Psalm 139
1599 Geneva Bible
139 1 David cleanseth his heart from all hypocrisy, showeth that there is nothing so hid, which God seeth not. 13 Which he confirmeth by the creation of man. 14 After declaring his zeal and fear of God, he professeth to be enemy to all them that contemn God.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, thou hast tried me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my [a]sitting and my rising: thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou [b]compassest my paths, and my lying down, and art accustomed to all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my [c]tongue, but lo, thou knowest it wholly, O Lord.
5 Thou holdest me strait behind and before, and layest thine [d]hand upon me.
6 Thy knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is so high that I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy [e]Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I lie down in hell, thou art there.
9 Let me take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
10 Yet thither shall thine hand [f]lead me, and thy right hand hold me.
11 If I say, Yet the darkness shall hide me, even the night shall be [g]light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and light are both alike.
13 For thou hast [h]possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee, for I am [i]fearfully and wondrously made: marvelous are thy works, and my soul knoweth it well.
15 My bones are not hid from thee, though I was made in a secret place, and fashioned [j]beneath in the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see me, when I was without form: [k]for in thy book were all things written, which in continuance were fashioned, when there was none of them before.
17 How [l]dear therefore are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more than the sand: when I awake, [m]I am still with thee.
19 Oh that thou wouldest [slay], O God, the wicked and bloody men, to whom I say, Depart ye from me:
20 Which speak wickedly of thee, and being thine enemies are lifted up in vain.
21 Do not I [n]hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and do not I earnestly contend with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with an unfeigned hatred, as they were mine utter enemies.
23 Try me, O God, and know mine heart: prove me and know my thoughts,
24 And consider if there be any [o]way of wickedness in me, and lead me in the [p]way forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:2 He confesseth that neither our actions, thoughts, or any part of our life can be hid from God, though he seem to be far off.
- Psalm 139:3 So that they are evidently known to thee.
- Psalm 139:4 Thou knowest my meaning before I speak.
- Psalm 139:5 Thou so guidest me with thine hand, that I can turn no way, but where thou appointest me.
- Psalm 139:7 From thy power and knowledge?
- Psalm 139:10 Thy power doth so fast hold me, that I can escape by no means from thee.
- Psalm 139:11 Though darkness be an hindrance to man’s sight, yet it serveth thine eyes as well as the light.
- Psalm 139:13 Thou hast made me in all parts, and therefore must needs know me.
- Psalm 139:14 Considering thy wonderful work in forming me, I cannot but praise thee and fear thy mighty power.
- Psalm 139:15 That is, in my mother’s womb: which he compareth to the inward parts of the earth.
- Psalm 139:16 Seeing that thou didst know me before I was composed of either flesh or bone, much more now must thou know me when thou hast fashioned me.
- Psalm 139:17 How ought we to esteem the excellent declaration of thy wisdom in the creation of man?
- Psalm 139:18 I continually see new occasions to meditate in thy wisdom, and to praise thee.
- Psalm 139:21 He teacheth us boldly to contemn all the hatred of the wicked, and friendship of the world, when they would let us to serve God sincerely.
- Psalm 139:24 Or any heinous way or rebellious: meaning, that though he were subject to sin, yet he was not given to wickedness, and to provoke God by rebellion.
- Psalm 139:24 That is, continue thy favor towards me to the end.
Psalm 139
New King James Version
God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, (A)You have searched me and known me.
2 (B)You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You (C)understand my thought afar off.
3 (D)You [a]comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, (E)You know it altogether.
5 You have [b]hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 (F)Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 (G)Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 (H)If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
(I)If I make my bed in [c]hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall [d]fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, (J)the darkness [e]shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You [f]covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for [g]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 (K)My [h]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 (L)How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would (M)slay the wicked, O God!
(N)Depart from me, therefore, you [i]bloodthirsty men.
20 For they (O)speak against You wickedly;
[j]Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 (P)Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with [k]perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 (Q)Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And (R)lead me in the way everlasting.
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:3 Lit. winnow
- Psalm 139:5 enclosed
- Psalm 139:8 Or Sheol
- Psalm 139:11 Vg., Symmachus cover
- Psalm 139:12 Lit. is not dark
- Psalm 139:13 wove
- Psalm 139:14 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. You are fearfully wonderful
- Psalm 139:15 Lit. bones were
- Psalm 139:19 Lit. men of bloodshed
- Psalm 139:20 LXX, Vg. They take Your cities in vain
- Psalm 139:22 complete
Psalm 139
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 139[a]
God’s Infinite Knowledge and Universal Power
1 For the director.[b] A psalm of David.
[c]O Lord, you have examined me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I stand;[d]
you perceive my thoughts from a distance.
