Psalms — Chapter 139

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1O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

18If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

19Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

20For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

21Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

22I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

1O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known [me].

2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off.

3Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways.

4For there is not a word in my tongue, But, lo, O Jehovah, thou knowest it altogether.

5Thou hast beset me behind and before, And laid thy hand upon me.

6[Such] knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there.

9If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.

11If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night;

12Even the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike [to thee].

13For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother`s womb.

14I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.

15My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, [And] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, [Even] the days that were ordained [for me], When as yet there was none of them.

17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

18If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: When I awake, I am still with thee.

19Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: Depart from me therefore, ye bloodthirsty men.

20For they speak against thee wickedly, And thine enemies take [thy name] in vain.

21Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

22I hate them with perfect hatred: They are become mine enemies.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts;

24And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 140 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1For the music director, a psalm of David. O Lord, you examine me and know me.

2You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives.

3You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do.

4Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.

5You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me.

6Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.

7Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence?

8If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.

9If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the other side of the sea,

10even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me.

11If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me,”

12even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, and the night is as bright as day; darkness and light are the same to you.

13Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother’s womb.

14I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. You knew me thoroughly;

15my bones were not hidden from you, when I was made in secret and sewed together in the depths of the earth.

16Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence.

17How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! How vast is their sum total.

18If I tried to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. Even if I finished counting them, I would still have to contend with you.

19If only you would kill the wicked, O God! Get away from me, you violent men!

20They rebel against you and act deceitfully; your enemies lie.

21O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you and despise those who oppose you?

22I absolutely hate them; they have become my enemies.

23Examine me, O God, and probe my thoughts. Test me, and know my concerns.

24See if there is any idolatrous way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

1Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me.

2You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.

3You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

4For there is not a word on my tongue, but, behold, Yahweh, you know it altogether.

5You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me.

6This knowledge is beyond me. It’s lofty. I can’t attain it.

7Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence?

8If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there!

9If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.

11If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; the light around me will be night”;

12even the darkness doesn’t hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.

13For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.

15My frame wasn’t hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth.

16Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them.

17How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is their sum!

18If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.

19If only you, God, would kill the wicked. Get away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20For they speak against you wickedly. Your enemies take your name in vain.

21Yahweh, don’t I hate those who hate you? Am I not grieved with those who rise up against you?

22I hate them with perfect hatred. They have become my enemies.

23Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts.

24See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Videos
Reflection

Summary

A psalm of God's omniscience and omnipresence — 'O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me'; God knows every thought, is present in heaven, Sheol, and the uttermost sea; 'I am fearfully and wonderfully made.' David invites God's searching.

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses. Key themes: worship, lament, praise, trust, kingship, creation, wisdom, Messianic prophecy, and the full range of human emotion brought before God.
Classification: Hymn of Praise / Wisdom Psalm Attributed Author: David (superscription: "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David") Key Themes: God's omniscience (all-knowing), omnipresence (everywhere), creation of human life in the womb, the inescapability of God, being fully known and fully loved, invitation for God to search the heart
Historical Context: Psalm 139 is one of the most theologically rich and personally intimate psalms in the Bible. It addresses three divine attributes — omniscience (vv.1-6), omnipresence (vv.7-12), and sovereign creative power (vv.13-18) — not as abstract theology but as intensely personal realities. David doesn't discuss God's knowledge generally; he says "Thou hast searched ME." This psalm has been called the most complete expression of the individual's relationship to God in the Old Testament. The imprecatory section (vv.19-22) has puzzled some, but it flows logically: the God who knows David so intimately also sees the wicked, and David aligns himself with God's purposes. The psalm then returns full circle to the opening theme: "Search ME" (v.23).
Structure:
  • God's Omniscience: He Knows Me Completely (vv.1-6)
  • God's Omnipresence: I Cannot Escape Him (vv.7-12)
  • God's Creative Power: He Made Me (vv.13-18)
  • Response: Against the Wicked (vv.19-22)
  • Invitation: Search My Heart (vv.23-24)

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Reflection

  • 1. You are fully known (vv.1-6). There is nothing hidden from God — not a thought, not a word, not a movement. This could be terrifying... or it could be the deepest comfort imaginable. The One who knows EVERYTHING about you still loves you.
  • 2. You cannot escape God (vv.7-12). Not in heaven, not in death, not in darkness, not at the ends of the earth. This means: wherever you are, God is there too. You are never truly alone. Never beyond His reach. Never lost to Him.
  • 3. You are God's masterwork (vv.13-16). You were not an accident. You were embroidered, fashioned, written about BEFORE you existed. Your value is not earned — it's designed.
  • 4. Welcome the search (vv.23-24). Don't hide from God's examination. INVITE it. "Search me" — let Him find what you can't see yourself. The goal is not condemnation but leading in "the way everlasting."
  • 5. Knowledge of God should produce praise (v.14, 17). The proper response to being known by God is not fear but PRAISE: "I will praise thee." And His thoughts toward you are uncountable (v.18): more than the sand. Every grain on every beach — and more.