Bible Commentary

Psalms 139:5

Psalms 139:5

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public Domain

Wonderful knowledge.

"Thou hast laid thine hand upon me." Aben Ezra called this "the crown of all the psalms." Man is completely in God's power—physically, intellectually, and morally.

I. Look AT THE PROOFS.

1. Man's spiritual nature. Sense of sin and responsibility; conscience; instinct of prayer; sense of Divine omniscience.

2. The Divine providence. God's omnipresence; our lot appointed and mysteriously controlled.

3. In the provisions of the gospel. Cannot wholly throw off the power of the Divine love or Divine Law. God's hold of us through Christ much greater that our hold of him.

II. FOR WHAT PURPOSE DOES GOD EXERCISE HIS POWER OVER MAN? Not to destroy his freedom of will and action.

1. To assert his property in us.

2. To make man conscious of his calamity and his hope. By the remedy in the gospel.

3. To draw man to himself as the exclusive Redeemer.—S.

The Daily Devotional

One devotional. Every morning.

The full reading, the passage behind it, and where to go deeper — in your inbox before the day starts. No ads, ever.

We'll send one email to confirm it's really you. Unsubscribe in one tap, any time.

Continue tomorrow

Turn Bible study into a daily habit

Read today's devotional, save your progress, and receive a gentle daily reminder.

Recommended reading

More for Psalms 139:5

Continue with other commentaries and DiscipleDeck content connected to this verse, chapter, or topic.

Other commentaries

Psalms 139 — OverviewPsalms 139 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleSome of the Jewish doctors are of opinion that this is the most excellent of all the psalms of David; and a very pious devout meditation it is upon the doctrine of God's omniscience, which we should therefore…Psalms 139 — OverviewPsalms 139 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgePsalms 139:1, David praises God for his all-seeing providence; Psalms 139:17, and for his infinite mercies; Psalms 139:19, He defies the wicked; Psalms 139:23, He prays for sincerity. This Psalm is supposed to have been…Psalms 139 — OverviewPsalms 139 · John Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleTo the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. This psalm was written by David, when he lay under the reproach and calumnies of men, who laid false things to his charge; things he was not conscious of either in the time of…Psalms 139:1-6Psalms 139:1-6 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleDavid here lays down this great doctrine, That the God with whom we have to do has a perfect knowledge of us, and that all the motions and actions both of our inward and of our outward man are naked and open…Psalms 139:1-6Psalms 139:1-6 · The Pulpit CommentaryGod's knowledge of us. 1. We sometimes say that "we know" a certain man who is a neighbor. By this we may mean nothing more than that we can distinguish him from his fellows, and give him his proper name. That is a…Psalms 139:1-24Psalms 139:1-24 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITION A song of praise to God for his omniscience, his omnipresence, and his marvelous powers, ending with a prayer for the destruction of the wicked, and for the purifying from evil of the psalmist's own heart.…