Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me.” (Psalm 139:1)

Psalm 139 is perhaps the most intimate of psalms. It displays a striking awareness of God’s interest in individuals. Understanding this psalm as a whole is key to its interpretation. At first it appears to be a meditation on God’s omniscience (vv. 1–6), omnipresence (vv. 7–12), and omnipotence (vv. 13–15). But the sudden shift from sublime wonder at God’s determined interest in the speaker to a denunciation of “the wicked” (vv. 19–22) sounds like an impulsive change of subject. Why are the wicked brought up in a psalm that to this point has made pleasant reading? Some commentators believe that interpretation of the psalm must begin with these verses. Its occasion would thus lie in the speaker’s conflict with the wicked: they have accused him falsely and he now seeks vindication from God. In this view, Psalm 139 is to be interpreted in light of others that are said to reflect more clearly a situation of false accusation (Pss. 7 and 17).

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