Amplified Bible
Psalms 139:11
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, And the night will be the only light around me,”
Psalms 139:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
- New International Version (NIV)If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
- English Standard Version (ESV)If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,"
- New King James Version (NKJV)If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me;
Context of Psalms 139:11
9If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will take hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, And the night will be the only light around me,” 12Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You, But the night shines as bright as the day; Darkness and light are alike to You. 13For You formed my innermost parts; You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb.
Read all of Psalms 139Psalms 139:11 word by word
וָ֭אֹמַר אַךְ־חֹ֣שֶׁךְ יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה א֣וֹר בַּעֲדֵֽנִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 139:11
- Psalms 10:11He says to himself, “God has [quite] forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see my deed.”
- Psalms 94:7Yet they say, “The Lord does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob (Israel) notice it.”
- Job 22:12“Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the distant stars, how high they are!
- Isaiah 29:15Woe (judgment is coming) to those who [try to] deeply hide their plans from the Lord, Whose deeds are done in a dark place, And who say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
- Jeremiah 23:24“Can anyone hide himself in secret places So that I cannot see him?” says the Lord. “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.
- Job 12:22He uncovers mysteries [that are difficult to grasp and understand] out of the darkness And brings black gloom and the shadow of death into light.
Commentaries on Psalms 139:11
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me - If I seek to find refuge in the darkness of the night so that God would not see me. The word rendered “cover” - שׁוף shûph - means properly to snap, to gape after; then, to lie in wait for; and then, to attack, or fall upon anyone, unexpectedly. It is rendered “bruise” (twice) in Genesis 3:15, “He shall “bruise” thy head, and thou shalt “bruise” his heel;” “breaketh” in Job 9:17, “He “breaketh” me with a…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-16Verses 7-16 We cannot see God, but he can see us. The psalmist did not desire to go from the Lord. Whither can I go? In the most distant corners of the world, in heaven, or in hell, I cannot go out of thy reach. No veil can hide us from God; not the thickest darkness. No disguise can save any person or action from being seen in the true light by him. Secret haunts of sin are as open before God as the most open villanies. On the other hand, the believer…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-12The psalmist shows wonder at God being everywhere at all times.Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 11I said, “Darkness will darken me” If I said, “I will be hidden in the darkness, and the darkness will envelop me so that You will not see me.” יְשׁוּפֵנִי is an expression of נֶשֶׁף, evening.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 139:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 139
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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