You Have Searched Me

24 versesTrust and PrayerThe heading attributes it to David and addresses it to the Chief Musician

Psalm 139 summary: what it means

Psalm 139 is a prayer about being known completely. It begins with God searching the writer and knowing everything: when he sits and rises, his thoughts, his path, every word before he says it. The writer then asks where he could go from God's presence, and the answer is nowhere, not heaven, Sheol, the far sea or the dark. Even there God's hand would lead him.

The psalm then goes back to the womb, where God formed him, saw his body and wrote his days in a book. After a sudden outburst against the wicked, the writer ends by asking God to do what the psalm began with: search me, know my heart, see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Psalm 139: You Have Searched Me

World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-139

Psalm 139 commentary: explained verse by verse

LORD, you have searched me,and you know me.

The psalm starts with a finished fact: you have searched me, and you know me. It is not a request yet. The last verses will turn it into one.

Also read Revelation 2:18, Hebrews 4:13, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 1 Kings 8:39

You know my sitting down and my rising up.You perceive my thoughts from afar.

God knows when the writer sits down and rises up, and perceives his thoughts from afar. Ordinary daily movements are known. So is what goes on inside.

Also read Isaiah 37:28, Psalm 56:8, 2 Kings 6:12, Luke 9:47

You search out my path and my lying down,and are acquainted with all my ways.

God searches out his path and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. Going out and resting, waking and sleeping, are all covered.

Also read Proverbs 5:20-21, Isaiah 29:15, John 13:2, Psalm 121:3-8

For there is not a word on my tongue,but behold, LORD, you know it altogether.

Also read Job 42:6-8, James 1:26, James 3:2-10, Jeremiah 29:23

You hem me in behind and before.You laid your hand on me.

You hem me in behind and before, and you laid your hand on me. The writer pictures being surrounded on every side, with God's hand resting on him. After verses 1 to 4, where God knows every movement and every word, verse 6 says this knowledge is beyond him. The KJV reads thou hast beset me behind and before.

Also read Psalm 34:7, Job 9:33, Revelation 1:17, Exodus 24:11

This knowledge is beyond me.It’s lofty.I can’t attain it.

This knowledge is beyond me, lofty, too high to attain. The writer stops describing what God knows and admits he cannot grasp it. The verse closes the first section, verses 1 to 6, with wonder rather than explanation. The KJV reads: Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Also read Job 11:7-9, Job 42:3, Romans 11:33, Job 26:14

Where could I go from your Spirit?Or where could I flee from your presence?

Two questions: where could I go from your Spirit, and where could I flee from your presence. They sound like a wish to escape, but the verses that follow turn them into reassurance.

Also read Jonah 1:3, Acts 5:9, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Jonah 1:10

If I ascend up into heaven, you are there.If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there!

Also read Amos 9:2-4, Ezekiel 28:12-17, Job 26:6, Proverbs 15:11

If I take the wings of the dawn,and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea,

If the writer took the wings of the dawn and settled in the uttermost parts of the sea, it would make no difference. The dawn and the far sea mark the widest distances he can picture. Verse 10 says God's hand would be there too.

Also read Psalm 18:10, Malachi 4:2, Isaiah 24:14-16, Psalm 74:16-17

even there your hand will lead me,and your right hand will hold me.

Also read Isaiah 41:13, Psalm 63:8, Psalm 143:9-10, Psalm 23:3

If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me.The light around me will be night,”

The writer imagines one more hiding place: darkness that overwhelms him, with the light around him turned to night. It is the last of the places he pictures in verses 8 to 11. Verse 12 gives the answer straight away: even the darkness does not hide from God.

Also read Job 22:12-14, Jeremiah 23:24, Isaiah 29:15, Psalm 94:7

even the darkness doesn’t hide from you,but the night shines as the day.The darkness is like light to you.

Also read Job 34:22, Hebrews 4:13, Job 26:6, Exodus 14:20

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

God formed his inmost being and knit him together in his mother's womb. Knitting is patient, hands-on work. The verse places God's care at the very start of life.

Also read Jeremiah 1:5, Job 10:9-12, Job 31:15, Psalm 71:6

I will give thanks to you,for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Your works are wonderful.My soul knows that very well.

The writer gives thanks because he is fearfully and wonderfully made. He calls God's works wonderful and says his soul knows it very well. Praise here comes from looking at his own making.

Also read Psalm 92:4-5, Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 40:5, Psalm 104:24

My frame wasn’t hidden from you,when I was made in secret,woven together in the depths of the earth.

His frame was not hidden from God when he was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth. The hidden place of his forming was not hidden from God. The weaving picture echoes the knitting of verse 13.

