Logos Bible Study

Psalm 139:6–10

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139:6Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;

it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.6

139:7Where can I go to escape your spirit?

Where can I flee to escape your presence?7

139:8If I were to ascend8 to heaven, you would be there.

If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.9

139:9If I were to fly away10 on the wings of the dawn,11

and settle down on the other side12 of the sea,

139:10even there your hand would guide me,

your right hand would grab hold of me.

Read in Logos
Psalm 139:9–10: If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Footnotes

  1. 6 Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
  2. 7 Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29–30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
  3. 8 The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see 2:788–90).
  4. 9 Heb “look, you.”
  5. 10 Heb “rise up.”
  6. 11 On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.
  7. 12 Heb “at the end.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.

It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

Where can I go to escape your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I live at the eastern horizon

or settle at the western limits,

even there your hand will lead me;

your right hand will hold on to me.

NLTNew Living Translation

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,

and your strength will support me.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.

It is set high; I cannot prevail against it.

Where can I go from your Spirit,

or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, there you are,

and if I make my bed in Sheol, look! There you are.

If I lift up the wings of the dawn,

and I alight on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand would lead me,

and your right hand would hold me fast.

KJV 1900King James Version

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Whither shall I go from thy spirit?

Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:

If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Even there shall thy hand lead me,

And thy right hand shall hold me.