Psalm 139:8

8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there. If I went down to the grave, you would be there too!

Psalm 139:8 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 139:8

If I ascend up into heaven, thou [art] there
No man hath ascended or can ascend to heaven of himself; it is an hyperbolical expression, as are those that follow; none but Christ has ascended to heaven by his own power, who descended from it; saints hope to go there at death, and, when they do, they find God there; that is his habitation, his throne is there, yea, that is his throne; here he keeps court and has his attendants, and here he will be seen and enjoyed by his people to all eternity;

if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art there];
which, if understood of the place of the damned, is a place of torment, and a very unfit one to make a bed in, being a lake burning with fire and brimstone; and where the smoke of their torment ascends for ever, and they have no rest day nor night; their worm never dies, and their fire is not quenched; and even here God is: hell is not only naked before him, and all its inhabitants in his view; but he is here in his powerful presence, keeping the devils in chains of darkness; turning wicked men daily into it, pouring out his wrath upon them, placing and continuing an unpassable gulf between them and happy souls: though rather this is to be understood of the grave, in which sense the word is often used; and so Kimchi, Aben Ezra, and Arama, interpret it of the lowest parts of the earth, as opposed to heaven; the grave is a bed to the saints, where they lie down and rest, and sleep till the resurrection morn, ( Job 14:12 ) ( Job 17:13 Job 17:16 ) ( Isaiah 57:2 ) ; and here the Lord is watching over and keeping their dust, and will raise it up again at the last day. The Targum is,

``there is thy Word.''

Psalm 139:8 In-Context

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?

8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there. If I went down to the grave, you would be there too!

9 If I could fly on the wings of dawn, stopping to rest only on the far side of the ocean—

10 even there your hand would guide me; even there your strong hand would hold me tight!

Footnotes

• [a] Heb Sheol