Also read Psalm 63:9, Psalm 139:13, Job 10:8-11, Ecclesiastes 11:5

Your eyes saw my body.In your book they were all written,the days that were ordained for me,when as yet there were none of them.

God's eyes saw his body, and all the days ordained for him were written in God's book before one of them came. The verse links knowledge of the body with knowledge of a whole lifetime.

Also read Psalm 56:8, Revelation 20:12, Malachi 3:16

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!How vast is their sum!

How precious to me are your thoughts, God, and how vast is their sum. After many verses about God knowing him, the writer turns to God's thoughts themselves and finds them precious and too many to total. Verse 18 compares their number to the sand. The KJV reads: How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God.

Also read Proverbs 8:31, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 36:7, Ephesians 3:9-10

If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand.When I wake up, I am still with you.

God's thoughts are more in number than the sand, too many to count. When I wake up, I am still with you. The section on God's knowledge ends with a quiet picture of waking in his presence.

Also read Psalm 63:6-7, Psalm 3:5, Psalm 40:5, Isaiah 26:19

If only you, God, would kill the wicked.Get away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

The tone changes sharply. The writer wishes that God would kill the wicked and tells bloodthirsty men to get away from him. After the calm of verses 17 and 18 the change is abrupt, and verse 20 gives the reason: they speak against God and take his name in vain. The KJV reads surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God.

Also read Psalm 5:6, Matthew 25:41, Psalm 119:115, Matthew 7:23

For they speak against you wickedly.Your enemies take your name in vain.

Also read Jude 1:15, Psalm 74:18, Isaiah 37:23, Isaiah 37:28-29

LORD, don’t I hate those who hate you?Am I not grieved with those who rise up against you?

The writer asks two questions that expect the answer yes: don't I hate those who hate you, and am I not grieved with those who rise up against you. He places himself on God's side against God's enemies. Grief sits alongside the hatred in the same verse.

Also read Mark 3:5, Psalm 15:4, Psalm 119:158, Romans 9:1-3

I hate them with perfect hatred.They have become my enemies.

I hate them with perfect hatred. They have become my enemies. The writer takes God's enemies as his own and says so without softening. The very next verses ask God to search him and see if there is any wicked way in him, so the psalm does not end on this line. The KJV reads I count them mine enemies.

A prayer from Psalm 139

LORD, you have searched me, and you know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. Before a word is on my tongue, you know it. You hem me in behind and before, and lay your hand on me. There is nowhere I could go from your presence. Even the darkness does not hide me from you. You formed my inmost being and knit me together in my mother's womb. I give thanks, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Search me, God, and know my heart. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. Amen.

Psalm 139 Bible study questions

In verses 1 to 4, what does the writer say God knows about him, from his movements to his words?
In verses 7 to 12, what places does the writer imagine going, and what does he find in each one?
Verse 14 says I am fearfully and wonderfully made. How easy or hard is it for you to say that about yourself?
Verses 19 to 22 are full of anger, and verses 23 and 24 ask God to search the writer's own heart. What do you make of that order?
Psalm 26:2 asks the LORD to examine me and try my heart. How does that request compare with Psalm 139:23?

Questions about Psalm 139

What is Psalm 139 about?

It is a prayer about being fully known by God, from daily thoughts back to the womb, and about God being present everywhere. It ends with the writer asking God to search his heart and lead him.

Who wrote Psalm 139?

The heading attributes it to David and addresses it to the Chief Musician.

What does Psalm 139:13-14 mean?

Verse 13 says God formed the writer's inmost being and knit him together in his mother's womb. Verse 14 thanks God because he is fearfully and wonderfully made.

What does Psalm 139:23-24 mean?

The writer asks God to search his heart, try his thoughts, see if there is any wicked way in him, and lead him in the everlasting way. It turns the opening statement of verse 1 into a request.

What does Psalm 139:16 mean?

It says God's eyes saw the writer's body, and that all the days ordained for him were written in God's book before any of them came.

What does Psalm 139:18 mean?

It says God's thoughts are more in number than the sand, and that when the writer wakes up he is still with God.

Psalm 139 KJV: the King James Version

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.1

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.2

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.3

For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.4

Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.5

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.6

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?7

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.8

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;9

Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.10

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.11

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.12

For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.13

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.14

My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.15

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.16

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!17

If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.18

Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.19

For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.20

Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?21

I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.22

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:23

And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.24

Psalm 139 in Hebrew

The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.

