Psalm 139

Psalm 139 belongs to Book Five of the Psalms (Psalms 107–150) and is one of a collection of psalms of David (Psalms 138–145) that begins with Psalm 138. Its superscription reads, "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David" (the chief musician being the director who led the songs of worship). Whereas Psalm 138 is David's hymn of thanksgiving, Psalm 139 continues with a confession that God knows the psalmist through and through.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 The LORD searches and knows the psalmist's sitting down and rising up, his thoughts, his ways, and even the words on his tongue. The psalmist confesses that such knowledge is too high for him to attain.
• Verses 7–12 Whether he ascends into heaven, makes his bed in hell (Sheol, the realm of the dead), or dwells in the uttermost parts of the sea, God is there. Even darkness is as light before Him.
• Verses 13–18 God formed the psalmist in his mother's womb, and he is "fearfully and wonderfully made" (a work so wondrous that it is beyond comprehension). God's eyes saw his substance while it was yet unformed, and his appointed days were written in God's book. God's thoughts are more in number than the sand.
• Verses 19–22 The psalmist asks God to slay the wicked and the bloodthirsty, and declares that he himself hates those who hate God.
• Verses 23–24 He prays that God would search and try him, see whether there is any wicked way in him, and lead him in the way everlasting.

Key Verses

• Psalm 139:7 "Whither shall I go from thy spirit?" — the central verse of the psalm's confession that God is present everywhere.
• Psalm 139:16 "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect" — frequently cited in discussions of life before birth and of God's providence.
• Psalm 139:23–24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart" — widely used as a prayer of self-examination and repentance.

People and Places

• David: named in the superscription as the author of the psalm.
• No specific places are mentioned. Heaven, Sheol, and the uttermost parts of the sea are poetic expressions showing that there is nowhere in the world to hide from God.

Points for Reflection

• Christian theology reads verses 1–12 as a basis for the doctrines that God knows all things (omniscience) and is present everywhere (omnipresence). The phrase "thy spirit" in verse 7 is rendered "your Spirit" in the New Korean Revised Version, and Christian interpretation commonly connects it with the Holy Spirit.
• The "book" of verse 16 is cited in discussions of predestination and free will. Reformed interpreters tend to emphasize God's decree, while those in the Wesleyan tradition tend to emphasize God's foreknowledge.
• Verses 13–16 are often cited in discussions of abortion and the church as a text supporting the value of unborn life. Others, however, regard these expressions as poetic confession and caution against reading them as medical description.
• Verses 19–22 contain an imprecation against enemies, and their relationship to the teaching of love for enemies (Matthew 5:44) is frequently discussed. They are often read as zeal for God's name rather than personal resentment, or interpreted as a prayer that leaves judgment to God.
• The psalmist's wonder at God's knowledge and thoughts in verses 6 and 17 is read alongside the doxology of Romans 11:33–36.

In the Korean Church

The Korean Revised Version's term sinmyomakcheuk ("wondrous and unfathomable," verse 14) remains a widely known expression in the church, even though the New Korean Revised Version replaced it with a phrase meaning "exceedingly wonderful." Verses 23–24 are frequently quoted in sermons and prayer meetings as a prayer of repentance and self-examination.