Psalms 139:1 — Word Study
WLCיְהוָ֥ה חֲ֝קַרְתַּ֗נִי וַתֵּדָֽע׃
BSAFor the choirmasternâtsach A Psalmmizmôwr of DavidDâvid O LORDYᵉhôvâh [Eternal, Divine, Yehovah] You have searched mechâqar■ [thoroughly, carefully, examined, investigated] and known meyâdaʻ▸ [intimately, thoroughly, understood, perceived]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| יְהוָ֥ה | O Yahweh | Noun proper |
| חֲ֝קַרְתַּ֗נִי | you have examined me | Verb qal perfect second person masculine singular, suffix |
| וַתֵּדָֽע׃ | and you have known [me] | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect second person masculine singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | O LORD, You have searched me and known me. |
| KJV | O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. |
| ASV | O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known me. |
| YLT | To the Overseer. — A Psalm by David. Jehovah, Thou hast searched me, and knowest. |
| WEB | Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me. |
| BBE | O Lord, you have knowledge of me, searching out all my secrets. |
Translations agree on the meaning of יְהוָ֥ה and the actions of searching and knowing.
The structure consists of a main clause followed by a subordinate verb phrase, emphasizing the actions of searching and knowing.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
verbדָּוִד
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 139:1
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Reflection on God's Omnisciencegenerated
Psalm 139:1 expresses a deep awareness of God's thorough knowledge of the psalmist. This theme continues throughout the psalm, emphasizing God's intimate understanding of human thoughts and actions, as seen in the following verses. The psalmist reflects on how God knows every detail of his life, from his sitting and rising to his innermost thoughts, illustrating a profound relationship between the Creator and the created.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 139:23 | Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. |
| 2 | Psalm 11:4–5 | The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men. |
| 3 | Psalm 17:3 | You have tried my heart; You have visited me in the night. You have tested me and found no evil; I have resolved not to sin with my mouth. |
| 4 | Psalm 44:21 | would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart? |
| 5 | 1 Kings 8:39 | be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and act, and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone know the hearts of all men— |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יְהוָ֥ה, Yah.wehgenerated
The name יְהוָ֥ה (Yah.weh) signifies the self-existent and eternal nature of God. It is a proper name for the God of Israel, often translated as 'the LORD'. This name is used to denote God's covenant relationship with His people, highlighting His authority and presence.
In this verse, the use of יְהוָ֥ה establishes a direct address to God, emphasizing the personal nature of the psalmist's relationship with Him. The psalmist acknowledges God's sovereignty and intimate involvement in his life.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is introduced by the finite verb חֲ֝קַרְתַּ֗נִי, you have examined me, which governs the structure of the verse. The second verb וַתֵּדָֽע׃, and you have known, follows, indicating a sequential relationship between the actions of searching and knowing.
The sentence structure emphasizes the comprehensive nature of God's knowledge, linking the examination of the psalmist with the resulting understanding.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates the name יְהוָ֥ה as κύριος (kurios), meaning 'Lord', which reflects the same reverence and authority found in the Hebrew text.
The Greek term used for the verbs does not fully capture the depth of the Hebrew verbs, indicating a potential narrowing of meaning in the translation process.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 139:1 tells us that the LORD has searched and known the psalmist. This shows how intimately God understands every aspect of the psalmist's life, emphasizing the personal relationship between God and the individual.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that God has a deep understanding of every aspect of our lives, including our thoughts and actions.
The verse illustrates that God is aware of everything we do and think, highlighting His all-knowing nature.
The name 'Yahweh' signifies God's eternal and self-existent nature, emphasizing His covenant relationship with His people.
We can learn to appreciate the closeness of our relationship with God and recognize that He understands us fully.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I feel God's presence and understanding in my life?
- How can I cultivate a deeper relationship with God, knowing He knows me intimately?
- What are some areas of my life where I need to seek God's guidance and understanding?
- How does recognizing God's omniscience impact the way I live my life?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early Church Fathers, including Augustine, reference this verse to discuss God's omniscience and the relationship between God and humanity.
