Psalms 139:16 Meaning and Explanation
“Thine 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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God saw and recorded the psalmist's form before it was fully developed.
The Context of Psalms 139:16
God's record contains the psalmist's complete form even before physical development began.
What Does Psalms 139:16 Mean?
'Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect' declares that God's vision penetrates beyond the incomplete development visible in the womb. While the human embryo is unperfected and still forming, God sees the complete substance. His sight is not limited to what is mature or finished; He sees the whole from the beginning. This affirms divine omniscience applied to future development and completion.
'In thy book all my members were written' introduces the metaphor of God's record book. Before any member (limb, organ, part of the body) physically existed, it was written—planned, recorded, known—in God's account. 'Which in continuance were fashioned' suggests that the physical development that followed was a manifestation of what was already known and written. The psalmist's development was not a discovery to God but an unfolding of what was already known.
Frequently Asked Questions About Psalms 139:16
What does Psalms 139:16 mean?
God saw and recorded the psalmist's form before it was fully developed.
What is the context of Psalms 139:16?
God's record contains the psalmist's complete form even before physical development began.