Psalm 139:19-24 - God Knows Me Intimately :: By Mark A. Becker

There is so much glorious wonder to Psalm 139 that we had no choice but to break our study down into four parts:

Candidly, I struggled a little with the title of this four-part study on Psalm 139, as other titles entered my head, such as God’s Omniscience, Omnipresence, and Omnipotence or God’s Omni Attributes. However, David was mesmerized and awed by the Lord’s intimate knowledge of him, His ever-present presence with him, and His provisions for him. Therefore, as the believer in Jesus Christ can and should appropriate David’s divinely given knowledge of the Lord to himself or herself, God Knows Me Intimately – for me, and I suspect for many commentators – really sums up this marvelous and unequaled Psalm.

King David was known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22), and no words of David sum up his intense love, awe, and reverence for his Creator than Psalm 139.

A favorite psalm of all children of God, Psalm 139 reveals the heart of David toward the Lord and his intimate relationship with his God, and, in the process, gives us remarkable biological insights into the workings of God in creating every human being. Psalm 139 also reveals God in the breathtaking and astounding character traits of His glorious and majestic omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence.

As we are accustomed to, we will be examining Psalm 139 verse by verse along with commentary and corroborating Scriptures. We will also be analyzing many significant and notable Hebrew words and phrases throughout the Psalm.

Moreover, we added a few notations by Henry M. Morris from The Henry Morris Study Bible, annotated by THMSB. We will also quote a few different translations for the reader to consider; however, this in no way is an endorsement of any translation cited in this article. I always recommend only the King James Version to my brothers and sisters, as this is the best English translation we have.

King David’s insights into God and His sovereign omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, as outlined in this Psalm, are stunning.

An outline of Psalm 139 concerning God’s omni characteristics, and as divided in our four-part series as given in the Psalm’s four stanzas, are: Psalm 139:1-6, God’s omniscience; Psalm 139:7-12, God’s omnipresence; Psalm 139:13-18, God’s omnipotence; and Psalm 139:19-24, God’s omni-righteousness with His abhorrence of wickedness and evil.

THMSB: This psalm is intensely personal. The first-person pronouns (“I,” “me,” etc.) occur 48 times in these 24 verses, and the second-person pronouns (“thou,” “thine,” etc.) occur 28 times.

Underlined Scripture passages are my own emphasis.

Psalm 139:19-24 – God’s Omni-Righteousness with His Abhorrence of Wickedness and Evil

King David begins his fourth and final stanza by stressing his intimate knowledge of God’s hatred of wickedness and evil, and that David himself hates what God hates.

“Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.” – Psalm 139:19

The Hebrew for “thou wilt slay” is תִּקְטֹל “tiqṭōl” from 6991 קָטַל “qāṭal,” which means, properly, to cut off, (figuratively) to slay, to kill.

The idea is that God will figuratively “slay” or “kill” the wicked, though God will literally and ultimately “cut off” the wicked, for they were also created eternal, from the presence of the righteous and the presence from Himself immediately following the Great White Throne Judgment when they are thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

In the wonderful acrostic Psalm 119, the Psalmist declared…

“I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.” – Psalm 119:15

Obviously, wicked and bloody men never “meditate” on God’s Law and His Word and never “have respect unto [the] ways” of the Lord. King David wanted no part in these wicked people, desiring that they “depart” from him, as they are destined to be slayed by the Lord: that is, severed forever from their Creator and the righteous men and women who love the Lord with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).

“[W]ith righteousness shall he [God] judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” – Isaiah 11:4

Of course, these wicked people will be literally slayed by our Lord with the sword of His mouth (Revelation 19:11-21) at His Second Coming, but they will still live forever after their resurrections in the Lake of Fire, which is the “second death” (Revelation 20:13-15). Then the wicked will be “cut off” and “severed” forever from their Creator and the righteous.

“For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.” – Psalm 139:20

The Hebrew for “wickedly” is לִ / מְזִמָּה “limzimmâ” from 4209 מְזִמָּה “mᵊzimmâ,” meaning, depending on context, a plan (machination – usually evil), wicked device, lewdness, mischievous (device), wickedly, evil thoughts, sagacity (usually good), purpose, discretion, device, intent, witty invention, thought.

In Psalm 139:20, wickedness in act – namely, the act of speaking wickedly against God – seems to be the proper understanding.

