Psalms 139:5

5 You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me.

Psalms 139:5 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 139:5

Thou hast beset me behind and before
Art on every side of me, all around me, like one besieged in a strait place; so that there is nothing I can think, say, or do, but what is known unto thee. The two Kimchis, father and son, render the word, "thou hast formed me": and interpret it of the formation of his body, of which, in ( Psalms 139:14-16 ) ; see ( Job 10:8 Job 10:10 Job 10:11 ) but it denotes how God compasses men with his presence and providence, so that nothing escapes his knowledge;

and laid thine hand upon me;
not his afflicting hand, which sometimes presses hard; though the Targum thus paraphrases it,

``and stirred against me the stroke of thine hand:''

but rather his hand of power and providence, to preserve, protect, and defend him. Or it signifies that he was so near to him that his hand was upon him, and he was perfectly known; as anything is that is before a man, and he has his hand upon.

Psalms 139:5 In-Context

3 You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways.

4 There isn't a word on my tongue, LORD, that you don't already know completely.

5 You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me.

6 That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it's so high above me that I can't fathom it.

7 Where could I go to get away from your spirit? Where could I go to escape your presence?