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Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary

Psalms 139:17

Thy thoughts: thy is taken either,

1. Passively, my thoughts of thee; or rather,

2. Actively, thy thoughts, counsels, or contrivances on my behalf, which are admirable and amiable in mine eyes. Thou didst not only form me at first, but ever since my conception and birth thy thoughts have been employed for me, in preserving and providing for me, and blessing of me. How great is the sum of them! thy gracious designs and providences towards me are numberless, as it follows.

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See also Psalms 139:17 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Psalms 139:17. _HOW PRECIOUS ALSO ARE THY THOUGHTS_] רעיך _reeycha_, thy _cogitations_; a _Chaldaism_, as before. _HOW GREAT IS THE SUM OF THEM!_] מה עצמו ראשיהם _mah atsemu_ _rasheyhem; How s...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    HOW PRECIOUS ALSO ARE THY THOUGHTS UNTO ME, O GOD! - On the word “thoughts,” see the notes at Psalms 139:2. Compare Psalms 139:23. The remark is made here doubtless in view of the numberless “thoughts...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    Psalms 139 In the Divine Presence _ 1. His omniscience (Psalms 139:1)_ 2. His omnipresence (Psalms 139:7) 3. Praising Him ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    CXXXIX. GOD IS EVERYWHERE: HE KNOWS EVERYTHING OH THAT HE WOULD DESTROY THE WICKED. This Ps. is among the most spiritual productions of the OT. It deals with the mystery of Divine providence, a theme...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    HOW PRECIOUS. Figure of speech _Ecphonesis._ App-6. See note on 1 Samuel 3:1. THOUGHTS. desires. See Psalms 139:2. GOD. Hebrew El. App-4. SUM. Hebrew, plural of majesty, denoting the fullness or va...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    God must know the Psalmist perfectly, for He ordered the first beginnings of his life, and foresaw all his destiny....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    To me then, who am the object of all this care, _how precious are thy thoughts, O God_! It is my delight to meditate upon the purposes of Thy Providence. How vast are the sums of them! There are, as i...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 735 A CHRISTIAN’S DELIGHT IN GOD Psalms 139:17. _How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the s...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    HOW PRECIOUS, &C.— This expresses the zeal and affection that he had for God. "As thou hast taken such care of me, so are the thoughts of thee precious to me above all things." The turn of the sentenc...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PSALMS 139 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE An Individual submits Himself to Jehovah's All-Searching Eye. ANALYSIS Stanza I., Psalms 139:1-6, Jehovah's Knowledge considered as Taking into View every Form of Human...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! HOW PRECIOUS ALSO ARE THY THOUGHTS UNTO ME, O GOD! - (the same Hebrew, ; ) How cold and poor are our warmest thought...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    One of the very greatest of the Pss. No grander tribute has ever been paid to the omniscience and omnipresence of God. The Ps. is ascribed to David, but the Hebrew is decisive in favour of a date very...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Psalms 107:150 _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING PSALMS 139 Jesus said, "Your Father (God) knows how many hairs there are on your head!" ...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    PRECIOUS. — Rather, _weighty,_ the first meaning of the word. The parallelism requires this, as also the peculiar word for “thoughts,” for which see Psalms 139:2. We have here the antithesis to that v...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וְ לִ֗י מַה ־יָּקְר֣וּ רֵעֶ֣יךָ אֵ֑ל מֶ֥ה

