Psalm 139:15 NLT,NIV,ESV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 139:7-16

It is of great use to us to know the certainty of the things wherein we have been instructed, that we may not only believe them, but be able to tell why we believe them, and to give a reason of the hope that is in us. David is sure that God perfectly knows him and all his ways, I. Because he is always under his eye. If God is omnipresent, he must needs be omniscient; but he is omnipresent; this supposes the infinite and immensity of his being, from which follows the ubiquity of his presence;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 139:15

My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret ,.... Or "my bone" F14 עצמי "os meum", V. L. Vatablus, Gejerus, "ossa mea", Piscator; "apparatio ossium meorum", Cocceius. ; everyone of his bones, which are the substantial parts of the body, the strength of it; and so some render it "my strength" F15 "Robur meum", Tigurine version; "vis mea", Junius & Tremellius. ; those, though covered with skin and flesh yet, being done by the Lord himself, were not hid from... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 139:15

My substance was not hid from thee - עצמי atsmi , my bones or skeleton. Curiously wrought - רקמתי rukkamti , embroidered, made of needlework. These two words, says Bishop Horsley, describe the two principal parts of which the human body is composed; the bony skeleton, the foundation of the whole; and the external covering of muscular flesh, tendons, veins, arteries, nerves, and skin; a curious web of fibres. On this passage Bishop Lowth has some excellent observations: "In that... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 139:15

Verse 15 15.My strength was not hid from thee That nothing is hid from God David now begins to prove from the way in which man is at first formed, and points out God’s superiority to other artificers in this, that while they must have their work set before their eyes before they can form it, he fashioned us in our mother’s womb. It is of little importance whether we read my strength or my bone, though I prefer the latter reading. He next likens the womb of the mother to the lowest caverns or... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:1-24

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:1-24

Lord, thou knowest altogether. This psalm, one of the most sublime of them all, is of unknown authorship. It seems to be the composition of some saint of God who lived after the Captivity. If so , what proof it gives of the blessing of sanctified sorrow (cf. the probably companion psalm, Psalms 119:1-176 ; Psalms 119:67 , Psalms 119:71 , Psalms 119:75 )! The furnace of the Exile, the husks of the far country, did bring prodigal Israel to himself; and this psalm is one clear... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:7-16

The domain of God. The main thought of these noble words is— I. THE BOUNDLESSNESS OF GOD 'S DOMAIN . Wherever we are, whithersoever we go, we are always within his charge. Could we reach the highest heavens, he is there; or the lowest depths of Hades, he is there; and could we wing our way to the far horizon, where sea and sky meet, he is there. In vain should we seek the shelter of the darkness, for darkness and light are alike to him. Even before the light of life shone... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:15

My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret. The formation of the embryo in the womb seems to be intended. This remains as much a mystery as ever, notwithstanding all the pryings of modern science. And curiously wrought ; literally, and embroidered , or woven with threads of divers colors (comp. Psalms 139:13 ; and note that modern science speaks of the various "tissues" of the human frame, and calls a portion of medical knowledge "histology"). In the lowest... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:15-16

What a man can be and do God knows. The latter clause of Psalms 139:15 has been well rendered, "When I was wrought with a needle in the depths of the earth." There is an evidence of allusion to the sacerdotal robes, and the undescribable texture of the human system is compared to the exquisite needlework of the high priest's garments. Every man is a bundle of possibilities; but no man has precisely the same possibilities as any other man. Each man can be what nobody else can be; each man... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 139:15

My substance was not hid from thee - Thou didst see it; thou didst understand it altogether, when it was hidden from the eyes of man. The word “substance” is rendered in the margin, “strength” or “body.” The Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, the Syriac, the Arabic, and Luther render it, “my bone,” or “my bones.” The word properly means strength, and then anything strong. Another form of the word, with different pointing in the Hebrew, means a bone, so called from its strength. The allusion here is... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 139:7-16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 139:15

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 139:15

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 139:15

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:1-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:1-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:7-16

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:15

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:15-16

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 139:15

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