1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You knowa Lit my sittingwhen I sit down andb Lit my risingwhen I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar. 3 Youc Lit winnowscrutinize myd Or journeyingpath and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 e Lit For there is notEven before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it. | |
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed inf I.e. the nether worldSheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness willg Lit bruise; some commentators read coveroverwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,” 12 Even the darkness is not darkh Lit fromto You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You. | |
13 For You formed myi Lit kidneysinward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, forj Some ancient versions read You are fearfully wonderfulI am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well. 15 Myk Lit bones wereframe was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them. | |
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You. | |
19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. 20 For they speakl Or ofagainst You wickedly,
And Your enemiesm Some mss read lift themselves up against Youtake Your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies. | |
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be anyn Lit way of painhurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way. | |
139 This psalm is, by many of the Jewish doctors, esteemed the most excellent in the whole book. The omniscience of God is here asserted, Psa 139:1-6. Proved by two arguments; That he is every where present, Psa 139:7-12. And that he made us, Psa 139:13-16. This may fill us with pleasing admiration of God, Psa 139:17-18. With an holy hatred of sin, Psa 139:19-22. And with an holy satisfaction in our own integrity, Psa 139:23-24. To the chief musician, A psalm of David.
139:2 Afar off - Thou knowest what my thoughts will be in such and such circumstances, long before I know it, yea from all eternity.
139:3 Compassest - Thou discernest every step I take. It is a metaphor from soldiers besieging their enemies, and setting watches round about them.
139:5 Beset me - With thy all - seeing providence. And laid - Thou keepest me, as it were with a strong hand, in thy sight and under thy power.
139:6 I cannot - Apprehend in what manner thou dost so presently know all things.
139:8 Hell - If I could hide myself in the lowest parts of the earth.
139:9 The wings - If I should flee from east to west: for the sea being the western border of Canaan, is often put for the west in scripture.And wings are poetically ascribed to the morning here, as they are elsewhere to the sun, and to the winds.
139:16 Imperfect - When I was first conceived. Book - In thy counsel and providence, by which thou didst contrive and effect this great work, according to that model which thou hadst appointed.
139:17 Thoughts - Thy counsels on my behalf. Thou didst not only form me at first, but ever since my conception and birth, thy thoughts have been employed for me.
139:18 Them - Thy wonderful counsels and works on my behalf come constantly into my mind.
139:22 Perfect hatred - See the difference between the Jewish and the Christian spirit!