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1 לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ לְדָוִ֣ד מִזְמ֑וֹר יְהוָ֥ה חֲ֝קַרְתַּ֗נִי וַתֵּדָֽע׃

2 אַתָּ֣ה יָ֭דַעְתָּ שִׁבְתִּ֣י וְקוּמִ֑י בַּ֥נְתָּה לְ֝רֵעִ֗י מֵרָחֽוֹק׃

3 אָרְחִ֣י וְרִבְעִ֣י זֵרִ֑יתָ וְֽכָל־דְּרָכַ֥י הִסְכַּֽנְתָּה׃

4 כִּ֤י אֵ֣ין מִ֭לָּה בִּלְשׁוֹנִ֑י הֵ֥ן יְ֝הוָ֗ה יָדַ֥עְתָּ כֻלָּֽהּ׃

5 אָח֣וֹר וָקֶ֣דֶם צַרְתָּ֑נִי וַתָּ֖שֶׁת עָלַ֣י כַּפֶּֽכָה׃

6 פלאיה דַ֣עַת מִמֶּ֑נִּי נִ֝שְׂגְּבָ֗ה לֹא־א֥וּכַֽל לָֽהּ׃

7 אָ֭נָ֥ה אֵלֵ֣ךְ מֵרוּחֶ֑ךָ וְ֝אָ֗נָה מִפָּנֶ֥יךָ אֶבְרָֽח׃

8 אִם־אֶסַּ֣ק שָׁ֭מַיִם שָׁ֣ם אָ֑תָּה וְאַצִּ֖יעָה שְּׁא֣וֹל הִנֶּֽךָּ׃

9 אֶשָּׂ֥א כַנְפֵי־שָׁ֑חַר אֶ֝שְׁכְּנָ֗ה בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית יָֽם׃

10 גַּם־שָׁ֭ם יָדְךָ֣ תַנְחֵ֑נִי וְֽתֹאחֲזֵ֥נִי יְמִינֶֽךָ׃

11 וָ֭אֹמַר אַךְ־חֹ֣שֶׁךְ יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה א֣וֹר בַּעֲדֵֽנִי׃

12 גַּם־חֹשֶׁךְ֮ לֹֽא־יַחְשִׁ֪יךְ מִ֫מֶּ֥ךָ וְ֭לַיְלָה כַּיּ֣וֹם יָאִ֑יר כַּ֝חֲשֵׁיכָ֗ה כָּאוֹרָֽה׃

13 כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה קָנִ֣יתָ כִלְיֹתָ֑י תְּ֝סֻכֵּ֗נִי בְּבֶ֣טֶן אִמִּֽי׃

14 אֽוֹדְךָ֗ עַ֤ל כִּ֥י נוֹרָא֗וֹת נִ֫פְלֵ֥יתִי נִפְלָאִ֥ים מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י יֹדַ֥עַת מְאֹֽד׃

15 לֹא־נִכְחַ֥ד עָצְמִ֗י מִ֫מֶּ֥ךָּ אֲשֶׁר־עֻשֵּׂ֥יתִי בַסֵּ֑תֶר רֻ֝קַּ֗מְתִּי בְּֽתַחְתִּיּ֥וֹת אָֽרֶץ׃

16 גָּלְמִ֤י ׀ רָ֘א֤וּ עֵינֶ֗יךָ וְעַֽל־סִפְרְךָ֮ כֻּלָּ֪ם יִכָּ֫תֵ֥בוּ יָמִ֥ים יֻצָּ֑רוּ ולא אֶחָ֣ד בָּהֶֽם׃

17 וְלִ֗י מַה־יָּקְר֣וּ רֵעֶ֣יךָ אֵ֑ל מֶ֥ה עָ֝צְמוּ רָאשֵׁיהֶֽם׃

18 אֶ֭סְפְּרֵם מֵח֣וֹל יִרְבּ֑וּן הֱ֝קִיצֹ֗תִי וְעוֹדִ֥י עִמָּֽךְ׃

19 אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע וְאַנְשֵׁ֥י דָ֝מִ֗ים ס֣וּרוּ מֶֽנִּי׃

20 אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֹ֭אמְרֻךָ לִמְזִמָּ֑ה נָשֻׂ֖א לַשָּׁ֣וְא עָרֶֽיךָ׃

21 הֲלֽוֹא־מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ אֶשְׂנָ֑א וּ֝בִתְקוֹמְמֶ֗יךָ אֶתְקוֹטָֽט׃

22 תַּכְלִ֣ית שִׂנְאָ֣ה שְׂנֵאתִ֑ים לְ֝אוֹיְבִ֗ים הָ֣יוּ לִֽי׃

23 חָקְרֵ֣נִי אֵ֭ל וְדַ֣ע לְבָבִ֑י בְּ֝חָנֵ֗נִי וְדַ֣ע שַׂרְעַפָּֽי׃

24 וּרְאֵ֗ה אִם־דֶּֽרֶךְ־ עֹ֥צֶב בִּ֑י וּ֝נְחֵ֗נִי בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ עוֹלָֽם׃

Psalm 139 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible

The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 138 there.

