Psalm 139:13

Translations

Modern

For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Traditional

For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

Literal

For You have possessed my kidneys; You covered me in the womb of my mother.

Latin

Quia tu possedisti renes meos; suscepisti me de utero matris meæ.

Original

Hebrew

English

For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Notes

Psalms 139:13

my inmost being: The delicate inner parts of the body include a person's very being.
Even when hidden in his mother’s womb, the psalmist was guided by the Lord.

Psalms 139:1–24

In this wisdom psalm, the psalmist opens every part of his life to God. He invites God to examine his thoughts, actions, and words. Even though life is difficult, he wants to grow in wisdom so that he does not share in the judgment of the wicked (Psalm 141:5; 142:3; 143:8, 10; 144:3–4).

The psalmist also knows that he cannot escape from the Lord. His stress fades as he remembers that God has cared for him with love, even before he was born (Psalm 139:13–18). He ends by asking God to keep examining him and to guide him on the path of wisdom (Psalm 139:23–24).

Psalms 138:1–145:21

In this final group of psalms of David, psalms of praise and wisdom (Psalms 138–139, 145) form a frame around five psalms of lament (Psalms 140–144).

Theme notes and profiles

David God’s Uniqueness The Cloud and Fire The Heart in the Psalms Wisdom Psalms

Related verses

Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Psalm 119:73
Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding to learn Your commandments.
Isaiah 44:2
This is the word of the LORD, your Maker, who formed you from the womb and who will help you: “Do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
Job 31:15
Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb?
Job 10:9–12
Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust?
Psalm 22:9–10
Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
Psalm 71:6
I have leaned on You since birth; You pulled me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always for You.
Isaiah 46:3
“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth.

Glossary

Foreknowledge Imprecatory Psalms Music Psalms, Book of Work

Topics

Babies Cosmetic Surgery Design Designer Babies Disabled People DNA God Made Us God: Creator of Man God: Knowledge of Human Cloning IVF Loving Yourself Mother's Day Mother's Love Mothers Newborn Baby Not Good Enough Plastic Surgery Pregnancy Self Confidence Self Esteem Self Respect Self Worth Sex Change Taking Care of Yourself The Fetus The Holy Spirit: is God: As Omnipresent The Womb Value Welcome a New Baby When Life Begins Who we Are Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139:13

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