The Meaning of Psalms 139:3 Explained

Psalms 139:3

KJV: Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

YLT: My path and my couch Thou hast fanned, And with all my ways hast been acquainted.

Darby: Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways;

ASV: Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou compassest  my path  and my lying down,  and art acquainted  [with] all my ways. 

What does Psalms 139:3 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 139:3 mean?

My path and my lying down You comprehend and all my ways are acquainted [with]
אָרְחִ֣י וְרִבְעִ֣י זֵרִ֑יתָ וְֽכָל־ דְּרָכַ֥י הִסְכַּֽנְתָּה

אָרְחִ֣י  My  path 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: אֹרַח  
Sense: way, path.
וְרִבְעִ֣י  and  my  lying  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: רָבַע  
Sense: to lie down, lie stretched out.
זֵרִ֑יתָ  You  comprehend 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: זָרָה 
Sense: to scatter, fan, cast away, winnow, disperse, compass, spread, be scattered, be dispersed.
וְֽכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
דְּרָכַ֥י  my  ways 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct, first person common singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
הִסְכַּֽנְתָּה  are  acquainted  [with] 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: סָכַן 
Sense: to be of use or service or profit or benefit.