Psalm 139:2
New International Version
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

New Living Translation
You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

English Standard Version
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

Berean Standard Bible
You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.

King James Bible
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

New King James Version
You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.

New American Standard Bible
You know when I sit down and when I get up; You understand my thought from far away.

NASB 1995
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.

NASB 1977
Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar.

Legacy Standard Bible
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.

Amplified Bible
You know when I sit down and when I rise up [my entire life, everything I do]; You understand my thought from afar.

Christian Standard Bible
You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away.

American Standard Version
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off.

Contemporary English Version
You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts.

English Revised Version
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away.

Good News Translation
You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts.

International Standard Version
You know when I rest and when I am active. You understand what I am thinking when I am distant from you.

Majority Standard Bible
You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.

NET Bible
You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives.

New Heart English Bible
You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou knowest my down-sitting and my up rising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

World English Bible
You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You have known my sitting down, "" And my rising up, "" You have attended to my thoughts from afar.

Young's Literal Translation
Thou -- Thou hast known my sitting down, And my rising up, Thou hast attended to my thoughts from afar.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou knewest my sitting and my rising; thou didst understand for my thoughts from far of.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
thou hast know my sitting down, and my rising up.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You have known my sitting down and my rising up again.

New American Bible
you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar.

New Revised Standard Version
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thoughts from above.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You know my sitting and my rising; you have understood my reasonings from the high place.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising: thou understandest my thoughts long before.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
You Have Searched Me and Known Me
1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. 3You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 12:3
But You know me, O LORD; You see me and test my heart toward You. Drag away the wicked like sheep to the slaughter and set them apart for the day of carnage.

1 Chronicles 28:9
As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.

Matthew 6:8
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Job 23:10
Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

John 2:24-25
But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. / He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

Romans 8:27
And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.

Matthew 9:4
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?

1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

Job 34:21
For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step.

Luke 12:7
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Acts 1:24
And they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen


Treasury of Scripture

You know my sitting down and my rising up, you understand my thought afar off.

knowest

Psalm 56:8
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

Genesis 16:13
And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

2 Kings 6:12
And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

understandest

Psalm 94:11
The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

Matthew 9:4
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

Luke 9:47
And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,

afar off

Ezekiel 38:10,11,17
Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: …

Jump to Previous
Afar Attended Far Perceive Rise Rising Seated Sit Sitting Thou Thought Thoughts Understand Understandest Uprising
Jump to Next
Afar Attended Far Perceive Rise Rising Seated Sit Sitting Thou Thought Thoughts Understand Understandest Uprising
Psalm 139
1. David praises God for his all-seeing providence
17. And for this infinite mercies
19. He defies the wicked
23. He prays for sincerity














You know
The Hebrew word used here is "יָדַע" (yada), which means to know intimately or to have deep understanding. This word implies more than just awareness; it suggests a profound, personal knowledge. In the context of Psalm 139, it emphasizes God's omniscience—His complete and perfect knowledge of us. This is not a distant or abstract knowledge but a close, personal understanding of every aspect of our lives. It is comforting to know that God is not a detached observer but is intimately acquainted with our thoughts and actions.

when I sit
The act of sitting in ancient Hebrew culture often symbolized rest, dwelling, or remaining in a place. The phrase suggests that God is aware of our moments of rest and inactivity. It implies that even in our quietest, most mundane moments, God is present and attentive. This can be a source of comfort, knowing that God values and is present in every aspect of our lives, not just the moments of action or significance.

and when I rise
Rising can symbolize action, decision, or the beginning of a new endeavor. The Hebrew root "קוּם" (qum) conveys the idea of standing up or establishing oneself. This phrase assures us that God is aware of our movements and actions, our decisions and endeavors. It is a reminder that God is with us in every step we take, guiding and supporting us as we move through life.

You understand
The Hebrew word "בִּין" (bin) means to discern or perceive with insight. It suggests a deep comprehension that goes beyond surface-level understanding. This word indicates that God not only knows our actions but also perceives the intentions and motivations behind them. It is a reminder that God sees the heart and understands our innermost thoughts and desires, even when we struggle to articulate them ourselves.

my thoughts from afar
The phrase "from afar" can be understood both in terms of distance and time. It suggests that God's understanding of us is not limited by physical proximity or temporal constraints. He perceives our thoughts even before they fully form in our minds. This highlights God's transcendence and His ability to know us completely, regardless of where we are or what we are going through. It is a profound reminder of His eternal presence and intimate involvement in our lives.

(2) Down-sitting and uprising--as in Deuteronomy 6:7, to denote the whole daily life--business and rest.

Thought.--An Aramaic form found nowhere else, but, from one possible derivation ("companion"), meaning the thoughts which are inseparable companions, most intimate thoughts.

Comp. Macbeth 3:2:

"How now, my lord? Why do you keep alone,

Of sorriest fancies your companions making?"

Afar off.--Exactly as in Psalm 138:6. Jehovah notes and recognises the proud from afar off, so here though He has His home in heaven He knows what are the thoughts and feelings amid which a man habitually lives. (Comp. Job 22:12-13.) The Hebrew expression literally means, thou hast intelligence as to my thought from afar, an Aramaic expression. . . .

Verse 2. - Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising. All that I do from one end of the day to the other. Thou understandest my thought afar off; i.e. while it is just forming - long before it is a fully developed thought.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You
אַתָּ֣ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

know
יָ֭דַעְתָּ (yā·ḏa‘·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

when I sit
שִׁבְתִּ֣י (šiḇ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

and when I rise;
וְקוּמִ֑י (wə·qū·mî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

You understand
בַּ֥נְתָּה (ban·tāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 995: To separate mentally, understand

my thoughts
לְ֝רֵעִ֗י (lə·rê·‘î)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7454: Purpose, aim

from afar.
מֵרָחֽוֹק׃ (mê·rā·ḥō·wq)
Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7350: Remote, of place, time, precious


Links
Psalm 139:2 NIV
Psalm 139:2 NLT
Psalm 139:2 ESV
Psalm 139:2 NASB
Psalm 139:2 KJV

Psalm 139:2 BibleApps.com
Psalm 139:2 Biblia Paralela
Psalm 139:2 Chinese Bible
Psalm 139:2 French Bible
Psalm 139:2 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Psalm 139:2 You know my sitting down and my (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 139:1
Top of Page
Top of Page