I desire therefore that the men in every place pray, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting.
And this was an emblem of the elevation of the heart in prayer to God, without which the former would be of little avail. It is an observation of the Jews g, we have found prayer without lifting up of hands, but we never found lifting up of hands without prayer. And these hands must be holy and pure; there must be purity of heart, and cleanness of hands, or a freedom from any governing sin, which renders prayer unacceptable unto God; see Isaiah 1:15. The apostle alludes to a custom of the Jews, who always used to wash their hands before prayer;