Dual-Nature-of-Psalm-139
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben
Avraham-Goossens, PhD
Foreword:
Psalm 139 is one of the most profound and textually complex compositions in our entire Tanakh. Looking strictly at the ‘literary structure’, ‘poetic syntax’, and ‘thematic arc of the psalm’, without relying on external or classical rabbinic commentaries it reveals a striking narrative structure built on a sharp duality!
Introduction:
The amazing Dual Nature of Psalm 139:
At first glance, Psalm 139 appears to be a contemplative hymn celebrating Divine omniscience, omnipresence, and the awe of human creation. However, a closer reading reveals a most dramatic two-sided narrative:
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Let us now Read Psalm 139, verses 1 to 24: (Based on the JPS-1917 version).
“1. For the Leader. A Psalm of David. O יְהוָה - LORD, Thou hast searched me, and known me.
2. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my
thought afar off. 3. Thou measurest my going about and my lying down, and
art acquainted with all my ways. 4. For there is
not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O יְהוָה
- LORD, Thou knowest it
altogether. 5. Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before, and laid Thy hand
upon me. 6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too 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 the nether-world, 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 would Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand would
hold me. 11. And if I say: ‘Surely the darkness shall envelop me, and the
light about me shall be night’; 12. Even the darkness is not too dark for
Thee, but the night shineth as the day; the darkness is even as the light.
13. For Thou hast made my reins; Thou hast knit me together in my mother’s
womb. 14. I will give thanks unto Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made; wonderful are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15. My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and
curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16. Thine eyes did see
mine unformed substance, and in Thy book they were all written even the days
that were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17. How weighty
also are Thy thoughts unto me, O אֱלֹהִים - Elohim! How great is the sum of them! 18. If I would count them, they
are more in number than the sand; were I to come to the end of them, I would
still be with Thee.
19. If Thou but wouldest slay the wicked, O אֱלֹהִים - Elohim depart from me therefore, ye men of blood; 20. Who utter Thy
Name with wicked thought, they take it for falsehood,
even Thine enemies. 21. Do not I hate them, O יְהוָה
- LORD, that hate Thee? And do not I strive with those that rise up against
Thee? 22 I hate them with utmost hatred; I count them mine enemies.
23. Search me, O אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts; 24. And see
if there be any way in me that is grievous, and lead
me in the way everlasting”.
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The First Side
(Verses 1-18): Intimacy and Divine Presence:
The psalmist explores אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s inescapable knowledge of human inferiority and physical existence. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is presented as the ultimate Knower, Creator, and Sustainer, reaching from the heights of heaven to the depths of the womb.
The Second Side (Verses 19-24): Moral Tension and Self-Examination:
The tone abruptly pivots from quiet awe to fierce indignation against wickedness and malice. The psalmist aligns himself against those who oppose אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, culminating in a vulnerable plea for self-examination to ensure his own integrity matches his zeal.
This juxtaposition creates a narrative tension between ‘cosmic grandeur’ and ‘human struggle’, showing that true spiritual awareness requires both ‘awe of the Divine’ and ‘active resistance to moral corruption’.
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Verse-by-Verse
Analysis: (JPS-1917 Version).
Part I: Divine
Omniscience (Verses 1-6):
Verse 1: “O יְהוָה - LORD, Thou hast searched me, and known me”.
Explanation: The opening verb chakar (“searched” or “investigated”) implies an active, thorough probe. Divine knowledge of the individual is not passive observation; it is a deep, intentional scrutiny.
Verse 2: “Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off”.
Explanation: The psalmist uses ‘merism’, referencing opposite actions (“downsitting” and “uprising”) to denote totality. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim understands human motives long before they manifest as physical action or speech.
Verse 3: “Thou measurest my going about and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways”.
Explanation: The Hebrew term for “measurest” (zerita) carries the sense of winnowing or sifting. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim sifts through human activities during both active travel and passive rest.
Verse 4: “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O יְהוָה - LORD, Thou knowest it altogether”.
Explanation: Speech is fully formed in אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s knowledge before it is ever articulated. Human expression is completely transparent to the Divine.
Verse 5: “Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before, and laid Thy hand upon me”.
Explanation: The metaphor of being “hemmed in” (tzartanı) suggests confinement or encirclement. Divine presence acts as both a protective shield and an inescapable boundary.
Verse 6: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain unto it”.
Explanation: The psalmist acknowledges the epistemic gap between humanity and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim. Recognizing אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s complete comprehension of man exposes the finite limits of human intellect.
Part II: Divine Omnipresence Across Space and Time (Verses 7-12):
Verse 7: “Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?”
Explanation: A rhetorical question setting up the inescapable nature of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim. Flight from אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is framed not as ‘impossible movement’, but as a ‘conceptual impossibility’.
Verse 8: “If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in the nether-world, behold, Thou art there”.
Explanation: The ultimate vertical axis: heaven (shamayim) versus the opposite. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s domain transcends the boundary between life and death, light and darkness.
Verse 9: “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea”.
Explanation: The ultimate horizontal axis: moving with the speed of dawn from the far east across to the western sea.
Verse 10: “Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me”.
Explanation: Wherever one flees, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is not merely waiting as a spectator, but actively leading and holding. The hand represents guidance and Divine authority.
Verse 11: “And if I say: ‘Surely the darkness shall envelop me, and the light about me shall be night’”.
Explanation: Human attempts to hide under the cover of physical or spiritual darkness are rendered useless.
Verse 12: “Even the darkness is not too dark for Thee, but the night shineth as the day; the darkness is even as the light”.
Explanation: Darkness and light are human distinctions. To the Divine, all reality is illuminated; context and atmosphere do not hinder אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s sight.
Part III: Woven in Secret - The Formation of the Person (Verses 13-18):
Verse 13: “For Thou hast made my reins; Thou hast knit me together in my mother's womb”.
Explanation: “Reins” (kilyot, or kidneys) represent the seat of emotion, conscience, and deep impulse in biblical Hebrew. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is credited with weaving together both physical architecture and inner psychology.
Verse 14: “I will give thanks unto Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well”.
Explanation: The psalmist expresses awe at human biology and consciousness. The appreciation of human design leads directly to Thanksgiving.
Verse 15: “My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth”.
Explanation: Uses poetic imagery comparing the hidden gestation of a child in the womb to being intricately woven (rukamti) in the dark depths of the earth.
Verse 16: “Thine eyes did see my unformed substance, and in Thy book they were all written, even the days that were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them”.
Explanation: Refers to golem (“unformed substance” or embryo). אֱלֹהִים - Elohim foresees the trajectory of a person’s life before life even commences, writing the blueprint in a Divine register.
Verse 17: “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O אֱלֹהִים - Elohim! How great is the sum of them!”
Explanation: The psalmist shifts from contemplating his own formation to marveling at the infinite complexity of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s intentions and design.
Verse 18: “If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with Thee”.
Explanation: Attempting to process אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s thoughts exceeds human cognitive capacity. Awakening signifies returning to consciousness only to realize אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s presence remains unbroken.
Part IV: The Shift - Moral Alignment and Self-Scrutiny (Verses 19-24):
Verse 19: “Surely Thou wilt slay the wicked, O אֱלֹהִים - Elohim; depart from me therefore, ye men of blood”.
Explanation: The abrupt transition. Having established אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s total mastery over creation, the psalmist confronts moral evil. He severs ties with violent, corrupt individuals (anshei damim).
Verse 20: “Who speak against ‘Thee maliciously’, and take ‘Thy Name in vain’ -Thine adversaries”.
Explanation: The wicked are defined not just by their violence against humans, but by their ‘rebellion’, ‘falsehood’, and ‘profanation of the Divine’.
Verse 21: “Do not I hate them, O יְהוָה - LORD, that hate Thee? And do not I strive with those that rise up against Thee?”
Explanation: This is covenantal loyalty. The psalmist views hostility toward אֱלֹהִים - Elohim as a personal injury, refusing to remain neutral in the presence of evil.
Verse 22: “I hate them with any utmost hatred; I count them mine enemies.”
Explanation: Strong language expressing ‘total repudiation of evil ways’. The ‘hatred here is moral’ and ‘ideological’ rather than personal malice; it is a rejection of their destructive ways.
Verse 23: “Search me, O אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts”.
Explanation: In a brilliant poetic turn, the psalmist closes the loop. Having ‘condemned the wicked’, he invites אֱלֹהִים - Elohim to turn the searchlight back onto him to ensure his own motivations are pure.
Verse 24: “And see if there be any way ‘iniquity in me’, and ‘lead me in the way everlasting’”.
Explanation: The ultimate goal of Divine scrutiny: identifying hidden faults (“way of iniquity” or pain) and directing the psalmist onto a path of enduring righteousness (derech olam).
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Closing Message
Psalm 139 presents a complete spiritual journey. It moves from ‘awe’ (recognizing אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s presence everywhere) to ‘introspection’ (realizing אֱלֹהִים - Elohim knows us intimately) to ‘conviction’ (standing firm against moral corruption) and finally to ‘humility’ (asking אֱלֹהִים - Elohim to correct our own flaws).
The psalm reminds us that true intimacy with אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is not a passive comfort, it requires active ‘integrity’, ‘courage to reject evil’, and the ‘willingness to stand fully exposed before truth’.
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