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Psalms 139:1 THIS is the noblest utterance in the Psalter of pure contemplative theism, animated and not crushed by the thought of God's omniscience and omnipresence. No less striking than the unequal...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    GOD'S THOUGHTS AND OURS Psalms 139:14 _ God's creative power,_ Psalms 139:14. The psalmist goes back to the beginning of life and describes the weaving of our physical nature. Here we may discover a...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The conception of intimate personal relation between God and man is perhaps more remarkably and forcefully dealt with in this song than in any other in the whole collection. The great facts are first...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    How (m) precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! (m) How should we esteem the excellent declaration of your wisdom in the creation of man?...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Under the idea that we may consider what is said before in this Psalm as spoken in the person of Christ, how blessed are the expressions in these verses! When Jesus, as the Head of his church, contemp...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    17._How precious also are thy thoughts unto me _It is the same Hebrew word, רעה, _reah, _which is used here as in the second verse, and means _thought, _not _companion _or _friend, _as many have rende...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Psalms 139 shows the complete exercise of heart that belongs to God's ways. Though the faithfulness of God perfects all His purposed blessing, not a thought escapes God. There is, morally speaking, no...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    HOW PRECIOUS ALSO ARE THY THOUGHTS UNTO ME, O GOD!.... The word r signifies that which is scarce and rare, and not to be attained and enjoyed; see 1 Samuel 3:1; the thoughts and counsels of God are im...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! Ver. 17. _How precious also are thy thouyhts unto me_] _i.e._ The thoughts of thy wisdom, power, and goodness, clearly...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _How precious also_, &c. “From the wonders of God's forming hand, the psalmist proceeds to those of his all-directing providence, which afford additional proofs of the divine omniscience and omniprese...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    17-24 God's counsels concerning us and our welfare are deep, such as cannot be known. We cannot think how many mercies we have received from him. It would help to keep us in the fear of the Lord all...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Psalms 139:17 precious H3365 (H8804) thoughts H7454 God H410 great H6105 (H8804) sum H7218 precious -...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Psalms 139:1. _O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me._ «Thou hast explored me, as men dig in mines, and make subterranean excavations. Thou hast searched into my secret parts, and known me.» P...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Psalms 139:1. _O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me._ God does not need to «search» us, for that implies a want of knowledge, a knowledge obtained by search. But the meaning of the text is, th...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    May the all-seeing God, of whom this Psalm speaks, look down upon us and bless us richly while we read it! Psalms 139:1. _O LORD thou hast searched me, and known me._ «Known me perfectly, far better...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    In this Psalm, David praises God by specially dwelling upon the one attribute of omniscience. If we really wish to praise God, we must think of him as he is, and it is the best praise that we can rend...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    This is a Psalm we can never read too often. It will be to us one of the greatest safeguards against sin if we have its teaching constantly before our mind's eye, and the teaching of this Psalm is sim...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Meditation upon the doctrines of God's omniscience and omnipresence. CHARACTERS: God, David. CONCLUSION: The God with whom we have to do has a perfect knowledge of us and all the motions a...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    This psalm is entitled, a _psalm of David._ All the Versions agree with the Hebrew in this. It must be regarded as one of the sublimest representations of the Divinity, and particularly with regard to...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God._ THOUGHTS OF GOD The sense of God’s nearness brings thoughts of God. The devout soul cherishes these thoughts, and they become to it a joy unspeak...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb._ GOD AS THE CREATOR OF MAN I. He created man, who is a wonder to man’s self (verses 13, 14). II. He created man, who come...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me._ GOD’S EXHAUSTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF MAN This lyric has always been the subject of praise. Aben Ezra said there was none like it in the five books. Lord Brough...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 139:1. The closing request of this hymn (“search me, O God, and know my heart”) echoes the opening statement. This highlights the psalm’s theme: God’s knowledge of his peopl...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 139:17 These verses provide the right response to the vast extent of God’s THOUGHTS. Verse Psalms 139:18 seems to picture the hopelessne

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    INTRODUCTION “Nowhere,” says Perowne, “are the great attributes of God—His omniscience, His omnipresence, His omnipotence, set forth so strikingly as they are in this magnificent Psalm. Nowhere is the...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION 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 psalm...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Psa 139:1-24, another psalm of David to the chief musician. As David offers this prayer really unto God, declaring, first of all, O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me (Psalms 139:1). Recogniz...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 3:9; Isaiah 55:8; Isaiah 55:9; Jeremiah 29:1

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THOU GOD SEEST ME _Selections from Psalms 139:1_ INTRODUCTORY WORDS The world today needs a new vision of the Deity of Christ. Our Lord Jesus has been dragged down from His place of authority and p...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Thoughts — Thy counsels on my behalf. Thou didst not only form me at first, but ever since my conception and birth, thy thoughts have been employed for me....

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