Psalms 139:5

Psalms 139:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
• New International Version (NIV)You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.

Context of Psalms 139:5

3You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And You are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4Even before there is a word on my tongue [still unspoken], Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And [You have] placed Your hand upon me. 6Such [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high [above me], I cannot reach it. 7Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

Psalms 139:5 word by word

אָח֣וֹר וָקֶ֣דֶם צַרְתָּ֑נִי וַתָּ֖שֶׁת עָלַ֣י כַּפֶּֽכָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thou hast besetצוּרtsûr · to confineH6696
• me behindאָחוֹר'âchôr 'âchôr · backH268
• and beforeקֶ֫דֶםqedem qêdmâh · front: oldH6924
• and laidשִׁיתshîyth · to set: putH7896
• thine handכַּףkaph · palmH3709

Cross-references for Psalms 139:5

• Deuteronomy 33:27The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’
• Job 23:8“Behold, I go forward (to the east), but He is not there; I go backward (to the west), but I cannot perceive Him;
• Exodus 24:11Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the Israelites; and they saw [the manifestation of the presence of] God, and ate and drank.
• Revelation 1:17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. And He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last [absolute Deity, the Son of God],

Commentaries on Psalms 139:5

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Thou hast beset me behind and before - The word rendered “beset” - צור tsûr - means properly to press; to press upon; to compress. It has reference commonly to the siege of a city, or to the pressing on of troops in war; and then it comes to mean to besiege, hem in, closely surround, so that there is no way of escape. This is the idea here - that God was on every side of him; that he could not escape in any direction. He was like a garrison besieged in a…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-6The Lord's all-knowing and all-powerful nature provides comfort to the godly, but it troubles the wicked (Psalm 2:3).Read the comment
• Rashi on Tanakh · v. 5From the rear and the front My face and my back.Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 139:5

• God Continued...
• Heart

In the dictionaries

• Attain
• Continuance
• Count
• Cover
• Curiously
• Fearfully
• Hold
• Sum
• Uprising
• Wonderfully

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