The Meaning of Psalms 139:8 Explained

Psalms 139:8

KJV: If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

YLT: If I ascend the heavens -- there Thou art, And spread out a couch in Sheol, lo, Thee!

Darby: If I ascend up into the heavens thou art there; or if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there;

ASV: If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

If I ascend up  into heaven,  thou [art] there: if I make my bed  in hell,  behold, thou [art there]. 

What does Psalms 139:8 Mean?

Study Notes

hell
Heb. "Sheol," .
Sheol is, in the O.T., the place to which the dead go.
(1) Often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, merely, where all human activities cease; the terminus toward which all human life moves (e.g. Genesis 42:38 grave Job 14:13 grave Psalms 88:3 grave
(2) To the man "under the sun," the natural man, who of necessity judges from appearances, sheol seems no more than the grave-- the end and total cessation, not only of the activities of life, but of life itself. Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Ecclesiastes 9:10
(3) But Scripture reveals sheol as a place of sorrow 2 Samuel 22:6 ; Psalms 18:5 ; Psalms 116:3 ; in which the wicked are turned Psalms 9:17 and where they are fully conscious; Isaiah 14:9-17 ; Ezekiel 32:21 see, especially, Jonah 2:2 what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah that sheol is to those who are therein). The sheol of the O.T. and hades of the N.T. (See Scofield " Luke 16:23 ") are identical.

Context Summary

Psalm 139:1-13 - The All-Seeing God
The psalmist speaks as if there were only two beings in the universe-God and himself. In all literature there is no nobler conception of the divine attributes.
God's omniscience, Psalms 139:1-6. The downsittings of life are times of weariness, depression, failure, shortcoming, and inconsistency, when we are far short of our best. Our uprisings are our strongest, happiest, holiest moments, when we are at our best. God knows all. He cannot be surprised. He besets us before-the future is full of Him-and behind, as the wave follows closely in the wake of the bather or the rear guard the march. His hand is laid upon us, shielding and protecting. His winnowing-fan is ever detecting every grain of wheat and extracting it from the chaff.
God's omnipresence, Psalms 139:7-12. It is impossible to flee from God. However thick the foliage, it cannot separate the sinner from those eyes of love and fire. This thought is terrible to those who are not at peace with Him, but delightful to those who love. Be of good cheer, lonely one; thy night of sorrow is as the day-full of Him. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Psalms 139:8 mean?

if I ascend into heaven there You [are] and if I make my bed in hell behold You [are there]
אִם־ אֶסַּ֣ק שָׁ֭מַיִם שָׁ֣ם אָ֑תָּה וְאַצִּ֖יעָה שְּׁא֣וֹל הִנֶּֽךָּ

אֶסַּ֣ק  I  ascend 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: נָסַק  
Sense: (Qal) to ascend.
שָׁ֭מַיִם  into  heaven 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
אָ֑תָּה  You  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
וְאַצִּ֖יעָה  and  if  I  make  my  bed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: יָצַע  
Sense: to spread out, make a bed.
שְּׁא֣וֹל  in  hell 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: שְׁאֹול  
Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
הִנֶּֽךָּ  behold  You  [are  there] 
Parse: Interjection, second person masculine singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.