"Lord, You have tried me, and known me" [Psalms 139:1]. Let the Lord Jesus Christ Himself say this; let Him too say, "Lord," to the Father.Early Church Fathers on Psalms 139 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 139:1 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleO Lord, thou hast searched me, and known [me]. The omniscience of God reaches to all persons and things; but the psalmist only takes notice of it as respecting himself.
Read John Gill on Psalms 139 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryO LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Psalms 139:1-24.-Yahweh, thou thoroughly knowest me wherever I am (Psalms 139:1-12); for thou hast formed me from the womb, and hast ever precious
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 139 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 139:1 « To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. » O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known [me].A Psalm of David] There is not in all the five books of psalms so notable a one as this, saith Aben Ezra, concerning the ways of God and the workings of conscience. It was penned, saith the Syriac interpreter, upon occasion of Shimei’ s railing upon him for a bloody man and a Belialist, 2 Samuel 16:5-13 Here, therefore, he purgeth himself by an appeal to God, and delivereth up his false accusers to God’ s just judgment, Psalms 139:19. Ver. 1. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me] Even mine heart and reins, Jeremiah 17:10, hast thou searched as with lights, Zephaniah 1:12, by an…
Read John Trapp on Psalms 139 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(1) Searched . . .—Comp. Psalms 44:21, “shall not God search this out.” The word is used of mining operations, Job 28:3; of exploring a country, Judges 18:2.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 139 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BiblePSALM CXXXIX A fine account of the omniscience of God, 1-6; of his omnipresence, 7-12; of his power and providence, 13-16. The excellence of his purposes, 17, 18. His opposition to the wicked, 19, 20; with whom the godly can have no fellowship, 21, 22. NOTES ON PSALM CXXXIX The title of this Psalm in the Hebrew is, To the chief Musician, or, To the Conqueror, A Psalm of David. The Versions in general follow the Hebrew. And yet, notwithstanding these testimonies, there appears internal evidence that the Psalm was not written by David, but during or after the time of the captivity, as there are several Chaldaisms in it. See Psalms 139:2-3; Psalms 139:7; Psalms 139:9; Psalms 139:19-20…
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 139 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1–6. God’s perfect knowledge of all the Psalmist’s life and thoughts.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 139 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleO Lord, thou hast searched me - The word rendered searched, has a primary reference to searching the earth by boring or digging, as for water or metals. See Job 28:3. Then it means to search accurately or closely.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 139 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible1. Searched me—The psalmist begins with self-application of the doctrine of omniscience. It is more to know the human heart than to know distant worlds and laws of matter.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 139 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me.
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
O Lord, you examine me and know.
Tyndale line
O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known me.
LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me .
To him that excelleth. A Psalme of David. O Lord, thou hast tried me and knowen me.
Strictly literal
Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known [me].
To the Overseer. — A Psalm by David. Jehovah, Thou hast searched me, and knowest.
TO THE OVERSEER. A PSALM OF DAVID. YHWH, You have searched me, and know.
“To the chief musician, by David, a psalm.” O Lord! thou hast searched me through, and thou knowest [me].
Yahweh, you have examined me, and you know me.
From the Latin
Unto the end, a psalm for David.
Simplified
Lord, you have examined me from the inside out—you know everything about me!
O Lord, you have knowledge of me, searching out all my secrets.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text of Psalms 139:1 reads, "יְהוָ֥ה חֲ֝קַרְתַּ֗נִי וַתֵּדָֽע׃" which translates to "O LORD, You have searched me and known me." The Septuagint, while not providing a direct translation here, matches 2 of the 3 key words found in the Masoretic Text, indicating a level of agreement in the core concepts of the verse. However, the exact wording and structure differ due to the nature of the translation process and the Greek language's syntax. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Dead Sea Scrolls do not provide additional variants for this specific verse, so the primary comparison remains between the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint, which shows partial agreement in the underlying meaning but differences in expression.
יְהוָ֥ה חֲ֝קַרְתַּ֗נִי וַתֵּדָֽע׃
2 of the 3 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 139:1
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'
יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)
יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb
יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D
the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy
יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh
base
H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel
3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'
from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish
national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.
see HEBREW for 01961
see HEBREW for 03050
see HEBREW for 03069
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.
Jehovah = "the existing One"
1) the proper name of the one true God
1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.
Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.
Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
N-proper — Noun properHNpt
חָקַר (chaqar) is a Hebrew verb meaning to search or examine. It encompasses actions like searching for, exploring, and thoroughly investigating. The word can also imply being found out or ascertained. It appears in various forms, including Qal, Niphal, and Piel, indicating different nuances of searching and examination.
[חָקַר] vb. search
Qal
search (for)
search through, explore
search a man, find out his sentiments
of י׳ searching man
of examining thoroughly
Niph. be searched out, found out, ascertained
Pi. he sought out many proverbs
base
H2713 [חָקַר] search .. search (for)
. . search through, explore
. search a man, find out his sentiments
. of י׳ searching man
. of examining thoroughly
. be searched out, found out, ascertained
. he sought out many proverbs
2713 chaqar khaw-kar'
a primitive root; properly, to penetrate; hence, to examine
intimately:--find out, (make) search (out), seek (out), sound,
try.
חָקַר (cha.qar) — to search.
1) to search, search for, search out, examine, investigate
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to search (for)
1a2) to search through, explore
1a3) to examine thoroughly
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be searched out, be found out, be ascertained, be examined
1c) (Piel) to search out, seek out
V-Qal-Perf-2ms | Suff — Verb qal perfect second person masculine singular · suffixHVqp2ms/Sp1bs
יָדַע (yada`) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to know,' encompassing a wide range of senses including perception, recognition, and experience. It can refer to knowing someone intimately or being skilled in a task. The word has various forms, indicating actions such as making known or being made known. Lexicons note its use in both literal and figurative contexts, but there is no significant disagreement among them.
יָדַע 943 vb. know
Qal
know, learn to know
perceive
perceive and see; find out and discern
discriminate, distinguish
know by experience
recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess
consider
not know = not expect
know a person, be acquainted with
know a person carnally, of sexual intercourse
know how, to do a thing, be able to do it
be skilful in
abs. have knowledge, be wise
Niph.
be made known, be or become known, of things
make oneself known of pers.
be perceived
be instructed
Pi. cause to know
Pu. known
Hiph. make known, declare
Hoph. made known
Hithp. make oneself known
base
H3045 יָדַע know .. . know, learn to know
. perceive
. perceive and see; find out and discern
. discriminate, distinguish
. know by experience
. recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess
. consider
. not know = not expect
. know a person, be acquainted with
. know a person carnally, of sexual intercourse
. . know how, to do a thing, be able to do it
. be skilful in
. abs. have knowledge, be wise
. . be made known, be or become known, of things
. make oneself known of pers.
. be perceived
. be instructed
. cause to know
. known
. make known, declare
. made known
. make oneself known
3045 yada` yaw-dah'
a primitive root; to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing);
used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally,
euphemistically and inferentially (including observation,
care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation,
punishment, etc.) (as follow):--acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted
with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware,
(un-)awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, X
could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to)
discern, discover, endued with, familiar friend, famous, feel,
can have, be (ig-)norant, instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, (cause
to let, make) know, (come to give, have, take) knowledge, have
(knowledge), (be, make, make to be, make self) known, + be
learned, + lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, X
prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man
of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell,
יָדַע (ya.da) — to know.
1) to know
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to know
1a1a) to know, learn to know
1a1b) to perceive
1a1c) to perceive and see, find out and discern
1a1d) to discriminate, distinguish
1a1e) to know by experience
1a1f) to recognise, admit, acknowledge, confess
1a1g) to consider
1a2) to know, be acquainted with
1a3) to know (a person carnally)
1a4) to know how, be skilful in
1a5) to have knowledge, be wise
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be made known, be or become known, be revealed
1b2) to make oneself known
1b3) to be perceived
1b4) to be instructed
1c) (Piel) to cause to know
1d) (Poal) to cause to know
1e) (Pual)
1e1) to be known
1e2) known, one known, acquaintance (participle)
1f) (Hiphil) to make known, declare
1g) (Hophal) to be made known
1h) (Hithpael) to make oneself known, reveal oneself
Aramaic equivalent: ye.da (יְדַע "to know" H3046)
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-2ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect second person masculine singularHc/Vqw2ms