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Commentary on Psalms 139 verses 7–16
It is of great use to us to know the certainty of the things wherein we have been instructed, that we may not only believe them, but be able to tell why we believe them, and to give a reason of the hope that is in us. David is sure that God perfectly knows him and all his ways,
I. Because he is always under his eye. If God is omnipresent, he must needs be omniscient; but he is omnipresent; this supposes the infinite and immensity of his being, from which follows the ubiquity of his presence; heaven and earth include the whole creation, and the Creator fills both (Jer 23:24); he not only knows both, and governs both, but he fills both. Every part of the creation is under God's intuition and influence. David here acknowledges this also with application and sees himself thus open before God.
1.No flight can remove us out of God's presence: "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, from thy presence, that is, from thy spiritual presence, from thyself, who art a Spirit?" God is a Spirit, and therefore it is folly to think that because we cannot see him he cannot see us: Whither shall I flee from thy presence? Not that he desired to go away from God; no, he desired nothing more than to be near him; but he only puts the case, "Suppose I should be so foolish as to think of getting out of thy sight, that I might shake off the awe of thee, suppose I should think of revolting from my obedience to thee, or of disowning a dependence on thee and of shifting for myself, alas! whither can I go?" A heathen could say, Quocunque te flexeris, ibi Deum videbis occurrentem tibi - Whithersoever thou turnest thyself, thou wilt see God meeting thee. Seneca. He specifies the most remote and distant places, and counts upon meeting God in them. (1.) In heaven: "If I ascend thither, as I hope to do shortly, thou art there, and it will be my eternal bliss to be with thee there." Heaven is a vast large place, replenished with an innumerable company, and yet there is no escaping God's eye there, in any corner, or in any crowd. The inhabitants of that world have as necessary a dependence upon God, and lie as open to his strict scrutiny, as the inhabitants of this. (2.) In hell - in Sheol, which may be understood of the depth of the earth, the very centre of it. Should we dig as deep as we can under ground, and think to hide ourselves there, we should be mistaken; God knows that path which the vulture's eye never saw, and to him the earth is all surface. Or it may be understood of the state of the dead. When we are removed out of the sight of all living, yet not out of the sight of the living God; from his eye we cannot hide ourselves in the grave. Or it maybe understood of the place of the damned: If I make my bed in hell (an uncomfortable place to make a bed in, where there is no rest day or night, yet thousands will make their bed for ever in those flames), behold, thou art there, in thy power and justice. God's wrath is the fire which will there burn everlastingly, Rev 14:10. (3.) In the remotest corners of this world: "If I take the wings of the morning, the rays of the morning-light (called the wings of the sun, Mal 4:2), than which nothing more swift, and flee upon them to the uttermost parts of the sea, or of the earth (Job 38:12, Job 38:13), should I flee to the most distant and obscure islands (the ultima Thule, the Terra incognita), I should find thee there; there shall thy hand lead me, as far as I go, and thy right hand hold me, that I can go no further, that I cannot go out of thy reach." God soon arrested Jonah when he fled to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
2.No veil can hide us from God's eye, no, not that of the thickest darkness, Psa 139:11, Psa 139:12. "If I say, Yet the darkness shall cover me, when nothing else will, alas! I find myself deceived; the curtains of the evening will stand me in no more stead than the wings of the morning; even the night shall be light about me. That which often favours the escape of a pursued criminal, and the retreat of a beaten army, will do me no kindness in fleeing from them." When God divided between the light and darkness it was with a reservation of this prerogative, that to himself the darkness and the light should still be both alike. "The darkness darkeneth not from thee, for there is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves." No hypocritical mask or disguise, how specious soever, can save any person or action from appearing in a true light before God. Secret haunts of sin are as open before God as the most open and barefaced villanies.
II. Because he is the work of his hands. He that framed the engine knows all the motions of it. God made us, and therefore no doubt he knows us; he saw us when we were in the forming, and can we be hidden from him now that we are formed? This argument he insists upon (Psa 139:13-16): "Thou hast possessed my reins; thou art Master of my most secret thoughts and intentions, and the innermost recesses of my soul; thou not only knowest, but governest, them, as we do that which we have possession of; and the possession thou hast of my reins is a rightful possession, for thou coveredst me in my mother's womb, that is, thou madest me (Job 10:11), thou madest me in secret. The soul is concealed form all about us. Who knows the things of a man, save the spirit of a man?" Co1 2:11. Hence we read of the hidden man of the heart. But it was God himself that thus covered us, and therefore he can, when he pleases, discover us; when he hid us from all the world he did not intend to hide us from himself. Concerning the formation of man, of each of us,
1.The glory of it is here given to God, entirely to him; for it is he that has made us and not we ourselves. "I will praise thee, the author of my being; my parents were only the instruments of it." It was done, (1.) Under the divine inspection: My substance, when hid in the womb, nay, when it was yet but in fieri - in the forming, an unshapen embryo, was not hidden from thee; thy eyes did see my substance. (2.) By the divine operation. As the eye of God saw us then, so his hand wrought us; we were his work. (3.) According to the divine model: In thy book all my members were written. Eternal wisdom formed the plan, and by that almighty power raised the noble structure.
