John Calvin Commentary Psalms 139:1

"O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known [me]." — Psalms 139:1 (ASV)

O Jehovah! thou hast searched me, David declares at the beginning of this Psalm, that he does not come before God with any idea of its being possible to succeed by pretense, as hypocrites will take advantage of secret refuges to pursue sinful indulgences, but that he voluntarily lays bare his inmost heart for inspection, as one convinced of the impossibility of deceiving God.

It is yours, he says, O God! to discover every secret thought, nor is there anything which can escape your notice. He then elaborates on specifics to show that his whole life was known to God, who watched him in all his movements—when he slept, when he arose, or when he walked about.

The word רע, rea, which we have rendered thought, also signifies a friend or companion, for this reason some read—thou knowest what is nearest me afar off, a meaning more relevant than any other, if it could be supported by example. The reference would then be very appropriately to the fact that the most distant objects are contemplated by God as near.

Some for afar off read beforehand, in which sense the Hebrew word is used elsewhere, as if he had said—O Lord, every thought which I conceive in my heart is already known to you beforehand. But I prefer the other meaning: that God is not confined to heaven, indulging in a state of repose and indifferent to human concerns, according to the Epicurean idea; and that however far off we may be from him, he is never far off from us.

The verb זרה, zarah, means to winnow as well as to compass, so that we may very properly read the third verse—thou winnowest my ways, a figurative expression to denote the bringing of anything which is unknown to light. The reader is left to their own choice, for the other rendering which I have adopted is also appropriate.

There has also been a difference of opinion among interpreters as to the last clause of the verse. The verb סכן, sachan, in the Hiphil conjugation, as here, signifies to render successful, which has led some to think that David here thanks God for crowning his actions with success; but this is a meaning which does not at all suit the scope of the Psalmist in the context, for he is not speaking of thanksgiving.

Equally forced is the meaning given to the words by others—You have made me get acquainted or accustomed with my ways; as if he praised God for being endowed with wisdom and counsel. Although the verb is in the Hiphil, I have therefore felt no hesitation in assigning it a neuter meaning—Lord, you are accustomed to my ways, so that they are familiar to you.