Lift up your hands in the sanctuary - Margin, In holiness. The Hebrew word properly means holiness, but it may be applied to a holy place. See Psalm 20:2. The lifting up of the hands is properly expressive of prayer, but the phrase may be used to denote praise or worship in general.
And bless the Lord - In the night-watches - while all around is still, - let there be one place where the voice of praise shall ascend on high.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary - קדש kodesh, "in holiness:" or, as the Syriac, lekoudishe, "to holiness;" in sancta, Vulgate; and εις τα ἁγια, Septuagint; "in holy things; or, as the Aethiopic, in the house of the sanctuary." The expression seems very similar to that of St. Paul, 1-Timothy 2:8 : "Lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."
Bless the Lord - That is, speak good of his name: tell the wonders he has wrought, and show that his name is exalted.

Lift up your (b) hands [in] the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
(b) For their charge was not only to keep the temple, but to pray there and to give God thanks.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,.... Which Aben Ezra interprets of the priests lifting up their hands to bless the people; but Kimchi, better, of lifting up of the hands to God in prayer; see Psalm 141:2; which should be done "with holiness", as the Targum renders it, in a holy manner; and is the same with lifting up holy hands, 1-Timothy 2:8; or towards the holy place; the oracle in the holy of holies, and the ark of the covenant, typical of Christ; see 1-Kings 8:29, Psalm 28:2; so Kimchi; or rather, according to Arama, unto the holy name of God, to whom prayer is to be directed;
and bless the Lord; which is repeated, to show the importance of the work, that it might not be forgotten and neglected; this being a principal part of spiritual service, and greatly acceptable to God.

1-2. The pilgrim bands arriving at the sanctuary call on the priests, who (Psalm 134:1-3)
Lift up your hands--(Compare Psalm 28:2).