Psalm 139 is a psalm of David about God knowing him completely. It moves in four steps: God knows everything about me (verses 1-6), I can never go anywhere away from His presence (verses 7-12), He formed me in my mother's womb and I am "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14), and so I ask Him to search me (verses 19-24). It ends with one of the Bible's best-known prayers: "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts" (Psalm 139:23).
Most of us would find it frightening to be fully known by another person: every thought, every word before we say it, every place we have tried to hide. Psalm 139 begins there, and to David's surprise, being fully known by God turns out to be the safest thing in the world. The psalm is 24 verses long, and this page gives the whole of it in the King James Version, in twelve readings of two verses each, with a short note on what each part means. The psalm is often quoted in pieces: verses 13 and 14 at baby showers and in conversations about the worth of every life, verses 7 to 10 in times of loneliness, and verses 23 and 24 as a prayer of self-examination. Read as a whole, it is one prayer. The God who knows me, who is with me everywhere and who made me, is the one I can trust to search my heart and lead me home. Verse 14 has its own page of related verses: Bible verses about being fearfully and wonderfully made. For the theme of God's nearness, see Bible verses about God always being with us.
O LORD, thou hast searched me (Psalm 139:1-8)
1. Psalms 139:1-2
"O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off."
The psalm opens with a statement of fact, spoken to God: O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. David uses the language of a careful investigation. God has looked into everything. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising: the ordinary moments of the day, sitting down and getting up. Thou understandest my thought afar off: He knows our thoughts from a distance, before they are fully formed. The psalm begins not with what David knows about God, but with what God knows about David.
2. Psalms 139:3-4
"Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether."
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, that is, You measure or sift my road and my rest. God is acquainted with all my ways, as familiar with our habits as a close friend. Then the most searching line: there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. He knows our words before we say them. For anyone who has spoken in anger or regretted a careless remark, that is sobering. It is also a comfort for anyone who cannot find words to pray. He already knows.
3. Psalms 139:5-6
"Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it."
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Beset can mean hemmed in, surrounded on every side. That could feel like being trapped, but David means being protected, as a city is guarded on all sides. God's hand rests on him. David cannot take it all in: Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. There is a kind of knowledge of God that ends not in pride but in wonder. The more we understand, the more we realize how much we cannot.
4. Psalms 139:7-8
"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."
Now David asks two questions: Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? The answer is nowhere. If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Hell here translates sheol, the Hebrew word for the grave or the realm of the dead. From the highest height to the lowest depth, there is no place outside God's presence. Jonah tried to flee and found that out the hard way (Jonah 1:3). For the lonely, this is the best news there is.
The wings of the morning and my mother's womb (Psalm 139:9-16)
5. Psalms 139:9-10
"If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea. The wings of the morning picture the dawn spreading from east to west in a moment, and the uttermost parts of the sea, for Israel, were the far west, the end of the known world. Travel as fast and as far as you can. Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. David does not say God will find him there. He says God will already be there, leading and holding. Many travelers, soldiers and missionaries have carried these verses.
6. Psalms 139:11-12
"If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."
What about darkness? If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, as people hope when they want to hide. But the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. Darkness can hide us from other people, but not from God. That warns anyone tempted to sin in secret. It also comforts anyone living through a dark season of depression, grief or fear. The night is not dark to Him, and He sees us in it. See Bible verses about night.
7. Psalms 139:13-14
"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. Reins means the inward parts, the deepest self. Covered can mean woven together, knit. God was present and at work before David was born. That leads to praise: I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Fearfully means with awe-inspiring care, not with fear. Marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. This is not self-praise. It is praise of the Maker, from someone who knows he was made on purpose.
8. Psalms 139:15-16
"My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Curiously wrought means skillfully embroidered, like fine needlework, and the lowest parts of the earth is a poetic picture for the hidden place of the womb. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect, that is, unformed, as an embryo. In thy book all my members were written: God knew all of David's days before one of them came to be. A life is known and valued by God from its beginning.
Precious thoughts and a searched heart (Psalm 139:17-24)
9. Psalms 139:17-18
"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee."
After seeing how closely God knows him, David turns the thought around: How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! God does not only know us. He thinks about us, and His thoughts toward us are more than we could count: they are more in number than the sand. Then a lovely line: when I awake, I am still with thee. Some read it as waking from sleep to find God still near; others as waking at the end of counting, still lost in wonder. Either way, His presence is constant.
10. Psalms 139:19-20
"Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain."
Suddenly the psalm turns hard. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. Many readers skip these verses, but they belong to the prayer. David lived among violent men who spoke against God and took His name in vain. Having seen how God treasures every life He has formed, David is grieved by those who destroy life. He brings his anger to God instead of acting on it himself. The psalms give words even to our anger, so that we can hand it to the God who judges justly.
11. Psalms 139:21-22
"Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies."
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? David's hatred here is not a personal grudge but loyalty: he is on God's side. I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Christians read these lines in the light of Jesus, who told His followers to love your enemies (Matthew 5:44) and who prayed for those who crucified Him. The New Testament directs this kind of hatred toward evil itself, abhor that which is evil (Romans 12:9), while seeking the good of every person. David's next words show he knows he needs examining too.
12. Psalms 139:23-24
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
The psalm ends with the prayer that gives this page its title. Right after speaking about the wicked, David turns the spotlight on himself: Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. The word try means test, as metal is tested in a fire. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. The God who searched him in verse 1 is now invited to search him again, this time on purpose, and to lead him home. It is a prayer worth praying every day.
A short prayer
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up, my words before I speak them and my thoughts from far away. There is nowhere I can go from Your presence, and even the darkness is light to You. Thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the main message of Psalm 139?
The main message of Psalm 139 is that God knows us completely, is present with us everywhere and made us with care, and that this makes Him the one we can trust to search our hearts. It moves from God's knowledge (verses 1-6) to His presence (7-12), His work in creating us (13-18) and a prayer to be searched and led (19-24).
What does Psalm 139:23-24 mean?
Psalm 139:23-24 is a prayer asking God to examine our hearts and thoughts, show us any sin we cannot see, and guide us in the right path. "Search me, O God, and know my heart" (Psalm 139:23) invites the all-knowing God to do on purpose what He already does. The way everlasting means the path of life that leads to Him for ever.
What does fearfully and wonderfully made mean?
In Psalm 139:14, fearfully means in an awe-inspiring way, and wonderfully means set apart, distinct. David is praising God for the care and skill with which He formed him in the womb. The verse is a statement about God's work, not about our looks or abilities: every person is made by God with purpose. See Bible verses about being fearfully and wonderfully made.
Why does Psalm 139 talk about hating the wicked?
Verses 19-22 express David's grief and anger at violent men who spoke against God. They are honest prayer, handing the wish for justice over to God rather than taking revenge. Christians read them alongside Jesus' command to love enemies and Paul's call to "Abhor that which is evil" (Romans 12:9). David himself immediately turns to ask God to search his own heart.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Fearfully and wonderfully made · God always being with us · Loneliness · Identity in Christ · Guard your heart · Pregnancy · Psalm 27 meaning · Psalm 121 KJV
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