The Hebrew for “in vain” is לַ / שָּׁוְא “laššāv’” from7723 שָׁוְא “šāv’,” meaning, in context, emptiness, nothingness, vanity, to take up Name of God in vain (to no good purpose). Noteworthy is that “thy Name” is not in the original language – inserted by the translators – yet the implication seems rather to point in that direction.

David’s righteous disdain for those who “speak against [God] wickedly” and “take [the Lord’s] Name in vain,” deeply distresses and troubles the King, for his fervent desire is to protect, honor, and glorify the Lord God.

“Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.” – Psalm 139:21-22

THMSB: We should love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), but hate with perfect hatred (i.e., godly hatred) those who have made themselves enemies of God.

The Hebrew for “Do | I hate” is אֶשְׂנָא “‘eśnā’.”

The Hebrew for “them | that hate thee” is מְשַׂנְאֶי / ךָ “mᵊśan’êḵā.”

The Hebrew for “I hate them” is שְׂנֵאתִי / ם “śᵊnē’ṯîm.”

All three of these Hebrew phrases are from 8130 שָׂנֵא “śānē’,” meaning, in Qal verb form, to hate (of man or of God), hater, one hating, enemy (participle).

The Hebrew for “hatred” is 8135 שִׂנְאָה “śin’â,” derived from our Hebrew word, 8130 שָׂנֵא “śānē’,” essentially meaning the same: hating, hatred, hate, hatred (or man or God).

The Hebrew for “with perfect” is 8503 תַּכְלִית “taḵlîṯ,” used only five times in the Tanakh, meaning end, perfection, consummation, completion, completeness, and translated end, perfect, and perfection in the KJV.

“With completeness of hatred I hate them” would be a literal paraphrase. The hatred that David has for those who hate God is equivalent and reciprocal in David’s eyes. They hate God; therefore, King David hates them for hating God.

However, hatred, often in both Hebrew and Greek, is commonly contrasted with love in order to emphasize love. A prime example of this is when the Lord said…

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:26

Obviously, we are to love our father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters. However, the contrast is made between love and hate to emphasize the greater love we should have for our Lord and Savior in comparison to our beloved family members.

With David, though, his hatred does not flow from this common contrast found in Scripture. His is real, intense hatred for those who intensely hate God!

David Asks God to Search Him and Intimately Know His Heart and Thoughts and Lead Him in the Way Everlasting

King David’s closing two verses are extremely personal in nature.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts…” – Psalm 139:23

Job spoke similar words, knowing that the Lord knew him intimately and judged righteously…

“Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity.” – Job 31:6

The parallels between Psalm 139:1, in King David’s opening verse, and Psalm 139:23a, as King David closes out his Psalm, are wonderfully united. Let’s look at verse one once again and compare it with verse 23a.

“O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me…” – Psalm 139:1

“Search me, O God, and know my heart …” – Psalm 139:23a

As in verse one – “O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me” – the Hebrew for “search me” in verse 23 is the same as “searched me” in verse one, and is from 2713 חָקַר “ḥāqar,” in Qal verb form, meaning in context of both Psalm 139:1, 23, to examine thoroughly, searching a man.

David had opened Psalm 139 by noting that God had indeed “searched [him]” by examining him thoroughly, and now, as King David closes his psalm, asks God to do “search [him]” once again, to thoroughly examine him and “know his heart.” David is confident that God would indeed find him to be “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22), as is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures.

The Hebrew for “and know” is from the same word we have looked at twice before, 3045 יָדַע “yāḏaʿ,” also in Qal verb form, means, in context, to know, be acquainted with, perceive and see, find out and discern, to have knowledge.

The Hebrew “my heart” is לְבָבִ / י “lᵊḇāḇî” from 3824 לֵבָב “lēḇāḇ,” meaning inner man, mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, will, determination, inclination, resolution, conscience, heart, soul, seat of appetites, seat of emotions and passions, seat of courage, understanding, etc.

As we have discussed in this series, this Hebrew word denotes the immaterial man or woman. “The ghost in the machine,” if you will; the immaterial essence of what makes us who we are.

The Hebrew for “try me” is בְּחָנֵ / נִי “bᵊḥānēnî” from 974 בָּחַן “bāḥan,” and, in the Imperative Qal verb form, means to examine, scrutinize, test, prove, try.

