OET interlinear PSA 73:13

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / exclamations

אַךְ

surely

Here, the author uses the word Surely to emphasize his strong thoughts and feelings about the certainty of what he states in the remainder of this verse. Use a natural form in your language for expressing this emphasis. (In 73:1 the author said that “God is good..to those with a pure heart” and later in this chapter the author says he was mistaken to think and the way he did in this verse so the word Surely does not mean that what follows the word Surely in this verse is true. In 73:2-14 the author is expressing his experience and thoughts during a particular period of time. In 73:1 and 73:17-28 the author gives his final conclusion.) Alternate translation: “Certainly”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

זִכִּ֣יתִי לְבָבִ֑⁠י

kept_~_pure heart,my

The author is describing his thoughts and intentions by association with his heart, which Jews viewed as the center of a person’s thoughts and intentions. The expression I have kept my heart clean means he has intentionally kept his thoughts and intentions morally pure (free from sin). If your readers would not understand this, you could use plain language or an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “I have kept my thoughts pure”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וָ⁠אֶרְחַ֖ץ בְּ⁠נִקָּי֣וֹן כַּפָּֽ⁠י

and,washed in/on/at/with,innocence hands,my

The author is describing his actions by association with his hands, which he would use to do the actions. The author is using the symbolic action of hand washing to declare his innocence. In that culture hand washing was a common practice that people did to publicly assert that they were innocent (See Deuteronomy 21:6 and Matthew 27:24). Here, the author is saying that he has washed his hands in innocence as a way to declare that he is guiltless. See how you translated the similar phrase in Psalm 26:6. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and kept my actions pure to show that I am innocent” or “and kept my actions free from sin”