Psalm 139:9

9 If I take the wings of the dawn, And settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Psalm 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Psalm 139:9 In-Context

7 Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in She'ol, behold, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the dawn, And settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there your hand will lead me, And your right hand will hold me.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; The light around me will be night;"