Psalm 139:23

Translations

Modern

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.

Traditional

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

Literal

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me, and know my thoughts.

Latin

Proba me, Deus, et scito cor meum; interroga me, et cognosce semitas meas.

Original

Hebrew

English

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.

Notes

Psalms 139:23–24

As the psalmist prays about the wicked, he also reflects on himself. He does not assume that he is righteous. This prayer has been spoken again and again by God’s people over many generations.

Psalms 139:19–24

The psalmist’s sense of awe leads him to consider the wicked and to reflect on himself. The Lord, as the examiner of all people, judges the wicked for their destructive acts and speech. So, the psalmist prays that he will not be among them.

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 The Cloud and Fire The Heart in the Psalms Wisdom Psalms

Related verses

Psalm 26:2
Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
Job 31:6
…let God weigh me with honest scales, that He may know my integrity.
1 Peter 1:7
…so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 17:3
A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
Deuteronomy 8:2
Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments.
Psalm 139:1
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
Zechariah 13:9
This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”
Jeremiah 11:20
O LORD of Hosts, who judges righteously, who examines the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
Malachi 3:2–3
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
Deuteronomy 8:16
He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.

People

LORD: Names or title used to refer to God

Glossary

Foreknowledge Imprecatory Psalms Music Psalms, Book of

Topics

God: Knowledge of Having a Bad Day Self Examination Self-Examination: General Scriptures Concerning Self-Examination: should be Engaged in with Prayer for Divine Searching Sin: we should Pray to God: To Search For, in Our Hearts

Psalm 139:23

Translations?

Original?

Notes?

Related verses?