Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
What does Psalms 139:23 mean?
God's counsels concerning us and our welfare are deep, such as cannot be known. We cannot think how many mercies we have received from him.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside its immediate passage and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Psalms 139:23
See the notes at that verse. The psalmist had stated the fact that it is a characteristic of God that he "does" search the heart; and he here prays that God "would" exercise that power in relation to himself; that as God could know all that there is within the heart, he would examine him with the closest scrutiny, so that he might be under no delusion or self-deception; that he might not indulge in any false hopes; that he might not cherish any improper feelings or desires. The prayer denotes great "sincerity" on the part of the psalmist. It indicates also self-distrust.
Key words
- Search
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He had searched him, and knew his heart thoroughly; try me, and know my thoughts; he had tried him, and knew every thought in him, Psalm 139:1 .
- heart
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He had searched him, and knew his heart thoroughly; try me, and know my thoughts; he had tried him, and knew every thought in him, Psalm 139:1 .
- thoughts
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He had searched him, and knew his heart thoroughly; try me, and know my thoughts; he had tried him, and knew every thought in him, Psalm 139:1 .
Context in Psalms 139
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Psalms 139 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book V. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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