2.Glorious things are here said concerning it. The generation of man is to be considered with the same pious veneration as his creation at first. Consider it, (1.) As a great marvel, a great miracle we might call it, but that it is done in the ordinary course of nature. We are fearfully and wonderfully made; we may justly be astonished at the admirable contrivance of these living temples, the composition of every part, and the harmony of all together. (2.) As a great mystery, a mystery of nature: My soul knows right well that it is marvellous, but how to describe it for any one else I know not; for I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the womb as in the lowest parts of the earth, so privately, and so far out of sight. (3.) As a great mercy, that all our members in continuance were fashioned, according as they were written in the book of God's wise counsel, when as yet there was none of them; or, as some read it, and none of them was left out. If any of our members had been wanting in God's book, they would have been wanting in our bodies, but, through his goodness, we have all our limbs and sense, the want of any of which might have made us burdens to ourselves. See what reason we have then to praise God for our creation, and to conclude that he who saw our substance when it was unfashioned sees it now that it is fashioned.
Let them not persuade themselves that they should not do penance, who, although they have not contaminated their hands by impious sacrifices, yet have defiled their consciences with certificates. That profession is of one who denies; the testimony is of a Christian who rejects what he had been. He said that he had done what another actually did, and, although it is written, “You cannot serve two masters,” he served a secular master, he submitted to his edict, he obeyed human authority rather than God. He should have seen whether he published what he committed with less scandal or less guilt among people; however, he will not be able to escape and avoid God as his judge, for the Holy Spirit says in the Psalms, “Your eyes have seen my imperfection, and all will be written in your book,” and again, “People look on the face, but God [looks] on the heart. Let the Lord himself also forewarn and instruct you with these words: “And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches the desires and hearts.” He perceives the concealed and the secret and considers the hidden, nor can anyone evade the eyes of God who says, “Am I a God at hand, and not a God afar off? Shall a person be hid in secret places and I not see him?” He sees the hearts and breasts of each one, and, when about to pass judgment not only on our deeds but also on our words and thoughts, he looks into the minds and the wills conceived in the very recess of a still closed heart.
Watch, for when the body is sleeping it is nature that holds sway over us, and our activity is directed not by our wills but by the impulse of nature. When a heavy torpor of weakness and sadness rules over the soul, it is the enemy who holds sway over it and leads it against its own desire. It is force that holds sway over nature and the enemy who holds sway over the soul. That is why our Lord spoke of vigilance of soul and of body lest the body sink into a heavy sleep and the soul into a sluggishness born of timidity; just as [Scripture] says, “Let justice awaken you,” and, “When I awake I am still with you,” and, “Do not lose heart.” This is why “we do not lose heart” in the ministry confided to us.
Therefore the Lord supported us when he fashioned us; he supports us also when he bids us to be born. Consequently, the just person says, “You have supported me from my mother’s womb.” Whose mother’s? “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” Those, whom the Lord forms, he also supports; he supports them even in their coming forth: “And before you came forth from your mother’s womb, I sanctified you.” He is our supporter, for he has supported us with his hands. He is called a supporter as the Creator of the human race. And he is our supporter, for he has supported us by his visitation, that he may protect us. In view of this, the psalmist himself says in another passage, “He that dwells in the aid of the most High shall say to the Lord, ‘You are my supporter and my refuge.’ ” The first support is that of God’s working in us, the second in that of his protection of us. Indeed, listen to Moses saying, “Spreading his wings he received them and supported them upon his shoulders.” He supported them like the eagle, which was accustomed to examine its progeny, so as to keep and to bring up those whom it observed to possess the qualities of a true offspring and the gift of an undamaged constitution and to reject those in whom it detected weakness of a degenerate origin even at that tender age.
"For Thou, O Lord, hast possessed my reins" [Psalm 139:13]. The Possessor is within; He occupies not only the heart, but also the reins; not only the thoughts, but also the delights: He then possesses that whence I should feel delight at any light in this world: He occupies my reins: I know not delight, save from the inward light of His Wisdom. What then? Do you not delight that your affairs are very prosperous, times fortunate to you? Do you not delight in honour, in riches, in your family? "I do not," says he. Wherefore? Because "You have possessed my reins, O Lord; You have taken me up from my mother's womb." While I was in my mother's womb, I did not regard with indifference the darkness of that night and the light of that night....Now, having been taken up from the womb of that our mother, we look on them with indifference, and say, "As is His darkness, so is also His light." Neither does earthly prosperity make us happy, nor earthly adversity wretched. We must maintain righteousness, love faith, hope in God, love God, love our neighbours also. After these toils we shall have unfailing light, day without setting. Fleeting is all the light and darkness of this night.
