include here the notes on Psalm 1. I can’t get away from the image of sitting in front of the TV or in the movie theater, of watching and hearing people mocking God, heaping scorn upon God and his people and these scorners and mockers getting paid by us through our purchasing the ticket. Compare what I just wrote with the following verses.

a). Psalm 26:4, 5 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 

26:5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

b). We must not sit with the scornful, the group of dissemblers, or the mockers. These are a congregation of evil doers. On television, the assault against Biblical values in American culture started in 1971 with shows like “All in the Family”. 

2). An attitude of mockery toward the things of God will be a characteristic of the last days. 

a). 2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

b). Jude 14-16 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 

15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 

16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

d). Murmurers and complainers are linked with ungodly sinners who walk after their own lusts, speak  violent, rough, offensive, intolerable words against Jesus.

3). Mockery and scorn similar to what Goliath heaped upon Israel.

a). 1 Samuel 17:4-10 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

17:5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

17:6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

17:7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

17:8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am  I not a Philistine, and ye servants of Saul? 17:9 Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

17:10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 

4). What must be noted here is the progression or in other words the descent.

a). Henry M Morris: “First the unwary soul would hearken to “the counsel of the ungodly”; then he or she would begin “to stand in the way of sinners”; and eventually he or she would be “sitting in the seat of the scornful”, offering mockery for God’s word.”

b). Henry M. Morris?? “Verses 1 & 2 can be made to focus around words: counsel, scorn, the law of the LORD. Whose words are we going to take, the words of the ungodly, the sinner, the scorner or God’s?  

5). It also must be noted that the “evil man” and the evil morally loose woman in Proverbs were both former believers.

a). Proverbs 2:12-19 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 

2:13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 

2:14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 

2:15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: 

2:16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

2:17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. 

2:18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. 

2:19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.