The Meaning of Psalms 139:5 Explained

Psalms 139:5

KJV: Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

YLT: Behind and before Thou hast besieged me, And Thou dost place on me Thy hand.

Darby: Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me.

ASV: Thou hast beset me behind and before, And laid thy hand upon me.

Discover Psalms 139:5

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Psalms 139:5?

MEANING: What does Psalms 139:5 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Psalms 139:5 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Psalms 139:5?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou hast beset  me behind  and before,  and laid  thine hand  upon me. 

What does Psalms 139:5 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 139:5 mean?

Behind and before You have hedged me and laid upon me Your hand
אָח֣וֹר וָקֶ֣דֶם צַרְתָּ֑נִי וַתָּ֖שֶׁת עָלַ֣י כַּפֶּֽכָה

אָח֣וֹר  Behind 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָחֹור  
Sense: the back side, the rear.
וָקֶ֣דֶם  and  before 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֶדֶם 
Sense: east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime.
צַרְתָּ֑נִי  You  have  hedged  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: צוּר 
Sense: to bind, besiege, confine, cramp.
וַתָּ֖שֶׁת  and  laid 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: שִׁית  
Sense: to put, set.
עָלַ֣י  upon  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כַּפֶּֽכָה  Your  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.

What are the major concepts related to Psalms 139:5?

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Similar Scriptures for Psalms 139:5

Deuteronomy 33:27 [9]
Revelation 1:17 [5]
Psalms 34:7 [4]
Job 23:8-9 [4]
Job 9:33 [1]
Exodus 24:11 [1]