Seventh-day Adventist Bible CommentaryPsalms 139

Francis D. Nichol (ed.) and contributors

Psalms 139:1

Ellen G. White

1-12 (Revelation 20:12, 15). Where You Are, God Is—We are never alone. We have a Companion, whether we choose Him or not. Remember, young men and young women, that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, God is there. To your every word and action you have a witness,—the holy, sin-hating God. Nothing that is said or done or thought can escape His infinite eye. Your words may not be heard by human ears, but they are heard by the Ruler of the universe. He reads the inward anger of the soul when the will is crossed. He hears the expression of profanity. In the deepest darkness and solitude He is there. No one can deceive God; none can escape from their accountability to Him.

[Psalm 139:1-12 quoted.]

[Psalm 139:1-5, 11, 12 quoted.]

Psalms 139:4

Not a word. The Hebrew of this clause may be understood as implying that before the thought has been formed into words, the Lord knows it. Everything is open and transparent before God.

Psalms 139:5

Beset me. The Lord encircles us on every side, to that there is no possibility of escaping from His presence.

Psalms 139:6

Too wonderful. God’s knowledge is beyond the grasp of the finite mind.

Psalms 139:7

From thy spirit. The psalmist does not imply in his question that he desires to escape from the Spirit of God, but rather that there is no place in the vast universe where the Spirit’s presence is not felt.

Psalms 139:8

Heaven. Compare Amos 9:2. Hell. Heb. she’ol (see on Prov. 15:11).

Ellen G. White

8. No Solitude Without God—The psalmist represents the presence of the Infinite One as pervading the universe. “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” [Psalm 139:8.] We can never find a solitude where God is not. The ever watchful eye of Omniscience is upon all our works, and although He can marshal the armies of heaven to do His will, He condescends to accept the services of frail, erring mortals (The Signs of the Times, July 14, 1881).

Psalms 139:9

Wings of the morning. Compare Ps. 18:10; Mal. 4:2). The dawn swiftly spreading over the sky is represented as having wings.

Psalms 139:10

Hold me. God’s powerful “right hand” accompanies His children in all their journeyings. The missionary in his faraway, lonely station may claim the comfort of this promise.

Psalms 139:11

Shall be light. It is impossible to hide from God in the darkness. Those who think they can carry on their nefarious work at night without the all-seeing eye of God beholding them are mistaken. Night may conceal from men, but not from God.

Psalms 139:13

Hast possessed. Heb. qanah, here thought to mean “create,” as probably also in Gen. 14:19, 22; Ex. 15:16; Deut. 32:6. Reins. Literally, “kidneys,” here probably used for the internal organs in general. Hast covered. Heb. sakak, which according to some authorities means “to knit together,” “to weave,” “to plait”; according to others, “to keep hidden.”

Psalms 139:14

Wonderfully made. There is considerable uncertainty as to the exact translation of this verse. The LXX reads, “I will give thee thanks; for thou art fearfully wondrous.” The other ancient versions support this reading. The Hebrew tends to support the translation of the KJV. According to this, the psalmist is extolling the wonders of the human frame (see Ed 201; 6T 375, 376). The great advance in medical knowledge since this was written has revealed hitherto unknown marvels in the human mechanism.

Psalms 139:15

In secret. Like a great artist who does not exhibit his picture till it is complete, God does not lift the veil of human existence till the new life is perfect in symmetry and beautiful in form.

Curiously wrought. Literally, “woven.” Lowest parts of the earth. A figurative allusion to the womb.

Psalms 139:16

Were written. As an architect draws out his plan and prepares his specifications for a new dwelling, so God plans what each individual will be, even before that soul is born into the world. It is for the individual to decide whether he will follow the divine blueprint or not.

Psalms 139:19

Depart from me. A sudden transition. The psalmist turns his attention to the presence of evil in the world. To him sin was closely bound up with the sinner, so that his prayer for wickedness to cease was framed in words denunciatory of the sinner.

Psalms 139:21

Am I not grieved? Literally, “do I not loathe?” (see on Ps. 119:158).

Psalms 139:22

Perfect hatred. A reflection of a deep sense of righteous indignation against evil. Those who love God should be as wholehearted in their hatred of wickedness as they are in their love of goodness and truth.

Psalms 139:23

Know my thoughts. Again the heart is laid open before the eye of a merciful God (see v. 1).

Psalms 139:24

Lead me. Only God, who knows our inmost thoughts, can lead us safely. We all need an infallible Guide.