New Living Translation
Psalms 139:8
8If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
Psalms 139:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
- New International Version (NIV)If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
- English Standard Version (ESV)If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
- New King James Version (NKJV)If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
Context of Psalms 139:8
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! 7I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
Read all of Psalms 139Psalms 139:8 word by word
אִם־אֶסַּ֣ק שָׁ֭מַיִם שָׁ֣ם אָ֑תָּה וְאַצִּ֖יעָה שְּׁא֣וֹל הִנֶּֽךָּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 139:8
- Ezekiel 28:12“Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.
- Amos 9:2“Even if they dig down to the place of the dead, I will reach down and pull them up. Even if they climb up into the heavens, I will bring them down.
- Obadiah 1:4But even if you soar as high as eagles and build your nest among the stars, I will bring you crashing down,” says the Lord.
- Job 26:6The underworld is naked in God’s presence. The place of destruction is uncovered.
- Job 34:21“For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do.
- Proverbs 15:11Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the Lord. How much more does he know the human heart!
- Jonah 2:2He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!
Commentaries on Psalms 139:8
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8If I ascend up into heaven - The word “heaven” here, in the original is in the plural number - “heavens,” - and includes all that there is above the earth - the highest worlds. If I make my bed - Properly, “If I strew or spread my couch.” If I should seek that as the place where to lie down. In hell - Hebrew, “Sheol.” See the notes at Isaiah 14:9, where the word is fully explained. The word here refers to the under-world - the abodes of the dead; and, in…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. 8if I make my bed in Sheol: God has complete access to all he has created, even the most hidden or hard-to-reach places.Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 8and if I make my bed Heb. ואציעה, an expression of a spread (מצע) and a bed.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 139:8
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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