--- title: "Psalms 139 - Study King James Bible with clarkes commentary" description: "Read Psalms 139 with clarkes commentary commentary. 1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139" --- [ Read](/kjv/psalms/139)[ Commentary](/study/psalms/139)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/psalms/139) Audio 1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known *me*. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted *with* all my ways.* 4 For *there is* not a word in my tongue, *but*, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6 *Such* knowledge *is* too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot *attain* unto it. 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou *art* there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou *art there*. 9 *If* I take the wings of the morning, *and* dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light *are* both alike *to thee*.** 13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully *and* wonderfully made: marvellous *are* thy works; and *that* my soul knoweth right well.* 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, *and* curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.* 16 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.** 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 *If* I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. 19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. 20 For they speak against thee wickedly, *and* thine enemies take *thy name* in vain. 21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if *there be any* wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.* [Psalms 138](/study/psalms/138) [Psalms 140](/study/psalms/140) ## Commentary To verse 1 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](/kjv/psalms/139/2-3); [Psalms 139:7](/kjv/psalms/139/7); [Psalms 139:9](/kjv/psalms/139/9); [Psalms 139:19-20](/kjv/psalms/139/19-20), collated with [Daniel 2:29-30](/kjv/daniel/2/29-30); [Daniel 4:16](/kjv/daniel/4/16); [Daniel 7:28](/kjv/daniel/7/28); some of these shall be noticed in their proper places. As to the *author*, he is unknown; for it does not appear to have been the work of *David*. The composition is worthy of him, but the language appears to be *lower* than his time. Concerning the *occasion*, there are many conjectures which I need not repeat, because I believe them unfounded. It is most probable that it was written on *no particular occasion*, but is a moral lesson on the wisdom, presence, providence, and justice of God, without any reference to any circumstance in the *life of David*, or in the *history of the Jews*. The Psalm is very sublime; the sentiments are grand, the style in general highly elevated, and the images various and impressive. The first part especially, that contains so fine a description of the wisdom and knowledge of God, is inimitable. Bishop *Horsley's* account of this Psalm is as follows: - "In the first twelve verses of this Psalm the author celebrates God's perfect knowledge of man's thoughts and actions; and the reason of this wonderful knowledge, viz., that God is the Maker of man. Hence the psalmist proceeds, in the four following verses, [Psalms 139:13-16](/kjv/psalms/139/13-16), to magnify God as ordaining and superintending the formation of his body in the womb. In the 17th and 18th [Psalms 139:17-18](/kjv/psalms/139/17-18) he acknowledges God's providential care of him in every moment of his life; and in the remainder of the Psalm implores God's aid against impious and cruel enemies, professing his own attachment to God's service, that is, to the true religion, and appealing to the Searcher of hearts himself for the truth of his professions. The composition, for the purity and justness of *religious* *sentiment*, and for the force and beauty of the images, is certainly in the very first and best style. And yet the frequent *Chaldaisms* of the diction argue *no very high antiquity*. Verse [Psalms 139:1](/kjv/psalms/139/1). ***O Lord, thou hast searched me*** — חקרתני *chakartani*; thou hast *investigated* me; *thou hast thoroughly acquainted thyself* with my whole soul and conduct. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","width":672,"height":448,"caption":"Real Bible Believers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139","name":"Psalms 139 - Study King James Bible with clarkes commentary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139#primaryimage"},"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Read Psalms 139 with clarkes commentary commentary. 1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","name":"Study Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary","name":"clarkes commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms","name":"Psalms"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/139","name":"139"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```