Psalm 139:18 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 139:17-24

Here the psalmist makes application of the doctrine of God's omniscience, divers ways. I. He acknowledges, with wonder and thankfulness, the care God had taken of him all his days, Ps. 139:17, 18. God, who knew him, thought of him, and his thoughts towards him were thoughts of love, thought of good, and not of evil, Jer. 29:11. God's omniscience, which might justly have watched over us to do us hurt, has been employed for us, and has watched over us to do us good, Jer. 31:28. God's counsels... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 139:18

If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand ,...., That is, if I should attempt to do it, it would be as vain and fruitless as to attempt to count the sands upon the seashore, which are innumerable; Psalm 11:5 . So Pindar says F19 Olymp. Ode 2. in fine. , that sand flies number, that is, is not to be numbered; though the Pythian oracle boastingly said F20 Apud Herodot. Clio, sive l. 1. c. 47. , I know the number of the sand, and the measures of the sea; to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 139:18

If I should count them - I should be glad to enumerate so many interesting particulars: but they are beyond calculation. When I awake - Thou art my Governor and Protector night and day. I am still with thee - All my steps in life are ordered by thee: I cannot go out of thy presence; I am ever under the influence of thy Spirit. The subject, from the Psalm 139:14 ; to the Psalm 139:16 ; inclusive, might have been much more particularly illustrated, but we are taught, by the... 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 139:17-24

Thoughts, Divine and human. With some apparent abruptness, the psalmist calls our attention I. THE THOUGHTS OF GOD . 1. Their manifoldness . 2. Their preciousness . Everything we see and hear and touch is a manifested thought of God; it must have existed in his mind before it took shape, color, substance. It adds deep interest to all natural scenery to think of sea and sky, of flower and tree, of the wooded glen and the snow-clad mountain, as thoughts of God. So... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:18

If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand (comp. Psalms 40:5 , "Thy thoughts which are to usward cannot be reckoned up"). When I awake, I am still with thee. I meditate on thee, both sleeping and waking, nor ever find the subject of my thought exhausted. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:18

The abiding sense of the Divine presence. "I fall asleep, exhausted with the effort of counting thy thoughts or desires; and when I awake I find myself still engaged in the same spiritual arithmetic, which is my dearest delight." I. IT IS THE SUGGESTION OF DELIGHTFUL THOUGHTS . The psalmist exclaims, "How precious are thy thoughts unto me!" This may mean, "my cherished thoughts of thee," or, "thy loving thoughts of me, of which I have the most comfortable assurance."... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 139:18

If I should count them - If I could count them.They are more in number than the sand - Numberless as the sand on the sea-shore.When I awake, I am still with thee - When I am lost in deep and profound meditation on this subject, and am aroused again to consciousness, I find the same thing still true. The fact of “my” being forgetful, or lost in profound meditation, has made no difference with thee. Thou art still the same; and the same unceasing care, the same thoughtfulness, still exists in... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 139:17-18

Psalms 139:17-18. How precious also, &c. “From the wonders of God’s forming hand, the psalmist proceeds to those of his all-directing providence, which afford additional proofs of the divine omniscience and omnipresence.” Are thy thoughts unto me Thy counsels, or contrivances, in my behalf, which are admirable and amiable in my eyes, and replete with kindness. Thou didst not only form me at first, but ever since my conception and birth thy thoughts have been employed for my good,... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 139:17-24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 139:18

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 139:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:1-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:1-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:17-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 139:18

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 139:18

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 139:17-18

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