King David is petitioning his almighty God to examine him thoroughly, searching every aspect of David’s life, to know, be acquainted with, perceive and see, find out and discern, to have knowledge and examine, scrutinize, test, prove, try his inner man, mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, will, determination, inclination,
resolution, conscience, heart, soul, seat of appetites, seat of emotions and passions, seat of courage, and understanding.

Wow! This is beyond grandiose! This is love, faith, hope, and trust all rolled up into one. David absolutely loves and trusts God, and his sole desire is to please him, never fretting over what the Lord may find in him because he knows that God knows David better than David knows himself, and he is quite certain that God will find him faithful because he knows his own heart and is intimately acquainted with the Lord’s lovingkindness and mercy.

“And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:24

The Hebrew, translated “wicked” in this verse, is 6090 עֹצֶב “ʿōṣeḇ,” essentially meaning pain, sorrow, idol.

Strong’s adds, obviously because of this verse, wicked, with the notation that the definition of wicked “denotes a rendering that results from an idiom peculiar to the Hebrew or Greek.” Whether this is supposed or known by Strong’s for certain, I do not know.

The Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon never mentions Strong’s definition and idiom notation for wicked, but lists both sorrow and idol.

This Hebrew word, “ʿōṣeḇ,” is used only four times in the Tanakh – 1 Chronicles 4:9 (“sorrow”), Isaiah 14:3 (“sorrow”), Isaiah 48:5 (“mine idol”), and here is Psalm 139:24.

This word, “ʿōṣeḇ,” is not one of the usual Hebrew words for “wicked” or “wickedness,” one of which we looked at in verse 20, 4209 מְזִמָּה “mᵊzimmâ.”

Two others that are related to each other are 7562 רֶשַׁע “rešaʿ,” a masculine noun, meaning wrong (especially moral), iniquity, guilt, wicked, unrighteous, unrighteousness, wickedness, wickedness (as violence and crime against civil law), wickedness (of enemies), wickedness (in ethical relations), and the more commonly used is 7563 רָשָׁע “rāšāʿ,” an adjective, which means wicked, criminal, guilty one, one guilty of a crime, wicked (hostile to God), wicked – guilty of sin (against man or God), morally wrong, an (actively) bad person, condemned, ungodly, unrighteous.

With all of this in mind, David’s Hebrew word choice, obviously inspired by the Holy Spirit, and in keeping with the definitions used in the only other three times it is used, seems to be stressing any sorrow or idol within his heart as opposed to the standard understanding of wickedness – that of unrighteousness. However, virtually all translations use the phrases wickedness, offensive way, grievous way, hurtful way, evil way, or something similar. I find it somewhat interesting that effectively none of these translations have considered the more standard definition of the word “sorrow” in their Bible versions, though they may have good reason due to Strong’s suggestion that the word is used as an idiom in the passage.

In any case, however one wants to understand this seldom-used Hebrew word, whatever the intentions of David were, they were something David did not desire to be a part of his life in any way. Doubtless, God would also desire that David would have no part in that which David knew would be a hindrance to him and His God.

The Hebrew for “way” in both usages is the same word we examined in verse three, 1870 דֶּרֶךְ “dereḵ,” meaning way, road, path, direction, distance, journey, manner, habit, course of life, moral character.

Interestingly, the word sequence in the original is actually reversed – “way [“dereḵ”] wicked [“ʿōṣeḇ”],” as opposed to “wicked [“ʿōṣeḇ”] way [“dereḵ”].”

Additionally, “there be any” is not in the original Hebrew, added by the translators, yet certainly could be implied by the context.

Hence, the actual text analysis reads: “And see if a way of wickedness [is] in me.”

As I was pondering all of this, I found myself wondering what if David, through the Holy Spirit, actually meant “sorrow,” the prominent definition of the Hebrew word “ʿōṣeḇ.”

Here was my reflection, which I would like to share with the reader on this possibility.

Why would David ask the Lord to “see if there be any ‘sorrow’ in [him]”?

Well, logically, “sorrow” for the believer would literally be a lack of joy – a broken heart, a sadness, a suffering of a sort – and the lack of joy in a believer’s heart would inevitably be due to not walking in the Lord’s will and/or sin (missing the mark) in their lives, which would necessarily quench (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and grieve (Ephesians 4:30) the Holy Spirit.

Though King David did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit as we do today, it would not be much different for him, as he too had the Holy Spirit mightily active in his own life.

