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The Bible · 617 of 1189

Psalms 139

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.

Asked of Guide

Why does the psalmist ask God to 'search me' after declaring God's complete knowledge?

The psalmist declares God’s intimate knowledge—“Thou hast searched me, and known me,” and recounts God’s presence everywhere—“If I ascend… thou art there”—then asks God to actively examine his heart. That request accepts divine omniscience as a ground for moral inspection rather than a challenge to it.

Asking “Search me, O God, and know my heart” invites corrective intimacy: the psalmist wants God’s scrutiny to reveal hidden sin and direct him—“see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” This echoes Jeremiah’s plea for inward renewal in Jeremiah 17 and anticipates the introspective petitions found in the Psalms collection.

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