Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” New Living Translation I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— English Standard Version If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” Berean Standard Bible If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”— King James Bible If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. New King James Version If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; New American Standard Bible If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” NASB 1995 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” NASB 1977 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Legacy Standard Bible If I say, “Surely the darkness will bruise me, And the light around me will be night,” Amplified Bible If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, And the night will be the only light around me,” Christian Standard Bible If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night” — Holman Christian Standard Bible If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night"— American Standard Version If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night; Contemporary English Version Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over." English Revised Version If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, and the light about me shall be night; GOD'S WORD® Translation If I say, "Let the darkness hide me and let the light around me turn into night," Good News Translation I could ask the darkness to hide me or the light around me to turn into night, International Standard Version If I say, "Darkness will surely conceal me, and the light around me will become night," Majority Standard Bible If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”— NET Bible If I were to say, "Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me," New Heart English Bible If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; the light around me will be night;" Webster's Bible Translation If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. World English Bible If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me. The light around me will be night,” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd I say, “Surely darkness bruises me,” "" Then night [is] light to me. Young's Literal Translation And I say, 'Surely darkness bruiseth me, Then night is light to me. Smith's Literal Translation And saying, surely the darkness shall fall upon me; and the night shone about me. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd I said: Perhaps darkness shall cover me: and night shall be my light in my pleasures. Catholic Public Domain Version New American Bible If I say, “Surely darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light” — New Revised Standard Version If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleIf I say, Surely the darkness shall be as light upon me; even the night shall be light before my face. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated You have said, "The darkness will shine to me and the night will shine upon my face." OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And if I say: 'Surely the darkness shall envelop me, And the light about me shall be night'; Brenton Septuagint Translation When I said, Surely the darkness will cover me; even the night was light in my luxury. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context You Have Searched Me and Known Me…10even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast. 11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”— 12even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.… Cross References John 1:5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 1 John 1:5-7 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. / If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. / But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. Ephesians 5:8-14 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, / for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. / Test and prove what pleases the Lord. ... 2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Matthew 4:16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” John 8:12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Luke 1:78-79 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high, / to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Colossians 1:13 He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them. Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Job 12:22 He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into light. Amos 5:18-20 Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light. / It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake. / Will not the Day of the LORD be darkness and not light, even gloom with no brightness in it? Isaiah 60:1-2 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. / For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Treasury of Scripture If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. surely Psalm 10:11-13 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it… Psalm 94:7 Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Job 22:12-14 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are! … even the night Job 12:22 He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death. Jump to Previous Bruiseth Cover Covered Dark Darkness Hide Light Night Overwhelm SurelyJump to Next Bruiseth Cover Covered Dark Darkness Hide Light Night Overwhelm SurelyPsalm 139 1. David praises God for his all-seeing providence17. And for this infinite mercies 19. He defies the wicked 23. He prays for sincerity If I say This phrase introduces a hypothetical situation, reflecting the psalmist's introspection and contemplation. The Hebrew root for "say" is "אָמַר" (amar), which often implies not just speaking but also thinking or considering. This suggests a deep, internal dialogue, highlighting the psalmist's awareness of God's omnipresence and omniscience. In the broader scriptural context, it emphasizes the importance of our thoughts and words, as they are fully known to God. Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me I say only let darkness crush me, And light become night around me. Commentators have mostly been frightened by the metaphor in the first line, though it has been preserved both by the LXX. and Vulg., and can only be avoided either by forcing the meaning of the verb from what it bears in Genesis 3:15, Job 9:17, or altering the text. Yet the Latins could speak even in prose of a region "oppressed by darkness" (Sen. Ep. 82); and when night was used as figurative of death, nocte premi was a common poetical figure. Indeed, the word rendered darkness here is actually, in Psalm 88:6, used of death, and if we understood this figure here we might render the word trample, illustrating by Horace "Jam te premet nox fabulaeque Manes." Such a view would suit the thought to which the poet immediately passes--to God the darkness of death and the nothingness before birth are alike. On the other hand, as the main thought is that nowhere is there escape from God's sight in height, or depth, or distance so to exhaust the possibilities we seem to need, darkness. . . . Verses 11, 12. - If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. If I think to escape thee by plunging into darkness, and say to myself, "Surely the darkness shall screen me, and night take the place of light about me," so that I cannot be seen, even then my object is not accomplished; even the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day. Thy essential light penetrates every dark place, and makes the deepest gloom as radiant as the brightest sunshine. The darkness and the light are both alike to thee; literally, as the darkness, so the light; but the paraphrase of the Authorized Version gives the true sense.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew If I say,וָ֭אֹמַר (wā·’ō·mar) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular Strong's 559: To utter, say “Surely אַךְ־ (’aḵ-) Adverb Strong's 389: A particle of affirmation, surely the darkness חֹ֣שֶׁךְ (ḥō·šeḵ) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 2822: The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness will hide me, יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי (yə·šū·p̄ê·nî) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular Strong's 7779: To gape, snap at, to overwhelm and the light א֣וֹר (’ō·wr) Noun - common singular Strong's 216: Illumination, luminary become night וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה (wə·lay·lāh) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity around me”— בַּעֲדֵֽנִי׃ (ba·‘ă·ḏê·nî) Preposition | first person common singular Strong's 1157: In up to, over against, at, beside, among, behind, for Links Psalm 139:11 NIVPsalm 139:11 NLT Psalm 139:11 ESV Psalm 139:11 NASB Psalm 139:11 KJV Psalm 139:11 BibleApps.com Psalm 139:11 Biblia Paralela Psalm 139:11 Chinese Bible Psalm 139:11 French Bible Psalm 139:11 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Psalm 139:11 If I say Surely the darkness will (Psalm Ps Psa.) |