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1 Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me:

2 Thou hast know my sitting down, and my rising up.

3 Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off: my path and my line thou hast searched out.

4 And thou hast foreseen all my ways: for there is no speech in my tongue.

5 Behold, O Lord, thou hast known all things, the last and those of old: thou hast formed me, and hast laid thy hand upon me.

6 Thy knowledge is become wonderful to me: it is high, and I cannot reach to it.

7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy face?

8 If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I descend into hell, thou art present.

9 If I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:

10 Even there also shall thy hand lead me: and thy right hand shall hold me.

11 And I said: Perhaps darkness shall cover me: and night shall be my light in my pleasures.

12 But darkness shall not be dark to thee, and night shall be light as day: the darkness thereof, and the light thereof are alike to thee.

13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: wonderful are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well.

15 My bone is not hidden from thee, which thou hast made in secret: and my substance in the lower parts of the earth.

16 Thy eyes did see my imperfect being, and in thy book all shall be written: days shall be formed, and no one in them.

17 But to me thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable: their principality is exceedingly strengthened.

18 I will number them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand: I rose up and am still with thee.

19 If thou wilt kill the wicked, O God: ye men of blood, depart from me:

20 Because you say in thought: They shall receive thy cities in vain.

21 Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hated thee: and pine away because of thy enemies?

22 I have hated them with a perfect hatred: and they are become enemies to me.

23 Prove me, O God, and know my heart: examine me, and know my paths.

24 And see if there be in me the way of iniquity: and lead me in the eternal way.

Psalm 139 in Latin

The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 138.

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1 In finem, psalmus David. Domine, probasti me, et cognovisti me;

2 tu cognovisti sessionem meam et resurrectionem meam.

3 Intellexisti cogitationes meas de longe; semitam meam et funiculum meum investigasti:

4 et omnes vias meas prævidisti, quia non est sermo in lingua mea.

5 Ecce, Domine, tu cognovisti omnia, novissima et antiqua. Tu formasti me, et posuisti super me manum tuam.

6 Mirabilis facta est scientia tua ex me; confortata est, et non potero ad eam.

7 Quo ibo a spiritu tuo? et quo a facie tua fugiam?

8 Si ascendero in cælum, tu illic es; si descendero in infernum, ades.

9 Si sumpsero pennas meas diluculo, et habitavero in extremis maris,

10 etenim illuc manus tua deducet me, et tenebit me dextera tua.

11 Et dixi: Forsitan tenebræ conculcabunt me; et nox illuminatio mea in deliciis meis.

12 Quia tenebræ non obscurabuntur a te, et nox sicut dies illuminabitur: sicut tenebræ ejus, ita et lumen ejus.

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

14 Confitebor tibi, quia terribiliter magnificatus es; mirabilia opera tua, et anima mea cognoscit nimis.

15 Non est occultatum os meum a te, quod fecisti in occulto; et substantia mea in inferioribus terræ.

16 Imperfectum meum viderunt oculi tui, et in libro tuo omnes scribentur. Dies formabuntur, et nemo in eis.

17 Mihi autem nimis honorificati sunt amici tui, Deus; nimis confortatus est principatus eorum.

18 Dinumerabo eos, et super arenam multiplicabuntur. Exsurrexi, et adhuc sum tecum.

19 Si occideris, Deus, peccatores, viri sanguinum, declinate a me:

20 quia dicitis in cogitatione: Accipient in vanitate civitates tuas.

21 Nonne qui oderunt te, Domine, oderam, et super inimicos tuos tabescebam?

22 Perfecto odio oderam illos, et inimici facti sunt mihi.

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

24 Et vide si via iniquitatis in me est, et deduc me in via æterna.

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Psalm 139 at a glance

Verses	24
Heading in the text	For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.
Attributed to	The heading attributes it to David and addresses it to the Chief Musician.
Type	Trust and Prayer
Number in Greek and Latin Bibles	Psalm 138

Read Psalm 139 when you are facing

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Psalm 139 in other translations

This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 139 in those translations at Bible Gateway.

Where Psalm 139 belongs

Psalms of David Book 5 of the Psalms

How this page was made

The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.

Sources

Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source

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Lucas Pradella

Last checked 25 September 2026 · How pages are checked

I built AllPsalms because I could not find one site that covered all 150 psalms properly. I am a Christian and a reader of the psalms, not a scholar or a minister. What I can do is the work: put every psalm in one place, in plain English, with the text unedited and every claim sourced.

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