Psalms 139 · Verse 5

Psalms 139:5

Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Psalms 139:5, King James Version

Psalms 139:5 in other translations

BSBYou hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.
WEBYou hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me.
ASVThou hast beset me behind and before, And laid thy hand upon me.
YLTBehind and before Thou hast besieged me, And Thou dost place on me Thy hand.
DARBYThou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me.
BBEI am shut in by you on every side, and you have put your hand on me.
WebsterThou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me.

What does Psalms 139:5 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before - אחור וקדם צרתני achor vekodam tsartani, "The hereafter and the past, thou hast formed me." I think Bishop Horsley's emendation here is just, uniting the two verses together. "Behold thou, O Jehovah, knowest the whole, the hereafter and the past. Thou hast formed me, and laid thy hand upon me."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 139:1-6

God has perfect knowledge of us, and all our thoughts and actions are open before him. It is more profitable to meditate on Divine truths, applying them to our own cases, and with hearts lifted to God in prayer, than with a curious or disputing frame of mind. That God knows all things, is omniscient; that he is every where, is omnipresent; are truths acknowledged by all, yet they are seldom rightly believed in by…

Read the full comment on Psalms 139:1-6 →

Psalms 139:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אָח֣וֹר'a.Chorback partH268
וָקֶ֣דֶםva.Ke.demand frontH6924
צַרְתָּ֑נִיtzar.Ta.niyou enclose meH6696
וַתָּ֖שֶׁתva.Ta.shetand you have putH7896
עָלַ֣י'a.Laion meH5921
כַּפֶּֽכָה\׃ka.Pe.khahhand yourH3709

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 139:5

  • Psalms 34:7

    The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

  • Deuteronomy 33:27

    The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

  • Revelation 1:17

    And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

  • Job 23:8-9

    Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

  • Exodus 24:11

    And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

  • Job 9:33

    Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
beset me.
De 33:27; Job 23:8,9
and laid.
Ex 24:11; Re 1:17

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 139:4

    For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.

  • Psalms 139:5

    Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

  • Psalms 139:6

    Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Read all of Psalms 139

Psalms 139:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Detrás y delante me guarneciste, y sobre mí pusiste tu mano.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Tu me tiens serré par-derrière et par-devant, et tu as mis ta main sur moi,…
German
Elberfelder 1871		Von hinten und von vorn hast du mich eingeengt, und auf mich gelegt deine Hand.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Custodi me, Domine, de manu peccatoris, et ab hominibus iniquis eripe me. Qui cogitaverunt supplantare gressus meos: