1David acknowledgeth God's all-seeing providence: 14he praiseth him for the wonders of his formation; 17and for his infinite mercies: 19his confidence in the destruction of the wicked: 21his professed hatred of them: 23he prayeth for God's inspection and guidance.
0To the 1chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 See the first annotation at Psalm 4 in the title.
1O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
22Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, 3thou understandest my thought afar off.
2 The sense is: Whatever I do, whether I sit still, rise up, or go, Thou knowest and seest it all.
3 As if he said: When my thoughts are yet far from me, that is, long before they offer themselves unto me, Thou knowest them already.
3Thou 4compassest my path and my lying down, and art 5acquainted with all my ways.
4 Other, Thou winnowest, that is, triest and siftest most exactly, as Job 31:4.
5 That is, Thou art well acquainted with all my doings and leavings; Thou hast, as it were, found it by custom. A similitude taken from people, which by experience and custom, come to the knowledge of things.
46For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
6 That is, before I open my mouth to speak, Thou knowest all I will utter, for, Thou art a Searcher of hearts.
5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and 7laid thine hand upon me.
7 That is, 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.
6Such 8knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, 9I cannot attain unto it.
8 Whereby Thou knowest all things.
9 Namely, to reach or comprehend the same.
710Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
10 God being everywhere present, there is no avoiding or escaping from Him.
8Ifa I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed 11in hell, behold, thou art there.
a Job 26:6; Amos 9:2, 3, 4; Heb. 4:13.
11 See the annotation Job 26 on verse 6.
9If I take the 12wings of the morning, and dwell 13in the uttermost parts of the sea;
12 Thus the beams of the rising sun are called, seeing they, as it were, do swiftly flee and spread themselves on the horizon. The prophet implies as much as if he said: Though I were able to flee to the remotest places in a moment, as do the rising sun-beams.
13 That is, in the utmost end of the world, as Psalm 65:5; 72:8; Isa. 24:14.
1014Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall 15hold me.
14 That is, I would still be subject to Thy divine disposing and governing.
15 Or, apprehend.
11If I say, Surely the darkness shall 16cover me; even the night 17shall be light about me.
16 Namely, so as that God would not be able to find me out. Hebr. properly, tread upon me.
17 That is, I shall be as little hid before Thine eyes, as if it were noon day. Compare Job 26:6; Heb. 4:13.
12Yea, the darkness 18hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: 19the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
18 That is, darken, conceal. Compare Job 34:22; Jer. 23:24.
19 Hebr. alike the darkness, alike the light.
13For 20thou hast possessed my 21reins: thou hast 22covered me in my mother's womb.
20 That is, Thou hast my reins in Thy power, Thou governest them.
21 That is, my inclinations, affections, passions. See the annotation at Job 19 on verse 27.
22 Namely, with skin and flesh; or, with the membrane or hood or bladder in which the child lies wrapped about within its mother’s womb, that is, since the very time of my conception.
14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: 23marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
23 Other, through thy wonderful works.
15Myb substance was not hid from thee, whenc I was made in secret, and 24curiously wrought in the 25lowest parts of the earth.
b Job 10:8, 10.
c Eccl. 11:5
24 That is, most ingeniously; namely, with sinews, veins, ligaments, muscles and other parts of the body, as an embroiderer fits and joins very artfully and curiously together many parcels and threads of various colors, until there comes forth some goodly portraiture or other dainty workmanship.
25 Thus he calls the womb wherein the fruit is formed and fashioned; or, the first origin of men, Gen. 2:7; or, he compares 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 Eph. 4:9.
16Thine eyes did see 26my substance, yet being unperfect;d and in thy book 27all my members 28were written, which in continuance were fashioned, 29when as yet there was none of them.
26 That is, when I was first planted in my mother’s womb, and when the seed, out of which I proceeded, was like a clew of yarn, wound up together. Other, my unformed substance, clot or embryo. See Job 10:10.
d imperfect, unformed
27 Namely, all the parts and members comprehended in that clew and embryo of mine.
28 That is, Thou gavest good heed to everything that conduced to my creation; or, Thou hast known so well what would befall me, as if it were written in a book before Thee, namely, in the book of remembrances of Thy providential government.
29 The psalmist implies here, that God knew all the parts of his body, not only when they were being formed, but even from eternity. … and calleth those things which be not as though they were, the apostle states in Rom. 4:17.
1730How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the 31sum of them!
30 That is, how incomprehensible is Thy providential care and government unto me! Whereby Thou hast ordained and decreed all things in Thine eternal counsel how they shall come to pass, Job 26:14; Psalm 40:5.
31 Hebr. their heads. See the annotation at Num. 1 on verse 2.
18If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: 32when I awake, I am still with thee.
32 That is, when I awake in the morning and consider thy works throughout, I can get to no end, but ever remain busy with meditating on them. I am and abide still with my thoughts on Thee.
19Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, 33ye bloody men.
33 Hebr. men of bloods, that is, who are so fierce and greedy to shed innocent blood. See Psalm 5:6.
20For they speak 34against thee 35wickedly, and 36thine enemies take thy name in vain.
34 Other, of thee, namely, O God, and also of and against all those who love Thee.
35 Or, blasphemously, craftily.
36 The sense is: they do not only evil themselves, but exalt and advance likewise other wicked men and evil doers.
21Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I 37grieved with those that rise up against thee?
37 Or, loathe, or, abominate, or, abhor.
22I hate them 38with perfect hatred: I count them 39mine enemies.
38 Hebr. with perfection of hatred.
39 That is, I hold and account them as mine enemies.
23Searche me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
e Job 31:6; Psalm 26:2.
24And see if there be any 40wicked way in me, and lead me 41in the way everlasting.
40 Or, a hurtful, oppressing way, that is, whether I so frame the course of my life to cause damage and inconvenience to others. Others understand here by the wicked way, the way or disposition to idolatry, since the word idols is deduced from the same word that is used here. See Psalm 16:4.
41 Hebr. upon the way of eternity, that is, that same which is lasting, and holds out to eternity, or, upon that way which may lead me to eternal life. Or, upon the old way. Compare Jer. 6:16; 18:15.