Paths in Biblical Studies

Book of Psalms · Chapter 139 of 150

Psalms 139: Verse-by-Verse Commentary (with Videos)

24 verses · 4 video commentaries from 2 courses · Berean Standard Bible

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.

3You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.

4Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.

5You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?

8If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.

9If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea,

10even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast.

11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”—

12even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.

13For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.

15My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.

17How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum!

18If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; and when I awake, I am still with You.

19O God, that You would slay the wicked—away from me, you bloodthirsty men—

20who speak of You deceitfully; Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and detest those who rise against You?

22I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them as my enemies.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.

24See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 139 Verse Notes

Ps 139:13-16

Psalm 139:13-16 uses poetic metaphor for God's sovereignty

Psalm 139, describing God knitting the psalmist together in the womb and knowing his 'unformed substance,' uses rich poetic and metaphorical language. The reference to being 'intricately woven in the depths of the earth' indicates that these are not literal descriptions of biological development but rather expressions of God's ultimate sovereignty and intimate involvement in the psalmist's creation.

Summarized by AI · The Bible and Abortion: When Does Life Begin in the Bible? · Lecture 1: The Bible and the Beginning of Life · watch the clip

Psalm 139 uses poetic metaphor for creation

Psalm 139:13-16, which describes God 'knitting' the psalmist in the mother's womb and beholding 'unformed substance,' is also used to support the idea of personhood at conception. However, this passage uses metaphorical language, such as being 'intricately woven in the depths of the earth,' to praise God's sovereignty over life, not to define the literal beginning of human life.

Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · What Does the Bible Say about Abortion? · watch the clip

Biblical Passages on the Unborn

When discussing the beginning of life, some interpret biblical passages, such as poetic verses praising God for forming individuals in the womb or knowing them before birth, as evidence that the unborn are full human beings. Additionally, laws in the Hebrew Bible concerning pregnant women who miscarry are examined for their implications on the status of a prematurely born child.

Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Were Early Christians Known to Be Moral Reprobates? · watch the clip

Bible's Silence on Abortion

The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, does not explicitly condemn abortion or refer to a fetus as a living human being. Passages often cited, like those from Psalms about being known before birth, are metaphorical and do not literally support the idea of pre-conception human existence. Therefore, using the Bible to condemn abortion is a misapplication of scripture.

Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Is Paul the Founder of Christianity? · watch the clip

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