Chapter 139
24 verses — switch translations with the toolbar below.
Scripture
KJV1O 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.
“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
Overview
David marvels at the all-knowing, ever-present God who has searched him and known him completely. God knows his thoughts, his words before he speaks them, and every step he takes. There is nowhere David can flee from God's presence — not in heaven, not in Sheol, not at the farthest sea. David reflects on being fearfully and wonderfully made in his mother's womb, with every day of his life written in God's book before one of them existed. He closes by inviting God to search his heart and lead him in the everlasting way.
Key Themes
The Omniscience of God
God knows everything about every person — every thought, word, and action — and this knowledge is not distant analysis but intimate, personal awareness.
The Omnipresence of God
There is no place in all creation where God is absent — His presence fills heaven, the grave, the darkness, and the depths of the sea.
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
God personally and deliberately formed every human being in the womb, giving each person inherent worth, purpose, and a life ordained by the Creator.
Study Questions
How should the knowledge that God knows our every thought (vv. 1-4) affect the way we live, and is this truth comforting or convicting?
David says God's knowledge is 'too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it' (v. 6). What does it mean to rest in a God who is beyond our full comprehension?
What does being 'fearfully and wonderfully made' (v. 14) mean for our self-understanding and for how we view every human life?
How does the statement that God's thoughts toward us are 'more in number than the sand' (v. 18) reshape our sense of worth and significance?
Why does David conclude by asking God to 'search me' and 'try me' (vv. 23-24)? What does this prayer reveal about the relationship between God's omniscience and personal holiness?
Connection to Christ
Christ is the one through whom God's intimate knowledge and presence become personal. In Jesus, the God who is everywhere became the God who is here — dwelling among us, knowing us by name, and dying for us while we were yet sinners. The 'everlasting way' David asks to be led in finds its ultimate expression in Jesus, who is Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Psalms 139. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?