Passage
Psalms 139.13-14
Book: Psalms · NASB95
Immediate context (±2 verses)
ASV (ASV)
11. If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night; 12. Even the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13. For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother's womb. 14. I will give thanks unto thee; For I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.
- My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. (Psalms 139:11-16, ASV)
WEB (WEB)
11. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; the light around me will be night”; 12. even the darkness doesn’t hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.
13. For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.
- My frame wasn’t hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth. 16. Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them. (Psalms 139:11-16, WEB)
KJV (KJV)
11. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. hideth: Heb. darkeneth not the darkness and: Heb. as is the darkness, so is the light
13. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. right: Heb. greatly
- My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. substance: or, strength, or, body 16. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. all: Heb. all of them which: or, what days they should be fashioned (Psalms 139:11-16, KJV)
YLT (YLT)
11. And I say, 'Surely darkness bruiseth me, Then night [is] light to me. 12. Also darkness hideth not from Thee, And night as day shineth, as [is] darkness so [is] light.
13. For Thou, Thou hast possessed my reins, Thou dost cover me in my mother's belly. 14. I confess Thee, because that [with] wonders I have been distinguished. Wonderful [are] Thy works, And my soul is knowing [it] well.
- My substance was not hid from Thee, When I was made in secret, Curiously wrought in the lower part of earth. 16. Mine unformed substance Thine eyes saw, And on Thy book all of them are written, The days they were formed, And not one among them. (Psalms 139:11-16, YLT)
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Setting
- Speaker: TBD
- Audience: TBD
- Location: TBD
- Time period: TBD
Theological reading
Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.
Key words
Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
Quoted in
Arguments and defeaters:
- 100 Questions for Evolutionists, via Psalms 139.14
- Argument from Consciousness, via Psalms 139.14
- Argument from Origin of Life, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Argument from Personal Identity, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Argument from the Memory-Continuity Convergence, via Psalms 139, Psalms 139.13-16
- Argument from the Reliability of Reason, via Psalms 139.14
- Atheism Cannot Justify Compassion, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Biblical Sexual Ethics Objection Defeater
- Chirality Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Edge of Evolution Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Harm-Reduction Cannot Ground Morality (Defeater), via Psalms 139.13-16
- Hominin Foot and Big Toe Transition Argument, via Psalms 139.14
- Information Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Interdependency Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Irreducible Complexity Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Molecular Machines Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Orphan Genes Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Protein Sequence Space Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Signature in the Cell Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Specified Complexity Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Universal Probability Bound, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Vestigial Organs and Anatomy Objection Defeater, via Psalms 139.14
Concepts:
- 50 Amazing Facts About the Human Body, via Psalms 139.14
- Abortion, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Bipedal Balance and Gait, via Psalms 139.14
- Bone, via Psalms 139.14
- From One Cell to Trillions, via Psalms 139.14
- Genetic Code, via Psalms 139.13, Psalms 139.13-16
- Irreducible Complexity, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Laws of the Universe as Witness to Design, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Muscle, via Psalms 139.14
- Orphan Genes, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Pro-Life Premise-Based Argument, via Psalms 139.13-16
- Soul and Spirit, Origin and Awareness, via Psalms 139.13-16
- The Human Hand, via Psalms 139.14
- The Kidney, via Psalms 139.14
- The Liver, via Psalms 139.14
- The Spine, via Psalms 139.14
- Verses on Gods Goodness and Human Worth, via Psalms 139.13-16
Lexicon:
Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.