Psalms 139:9

9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Psalms 139:9 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 139:9

[If] I take the wings of the morning
And fly as swift as the morning light to the east, to the extremity of it, as Ben Melech; as far as he could go that way, as swiftly as the wings of the morning could carry him thither; so the morning is represented by the Heathens as having wings F6; or as the rays of the rising sun, called wings for the swiftness of them, ( Malachi 4:2 ) ;

[and] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
in the most distant isles of it, in the farthest parts of the world, the sea being supposed the boundary of it: or "in the uttermost parts of the west" F7, as opposed to the morning light and rising sun, which appear in the east; and the sea is often in Scripture put for the west, the Mediterranean sea being to the west of the land of Palestine; and could he go from east to west in a moment, as the above writer observes, there would God be. The Heathens represent Jupiter, their supreme god, as having three eyes, because he reigns in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth F8.


FOOTNOTES:

F6 Vid. Cuperi Apotheos. Homeri, p. 177.
F7 (My tyrxab) "in novissimo occidentis", Pagninus.
F8 Pausan. Corinthiaca, sive l. 2. p. 129.

Psalms 139:9 In-Context

7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, "Let only darkness cover me, and the light about me be night,"
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.