Psalms 139

David praiseth and magnifieth Gods all-knowing and omnipresent providence, and the tender care for him, before he had any being in the world; declareth moreover, that he will have no communion with evil and wicked men; and lastly, testifies his urightness.

1. A Psalm of David, for the chief song master. [See Psalms 4:1.] LORD, thou searchest and knowest me.

2. Thou knowest my sitting and my rising: [What so ever I do, whether I sit still, rise up, to go, whatever I am or go about, thou knowest and feast it all] thou understandest my thoughts a far off. [when my thoughts are yet far from me, that is, long before they off themselves unto me, thou knowest them already.]

3. Thou surroundest [Others, thou winnowest, i.e. triest, and siftest most exactly, as Job 31:4.] my going, and my lying down: and thou art accustomed to all my ways. [i.e. thou art well acquainted with all my doings and leavings: thou hast as it were, found it by custom. A similitude taken from men, which by experience and custom, come to the knowledge of things.]

4. When there is not a word (yet) upon my tongue, behold LORD, thou knowest all. [i.e. before I open my mouth to speak, thou knowest all I will utter, for thou art a searcher of hearts.]

5. Thou compassest me from behind and from before: and thou settest thine hand upon me. [i.e. thou holdest thy hand upon me, that I cannot outrun thee: or, that I may understand, how I do depend, or what dependence I have upon thy providence.]

6. The knowledge [Whereby thou knowest all things] is too wonderful for me: she is high, I cannot near it. [viz. To reach or comprehend the same.]

7. Whither should I go before thy Spirit? [God being every where present, there is no avoiding or escaping of him] and whither should I flee before thy face?

8. If I ascended to heaven, thou art there; or if I made my bed in hell. [See the Annot. Job.26.on v.6.] behold thou art (there.)

9. If I took wings of the dawning-day, [Thus the beams of the rising sun are called, being they do so swiftly flee and spread themselves through all the cape of such a Horizon. The Prophet implyeth as much as if he said; Though I were able to flee as far in a moment, as is the remotest place the rising sun-beams reach to] If I dwell on the uttermost of the sea; [i.e. in the utmost end of the world as Psalms 65:6, and 72,8. Isa.24.14.]

10. There also would thine hand lead me: [i.e. I should still be subject to thy divine disposing and governing] and thy right hand would hold me, [or lay hold on, apprehend me.]

11. If I said, sure darkness shall cover me, [viz. So as that God shall not be able to find me out. Heb. Properly, tread upon me] then is the night a light about me. [i.e. I shall be as little hid before thine eyes, as if it were noon day, compare Job 26:6. and Heb.4.13.]

12. Nor doth the darkness darken before thee, [Darken i.e. hide, cover, conceal, compare Job 34,22. Jeremiah 23:24.] but the night lighten (or shineth) as the day: the darkness is as the light. [Heb. Alike the darkness, alike the night.]

13. For thou possesses my reins: [i.e. thou hast my reines, that is, my inclinations, affections, passions, in thy power, thou steerest and governest them. See Job.19.on ver.27. [thou hast covered me in my mothers belly. [viz. With skin and flesh, or, with the helmer, as we call it, or hood, or bladder which the child lies wrapped about withal in the womb, that is to say, from or since the very time of my conception.]

14. I love thee for that I am made wonderfully, after a very fearful manner; Wonderful are thy works, [Oth. (through) thy wonderfull works] my soul likewise knows it very well.

15. My bones were not concealed before thee, when I was made in secret, (and) was wrought like an embroidery [i.e. most artificially: namely, with sinews, veins, arteries, muscles and other parts of the body; even as an Enbroiderer sitteth and joineth many parcels, stuff and wyer-work of various colours, very artificially and curiously together, until there cometh forth some goodly pourtraiture, or other dainty workmanship] in the lowermost parts of the earth, [Thus he called the womb, where in the fruit is formed and fashioned: or, the first Original of men, Gen.2.7. or he assimulates the womb to a grave, wherein man before his birth, lies in a manner buried. Or, by the lowermost parts of the earth, one may understand, that he was formed upon the earth, which is the nethermost part of the world. Compare Ephes.4.9.]

16. Thine eyes have seen my unformed clod, [i.e. when I was first planted in my mothers womb, and when the seed, out of which I proceeded, was like clue of yarn, wound up together.oth. my unformed substance, mass, or Embrio. See Job 10:10.] and all these things [to wit, all the parts and members comprehended in that clue and Embio of mine] were written in thy book, [i.e. thou gavest good heed to every thing that conduced to my creating, or bringing forth, or, thou knowest so well what should befall me, as if it were written in a book before thee, namely, in the book of Remembrances of thy provident government] (on) the days when they should Psalmist implies here, that God knew all the parts of his body, not onely when they were a forming, but even from eternity. He calleth the things that are not, as if they were, saith the Apostle Rom.4.v.17.]

17. Therefore how precious O God, are thy thoughts unto me! [i.e. how incomprehensible is thy provident Care and Government unto me? Whereby thou hast ordained and decreed all things in thine eternal Counsel, how they shall come to pass Psalms 40:6. Job.26.14.] how mighty many are their summers? [Heb. Their heads. See Numb.1. the Annot.on v.2.]

18. Should I tell them? There is more of them then of the sand: awaking, I am yet with thee. [i.e. When I awake in the morning, and consider of thy works throughout, I can get to no end, but still am taken up with meditating on them. I am and abide still with my thoughts on thee.]

19. O God, that thou wouldest destroy the wicked! And ye men of blood, [Heb. Viri sanguinum (blood in the plural.) i.e. which are so fierce and greedy to shed innocent blood; See Psalms 5:7.] turn away from me:

20. Which speak basely [Or blasphemously, craftily] of thee: [others, against thee. To wit, against thee, O God; and also of and against all those that love thee] (and) vainly exalt thine enemies. [this sence is; they do not only evil themselves, but exalt and advance likewise other wicked men and evil doers.]

21. Should I not hate, O LORD, those that hate thee? And be vexed with [Or, loath, abominate, abhor] those that rise up against thee?

22. I hate them with a perfect hatred, [Hebr. With perfection of hatred] to me they are enemies. [I hold and account them mine enemies.]

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

24. And see whether with me there be a pernicious way: [Or, a hurtful, oppressing way, i.e. whether I so frame the course of my life, as to hurt and endamage any of set purpose: others, understand here by the pernicious way, the way, or disposition to idolatry. The word Idols, being deduced from the same word that is used here. See Psalms 16:4.] and lead me upon the everlasting way. [Hebr. Upon the way of Eternity, i.e. that same which is lasting, and holds out to Eternity; or, upon that way, which may lead me to eternal like, or: upon the old way. Compare Jer.6.16. and 18.15.]