Psalms 139:7–10
There is nowhere to flee from God's spirit; even there his hand guides
Study it word by word7Where shall I go from your spirit, and where from your face shall I flee?
8If I go up to the heavens, there you are; and if I make my bed in Sheol, look, you are there.
9If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell at the farthest end of the sea,
10even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will take hold of me.
In its context
5Behind and before you have hemmed me in, and you have laid on me your palm.
6Too wonderful is knowledge for me; it is high; I cannot reach it.
…
11And if I say, “Surely darkness will cover me, and the light around me become night,”
12even darkness is not dark to you, and the night shines like the day; as the darkness, so the light.
Its words in the original
- אָנָהana· where to?
Where? To where?; "how long?"
- אֵלֵךְelech· go, walk
Go, walk, depart; in the causative form, lead or bring.
- רוּחֶruche· spirit, wind, breath
The basic idea is "air in motion". The same word can be "wind"; "breath", the air that is breathed and keeps life; or "spirit": the mood or inner strength of a person, or the Spirit of God, his presence and power at work.
- פָּנֶיpane· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- אֶבְרָחevrach· flee
Flee, run away suddenly. Said of a bar, pass through from end to end.
- אֶסַּקesak· ascend
To go up, to ascend.
- שָׁמַיִםshamayim· heavens, sky
The heavens: what is above, where the clouds, the sun and the stars are seen; also the dwelling of God. In Hebrew it is always plural. With birds, "the sky".
- אַצִּיעָהatsia· spread out
To spread, to lay something out on the ground to lie on it.
- שְּׁאוֹלsheol· Sheol
Sheol: in the Old Testament, the place of the dead, the grave, where all go down at death.
- אֶשָּׂאesa· lift, carry, bear
Lift up, carry, bear. "Bear sin" is to suffer its consequences; said of God, "taking away" sin is forgiving it. "Lift up the eyes" is to look.
- כַנְפֵיchanfe· wing
Wing of a bird. Also the edge or corner of something (of a cloak, of the earth).
- שָׁחַרshachar· dawn
Dawn, daybreak.
- אֶשְׁכְּנָהeshkna· dwell
Dwell, settle and live; in the causative form, set, make to dwell.
- אַחֲרִיתacharit· end, future
What comes after: the end, the future; also posterity.
- יָםyam· sea, west
Sea, or any great body of water (also a lake). Since the Mediterranean lies west of Israel, the word also means "west".
- יָדְyad· hand, power
Hand. Figuratively, power or control ("into the hand of" = into the power of); also side, part, or share. Also a projecting piece, such as a tenon.
- תַנְחֵtanche· lead, guide
Lead, guide along the way; bring someone to a place.
- תֹאחֲזֵtochaze· seize, hold
Seize, take hold of; be caught; hold as a possession.
- יְמִינֶyemine· right hand, south
Right, right hand. Facing the east, the right is the south. It is also the side of honor and of strength.