3 You mark when I go out and when I lie down;
all my ways are open to you.
4 A word is not even on my tongue
and you, O Lord, are completely aware of it.
5 You enfold me from in front and from behind,
and you place your hand upon me.[e]
6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension,
far too sublime for me to attain.
7 [f]Where can I go to hide from your spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to the heavens, you are there;
if I take my rest in the netherworld, you are also there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn[g]
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your right hand will hold me fast.
11 [h]If I say, “Surely the darkness will conceal me
and the day around me will turn to night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for to you darkness and light are the same.
13 [i]You created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am wonderfully made;
awesome are your works,
as I know very well.
15 My body was not hidden from you
when I was being made in secret.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
you saw me in the womb.[j]
16 [k]The sum total of my days
were all recorded in your book.[l]
My life was fashioned
before it had come into being.
17 How precious to me are your designs, O God!
How vast in number they are!
18 If I were to attempt to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,[m]
I am still with you.
19 [n]If only you would slay the wicked, O God,
and the bloodthirsty would leave me![o]
20 They blaspheme your name
and treacherously rise up against you.[p]
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord,
and loathe those who rise up against you?
22 My hatred for them is unlimited;
I regard them as my personal enemies.
23 Examine me, O God, and know my heart;[q]
test me and understand my thoughts.
24 See if I follow an evil way,
and guide me on the way to eternity.
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:1 This psalm is one of the pearls of the Psalter in its literary beauty and profound doctrine: the complete knowledge that God has about each person. The human heart is transparent to God’s look; he knows the most secret and most unknown movements of our souls. Feeling the hand of God on himself provoked sadness and anxiety in Job (see Job 23–24; Jer 15:6f), but in the psalmist, it instills serenity and abandonment. He no longer asks God to turn away his face but to lead him on the path of fidelity. The psalmist awakens to God; the one whom he thought he had to seek out is already there, present in him as his source of life, more present to him than he is to himself.
We can pray this psalm to remind ourselves of the complete knowledge that Jesus has of us (see Jn 10:14f). For he is our Creator and Savior (see Col 1:16f; Heb 1:1f), who restores the supernatural world and re-creates each of his disciples, making new creatures of them to his own image (see Eph 2:10; Col 3:11). - Psalm 139:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
- Psalm 139:1 God is all-seeing and all-knowing. His knowledge is not sterile but personal and active, discriminating in favor of those who are faithful to the Lord.
- Psalm 139:2 You know when I sit and when I stand: a Hebrew idiom that, when combined with the parallel “go out and lie down” (or “go out and come in”: see Isa 37:28), signifies: “in all that I do.”
- Psalm 139:5 Place your hand upon me: a gesture performed by the judge or the witness (see Job 9:33). It expresses God’s absolute mastery over human beings (see Ex 33:22; Rev 1:17).
- Psalm 139:7 God is all-present; he is everywhere to protect his children. He perceives all things in all places and there is no escaping him. The same images and teaching are found in Am 9:2f. See also Job 11:8; 23:8f; Prov 15:11; Isa 7:11; Jer 23:24; Jon 1:3.
- Psalm 139:9 Rise on the wings of the dawn: go to the most distant extremities of the east. Settle at the farthest limits of the sea: the uttermost bounds of the west.
- Psalm 139:11 There is only light with God, and his light brightens up the darkness. For to you darkness and light are the same: some consider this line to be a gloss.
- Psalm 139:13 God not only sees all and penetrates the inaccessible, but he is completely operative there, creating people and providing a purpose for all.
- Psalm 139:15 God knows all human beings intimately.
- Psalm 139:16 The text of these verses is obscure in several places.
- Psalm 139:16 [They] were all recorded in your book: an image familiar to the Prophets (see Neh 13:14; Dan 7:10; Mal 3:16) as well as the psalmists (see Pss 69:29; 109:13), which was reprised in the Dies Irae (the Sequence formerly used at Masses for the Dead): Liber scriptus proferetur, in quo totum continetur: “Lo, the book exactly worded, in which all has been recorded.” See note on Ps 56:9.
- Psalm 139:18 When I awake: in this context, these words may express a glimpse of the resurrection on the part of the psalmist, as in Ps 17:15 (see note there).
- Psalm 139:19 God is all-holy and opposes the wicked, whom he punishes for their wrongdoing. He leads the psalmist and the righteous in the way of God (the way to eternity: see Pss 1:6; 5:9; 73:18; 143:10; and note on 16:9-11) and not in the way of idolaters (the evil way: see Ps 16:4; Isa 48:5).
- Psalm 139:19 See notes on Pss 5:11; 35.
- Psalm 139:20 And . . . against you: the Hebrew is uncertain here.
- Psalm 139:23 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
