Psalms 139:7–12

In its context

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.

• אֹמַרomar· say

  Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".

• חֹשֶׁךְchoshech· darkness

  Darkness, lack of light. Figuratively it can point to misfortune, ignorance or death.

• יְשׁוּפֵyeshufe· strike, crush

  A rare verb whose sense is debated: "strike", "crush", or "snap at". Genesis 3:15 uses it both for what the woman's offspring does to the serpent's head and what the serpent does to his heel.

• לַיְלָהlayla· night

  Night.

• אוֹרor· light

  Light: daylight, the light of a lamp or of the heavenly bodies. Figuratively, life, joy or well-being.

• יַחְשִׁיךְyachshich· grow dark

  Grow dark; darken.

• יּוֹםyom· day

  Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").

• יָאִירyair· give light, shine

  Give light, shine; light up.

• חֲשֵׁיכָהchashecha· darkness

  Darkness.

• אוֹרָהora· herbs; light

  Herbs, plants of the field gathered to eat (2 Kings 4:39). The same word means in other places "light, brightness."