Psalms 139:2
What does Psalms 139:2 mean?
A plain-English look at Psalms 139:2 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Psalms 139:2 means
Expanding on God's comprehensive knowledge, David describes how God is aware of his most ordinary actions, like sitting down and rising up. More remarkably, God understands David's thoughts even before they are fully formed or expressed, indicating a knowledge that transcends human limitations of time and space. This isn't just knowing what David thinks in the moment, but understanding the very origins and directions of his mental processes from a distance, or 'afar off.'
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949You have knowledge when I am seated and when I get up, you see my thoughts from far away.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Thou--Thou hast known my sitting down, And my rising up, Thou hast attended to my thoughts from afar.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: rescue me from the unjust man.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off;
Context
Building on the initial declaration of God's knowledge in verse 1, this verse provides specific examples of God's intimate awareness. It moves from a general statement to concrete actions and thoughts, demonstrating the scope of God's omniscience. This particularization prepares the reader for further exploration of God's detailed understanding of all David's ways.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Genesis 16:13
And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me?
- Psalms 94:11
Jehovah knoweth the thoughts of man, That they are vanity.
- John 2:24
But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men,
- Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of Jehovah are in every place, Keeping watch upon the evil and the good.
- Psalms 56:8
Thou numberest my wanderings: Put thou my tears into thy bottle; Are they not in thy book?
- Isaiah 37:28
But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against me.
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