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward” – 1 Samuel 16:13

Very few men or women had as close a relationship to the Lord God than did King David.

“Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.” – 2 Samuel 23:1-2

And, as we should know, David pleaded with the Lord not to cast him away from His presence and take the Holy Spirit from him when he poured out his heart to God concerning his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah, in Psalm 51.

“Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” – Psalm 51:11

Therefore, even for David, not walking in the will of the Lord in his life and sinning in any way – as all of us believers unfortunately do from time to time – would obviously lead to a drastic lack of joy in his life, and he, like us, would desperately desire never to have this intense sorrow in his heart – ever.

Taking into account the prominent definition of this Hebrew word, and applying our logical understanding of what David may have felt regarding true godly sorrow in his heart and life, may give us a clearer understanding when we read…

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any ‘way of sorrow’ in me…” – Psalm 139:23-24a

I thought this supposition to be an earnest reflection on this verse – whether it is warranted or not, I am not sure – and I thought it at least appropriate to share with the reader for their consideration.

“… and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:24b

Finally, King David’s heartfelt concluding request of the Lord would be that God, after cleansing him from any “way of wickedness” or “way of sorrow” within him, would “lead [him] in the way everlasting.” David’s petition would be fulfilled on that glorious day when he would be with his God forevermore, seemingly knowing from his own inspired Psalms that the Messiah would be resurrected, and one day, because of the glorious work of Christ Jesus on his behalf, David would be resurrected too (Psalm 16:8-11).

Only a bold believer who truly and fully trusts in the Lord and loves Him “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30) would ever appeal to God in this righteous and honorable way. And King David truly loved God and desired eagerly to please the Lord with his whole created being! And, obviously, so should we!!

Conclusion

Though Psalm 139, as many of his psalms are, is of a personal nature for the King, David’s insights are certainly divinely inspired and should be appropriated by all believers in the Almighty Lord God of creation.

When we meditate, like King David did, on the intimacy God has with each of His created people from conception to birth, and then on God’s mighty provisions for each person’s benefit in the blessings He bestows – whether saved or not, and especially for those who are called by His glorious Name – there is no end to considering that for each of us, we should proclaim with great joy, “God Knows Me Intimately.” Because, as we have seen in this remarkable psalm, He absolutely does!

Moreover, as we have also observed in this remarkable psalm, the Lord God knows virtually everything about us, and He knew these things about us before He ever created, preordaining our existence through His sovereign omniscient foreknowledge of who we each would become through our God-given free will. Meditating on His wonderful omnipresence that is always present with us and in us, never to escape His loving presence, and considering His awesome omnipotence as Creator of all, leads a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ to just bow down the heart in humility, offering praise and honor to our worthy and wondrous God.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them… And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” – Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7

“… for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee…” – 1 Chronicles 28:9

“Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” – Psalm 100:3

‘For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth… The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.” – Psalm 37:22-24

“I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” – Isaiah 45:12

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

“He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

“Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

“For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” – Psalm 33:6-9

Messiah Yeshua, Jesus Christ, was the Creator of all things. And because He was the Creator, He must be the Redeemer. So, He, as the eternal Son of God, through the eternal council of the triune God, became a man in order to rescue mankind from the curse that He Himself pronounced on His creation when Adam and Eve rebelled.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not…

“…That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” – John 1:1-5, 9-14

Thus, the Creator, taking on human flesh, became mankind’s Redeemer to all who would come to Him by God’s grace through saving faith in His work on the cross on our behalf, and His death, burial, and glorious resurrection paving the way for us to be reconciled to God the Father.

For those who have had a genuine conversion to Jesus Christ, their eternity is sealed by the indwelling Holy Spirit for evermore.

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

“Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

“… Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:26-35, 37-39

What a gloriously omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God we love, cherish, honor, praise, worship, and serve! He is truly everything to those who are born-again and have the indwelling Holy Spirit living inside of us until the day of redemption – the day of Jesus Christ, when God the Father will tell His beloved Son, “It’s time. Go fetch Your bride.”

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for who You are, all You have done, all You are doing, and all You will do. We cherish You. We praise You. We worship You. We honor You. We glorify You and Your Holy Name.

We love You, Father, Your beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and Your indwelling Holy Spirit that leads and guides us into all truth, dearly and forevermore.

May we all keep Answering the Call of The Great Commission, and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks us, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?”

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

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