Psalms 139:8

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I lie down in the deepest parts of the earth, you are also there.

Psalms 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.''

Psalms 139:8 In-Context

6 I'm amazed at how well you know me. It's more than I can understand.

7 How can I get away from your Spirit? Where can I go to escape from you?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I lie down in the deepest parts of the earth, you are also there.

9 Suppose I were to rise with the sun in the east and then cross over to the west where it sinks into the ocean.

10 Your hand would always be there to guide me. Your right hand would still be holding me close.