Keraia
Psalm 139

Psalm 139:8

You Have Searched Me and Known Me · Psalm 139:1–24
Read Psalm 139

Translations

Modern
If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
Traditional
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Literal
If I ascend to the heavens, there You are; and if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You!
Latin
Si ascendero in cælum, tu illic es; si descendero in infernum, ades.

Original

Hebrew
English
If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.

Notes

Psalms 139:8

if I make my bed in Sheol: God has complete access to all he has created, even the most hidden or hard-to-reach places.

Psalms 139:7–12

The psalmist shows wonder at God being everywhere at all times.

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).

Glossary

Death Foreknowledge God, Being and Attributes of Imprecatory Psalms Music Place of the Dead Psalms, Book of Sheol

Topics

God: Knowledge of God: Onnipresent God: Presence of God: Ubiquitous Heart: Known to God Hell in the RV the Word |Sheol| Itself Occurs in the Following Scriptures The Holy Spirit: is God: As Omnipresent