New English Translation
Psalms 139:9
9If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other side of the sea,
Psalms 139:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
- New International Version (NIV)If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
- English Standard Version (ESV)If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
- New King James Version (NKJV)If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Context of Psalms 139:9
7Where can I go to escape your spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence? 8If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other side of the sea, 10even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me. 11If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me,”
Read all of Psalms 139Psalms 139:9 word by word
אֶשָּׂ֥א כַנְפֵי־שָׁ֑חַר אֶ֝שְׁכְּנָ֗ה בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית יָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 139:9
- Psalms 18:10He mounted a winged angel and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
- Psalms 19:6It emerges from the distant horizon, and goes from one end of the sky to the other; nothing can escape its heat.
- Malachi 4:2But for you who respect my name, the sun of vindication will rise with healing wings, and you will skip about like calves released from the stall.
- Psalms 74:16You established the cycle of day and night; you put the moon and sun in place.
- Isaiah 24:14They lift their voices and shout joyfully; they praise the majesty of the Lord in the west.
Commentaries on Psalms 139:9
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9If I take the wings of the morning - literally, “I will take the wings of the morning.” That is, I will take this as a supposable case; I will imagine what would occur, should I be able to take to myself the wings of the morning, and endeavor to escape “by flight” from the presence of God, or go where he could not pursue me, or where he would not be. The “wings of the morning” evidently mean that by which the light of the morning “seems to fly” - the most…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. 9rise on the wings of the dawn: This poetic expression describes traveling eastward, as far as the sunrise, if that were possible. the farthest sea: This expression takes the traveler in the opposite direction, far to the west.Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 9[If] I take up the wings of dawn If I take up for myself the wings of dawn, which shine at once from one end of the world to the other, so will I fly swiftly until I dwell at the end of the sea.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 139:9
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries