The Meaning of Psalms 139:11 Explained

Psalms 139:11

KJV: If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

YLT: And I say, 'Surely darkness bruiseth me, Then night is light to me.

Darby: And if I say, Surely darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night;

ASV: If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

If I say,  Surely the darkness  shall cover  me; even the night  shall be light  about me. 

What does Psalms 139:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 139:1-13 - The All-Seeing God
The psalmist speaks as if there were only two beings in the universe-God and himself. In all literature there is no nobler conception of the divine attributes.
God's omniscience, Psalms 139:1-6. The downsittings of life are times of weariness, depression, failure, shortcoming, and inconsistency, when we are far short of our best. Our uprisings are our strongest, happiest, holiest moments, when we are at our best. God knows all. He cannot be surprised. He besets us before-the future is full of Him-and behind, as the wave follows closely in the wake of the bather or the rear guard the march. His hand is laid upon us, shielding and protecting. His winnowing-fan is ever detecting every grain of wheat and extracting it from the chaff.
God's omnipresence, Psalms 139:7-12. It is impossible to flee from God. However thick the foliage, it cannot separate the sinner from those eyes of love and fire. This thought is terrible to those who are not at peace with Him, but delightful to those who love. Be of good cheer, lonely one; thy night of sorrow is as the day-full of Him. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 139

1  David praises God for his all-seeing providence
17  And for this infinite mercies
19  He defies the wicked
23  He prays for sincerity

What do the individual words in Psalms 139:11 mean?

And if I say surely the darkness shall fall on me and Even the night shall be light about me
וָ֭אֹמַר אַךְ־ חֹ֣שֶׁךְ יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה א֣וֹר בַּעֲדֵֽנִי

וָ֭אֹמַר  And  if  I  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אַךְ־  surely 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַךְ  
Sense: indeed, surely (emphatic).
חֹ֣שֶׁךְ  the  darkness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹשֶׁךְ  
Sense: darkness, obscurity.
יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי  shall  fall  on  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: שׁוּף 
Sense: to bruise, crush, gape upon, desire?, seize?, strike out?.
וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה  and  Even  the  night 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
א֣וֹר  shall  be  light 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
בַּעֲדֵֽנִי  about  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: בַּעַד 
Sense: behind, through, round about, on behalf of, away from, about.