Psalms 139 · Verse 9

Psalms 139:9

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

Psalms 139:9, King James Version

Psalms 139:9 in other translations

BSB	If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea,
WEB	If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea,
ASV	If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
YLT	I take the wings of morning, I dwell in the uttermost part of the sea,
DARBY	If I take the wings of the dawn and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
BBE	If I take the wings of the morning, and go to the farthest parts of the sea;
Webster	If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

What does Psalms 139:9 mean?

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 139:7-16

We cannot see God, but he can see us. The psalmist did not desire to go from the Lord. Whither can I go? In the most distant corners of the world, in heaven, or in hell, I cannot go out of thy reach. No veil can hide us from God; not the thickest darkness. No disguise can save any person or action from being seen in the true light by him. Secret haunts of sin are as open before God as the most open villanies. On the…

Read the full comment on Psalms 139:7-16 →

Psalms 139:9 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.

אֶשָּׂ֥א'e.Sa'I will rise upH5375

כַנְפֵי\־khan.fei-[the] wings ofH3671

שָׁ֑חַרSha.chardawnH7837

אֶ֝שְׁכְּנָ֗ה'esh.ke.NahI dwellH7931

בְּאַחֲרִ֥יתbe.'a.cha.Ritat [the] end ofH319

יָֽם\׃Yam[the] seaH3220

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

Cross references for Psalms 139:9

Psalms 19:6
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
Psalms 74:16-17
The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.
Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

If I take.Light has been proved, by many experiments, to travel at the astonishing rate of 194,188 miles in one second of time; and comes from the sun to the earth, a distance of 95,513,794 miles in 8 minutes and nearly 12 seconds! But, could I even fly upon the wings or rays of the morning light, which diffuses itself with such velocity over the globe from east to west, instead of being beyond Thy reach, or by this sudden transition be able to escape Thy notice, Thy arm could still at pleasure prevent or arrest my progress, and I should still be encircled with the immensity of Thy essence. The sentiment in this noble passage is remarkably striking and the description truly sublime.
the wings.
18:10; 19:6; Mal 4:2
dwell.
74:16,17; Isa 24:14-16

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

Context

Psalms 139:8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Psalms 139:9
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Psalms 139:10
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Read all of Psalms 139

Psalms 139:9 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Si tomare las alas del alba, y habitare en el extremo de la mar,
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Si je prends les ailes de l’aube du jour, si je fais ma demeure au bout de la mer,
German Elberfelder 1871	Nähme ich Flügel der Morgenröte, ließe ich mich nieder am äußersten Ende des Meeres,
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Ne tradas me, Domine, a desiderio meo peccatori: cogitaverunt contra me; ne derelinquas me, ne forte exaltentur.