Psalms 139:2

Psalm 139:2, a cornerstone of this profound psalm, beautifully articulates the Psalmist David's awe at God's intimate and comprehensive knowledge of him. Following the declaration in verse 1 that God has "searched me, and known me," this verse elaborates on the depth and extent of that divine understanding.

Context

Psalm 139 is a magnificent meditation on the attributes of God, particularly His omnipresence (He is everywhere), omniscience (He knows everything), and omnipotence (He is all-powerful). Attributed to King David, the psalm moves from a sense of wonder at God's all-encompassing knowledge to a plea for guidance and purification. Verse 2 immediately sets the tone for God's personal and constant awareness of the individual.

Key Themes

• Divine Omniscience: The primary theme is God's complete and perfect knowledge. He knows not just what we do, but why we do it, and even what we think before we act. This is the essence of God's all-seeing eye, where "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."
• Intimate Personal Knowledge: "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising" signifies God's awareness of every daily activity, every routine, every movement. It speaks to a deep, personal relationship where no detail of life goes unnoticed by the Creator.
• Pre-cognition of Thought: "Thou understandest my thought afar off" is a powerful statement. It suggests that God knows our thoughts even before they are fully formed, or from a distance, implying His complete and immediate grasp of our inner world. This profound knowledge isn't just about actions but extends to our deepest motivations and even our thoughts and intentions.

Linguistic Insights

• "Downsitting and uprising": The Hebrew words are yosheb (sitting) and qum (rising). These two verbs, often used together in Hebrew idiom, represent the entirety of human activity, from rest to movement, from beginning to end of a day. It encompasses all aspects of daily life and routine.
• "Thought afar off": The Hebrew phrase is re'a merahoq. Re'a refers to a thought, a purpose, or a concept. Merahoq means "from a distance" or "from afar." This phrase powerfully conveys God's ability to comprehend our thoughts even before they are fully conceived or expressed, or to know them completely, even if they seem hidden or distant to us. It underscores the depth and foresight of God's knowledge.

Practical Application

This verse offers both comfort and a challenge. For the believer, it is a source of immense comfort to know that God fully understands us – our struggles, our joys, our fears, and our unexpressed desires. We are not alone, nor are we misunderstood by Him. This knowledge fosters a deeper sense of security and intimacy in our relationship with God.

Conversely, it also serves as a gentle reminder of accountability. Since God knows our every action and thought, it encourages us to live with integrity, to strive for purity of heart, and to align our intentions with His will. There is no hiding from God, which can be a sobering truth but also a liberating one, as it frees us from pretense and encourages genuine faith.