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SUMMARY
Psalm 139:13 offers a profound and awe-inspiring declaration of God's intimate and active involvement in the formation of human life from its earliest moments. The psalmist expresses deep reverence for the Lord's divine craftsmanship, acknowledging that God not only intricately designed his innermost being but also meticulously protected and enveloped him within his mother's womb. This verse serves as a foundational statement affirming the sanctity of human life, the depth of divine sovereignty in creation, and God's comprehensive knowledge and unwavering care for each individual from conception.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 139:13 employs rich Imagery and Metaphor to convey profound theological truths about God's creative work. The phrase "possessed my reins" utilizes the Metaphor of the "reins" (kidneys) to represent the innermost self, the seat of emotions, thoughts, and conscience, thereby emphasizing God's complete knowledge and sovereign control over the psalmist's deepest being. The verb "possessed" (Hebrew: qânâh) itself carries the powerful Imagery of creation, acquisition, and ownership, underscoring God's initiating role. Furthermore, "thou hast covered me" employs the vivid Imagery of weaving, knitting, or sheltering, portraying God as a divine artisan meticulously forming and protecting the developing life within the womb. This specific imagery highlights the intricate, personal, and delicate nature of God's creative work. The verse also exhibits a form of Synthetic Parallelism, where the two clauses reinforce and elaborate on the same central idea—God's intimate and active role in the psalmist's formation from conception—with the second clause expanding upon the first.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse stands as a cornerstone for understanding the biblical view of human life's origin and inherent value. It unequivocally declares that human existence is not a random biological event but a deliberate, personal, and intricate act of divine creation. God is intimately involved from conception, meticulously forming the individual's "reins"—their deepest inner self—and "covering" them in the protective sanctuary of the womb. This truth establishes the profound dignity and sacredness of every human life, regardless of stage of development, perceived ability, or societal status, as each person is a unique masterpiece of God's design. It speaks powerfully to God's foreknowledge and sovereign purpose for each individual, affirming that we are known, valued, and cared for by Him before we even draw our first breath. This divine intentionality undergirds the sanctity of life from its very beginning.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 139:13 offers immense comfort and a profound challenge for our lives today. To truly grasp that the Creator of the universe meticulously formed us in our mother's womb, possessing our innermost being and intricately knitting us together, transforms our understanding of self-worth, identity, and purpose. We are not accidents, nor are we products of chance; rather, we are divinely purposed creations, known and loved by God from our very beginning. This truth should instill deep gratitude, confidence, and security in God's continuous care throughout our lives, knowing that He who began such a detailed and personal work will surely complete it. It also calls us to a radical re-evaluation of how we view and value human life at every stage, from conception to natural death, recognizing the indelible image of God stamped upon every individual. This verse encourages us to live with a heightened sense of divine intentionality, embracing the unique design and purpose God has woven into our very fabric, and to champion the sacredness of all human life.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "reins" literally mean kidneys, and what is its significance in this verse?
Answer: Yes, in the King James Version, "reins" translates the Hebrew word kilyâh (H3629), which literally refers to the kidneys. However, in ancient Hebrew thought and biblical anthropology, the kidneys, often paired with the heart, were considered much more than just biological organs. They were understood as the seat of one's deepest emotions, thoughts, conscience, and moral character—the innermost being or core self. So, when the psalmist declares that God "possessed my reins," it means God intimately formed and knows the very depths of his being, including his hidden thoughts, motivations, and spiritual essence, even before birth. This emphasizes God's comprehensive knowledge, sovereign control, and creative authority over every aspect of human life from its inception, a theme powerfully articulated throughout Psalm 139.
How does this verse speak to the sanctity of life?
Answer: This verse profoundly speaks to the sanctity of life by asserting God's direct, personal, and meticulous involvement in the formation of an individual within the mother's womb. The imagery of God "possessing" (creating and owning) the innermost being and "covering" (meticulously forming and protecting) the developing life underscores that human life is not a random biological occurrence but a divinely initiated and crafted masterpiece. This implies inherent value, dignity, and sacredness from the moment of conception, making every unborn child a unique creation of God, worthy of protection, respect, and love. It aligns seamlessly with other biblical passages that affirm God's foreknowledge and purpose for individuals before birth, such as Jeremiah 1:5 ("Before I formed you in the womb I knew you") and Isaiah 49:1 ("The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name").
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 139:13, with its awe-inspiring declaration of God's intimate creative work in the womb, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. While every human life is a testament to God's sovereign design, Jesus's conception and birth represent the pinnacle of divine formation and redemptive intervention. The eternal Son of God, who pre-existed with the Father from eternity and through whom all things were made (John 1:1-3), willingly "emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). The miraculous conception of Jesus in Mary's womb by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) is the supreme demonstration of God's ability to "possess" and "cover" a life with divine purpose and perfection, forming a sinless human nature for the express purpose of redemption. In Christ, the intricate weaving of humanity and divinity occurred, allowing the "Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Thus, the psalmist's wonder at God's hand in his own formation foreshadows the unparalleled wonder of God's hand in forming the very body that would bear the sins of the world and reconcile humanity to its Creator (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus's perfect human formation in the womb was essential for Him to be the spotless Lamb of God (John 1:29), fully human yet fully divine, uniquely qualified to accomplish salvation.