Psalm 139:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

NIV: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

NASB: I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

CSB: I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.

NLT: Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it.

KJV: I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

NKJV: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

Contemplating the fact that God wove him together in his mother's womb, David praised God for His omnipotent act of creation. He especially notes how God's creative power is beyond human comprehension.

The human body that God created in the womb is indeed wonderfully made. For instance, the heart beats about 70 times per minute and pumps about 2,000 gallons—7,500 liters—of blood per day. An average body contains nearly 100 trillion cells. The brain contains 100 billion nerve cells. Human kidneys process daily about 130 quarts—about 123 liters—of blood to filter out waste and water. Our skeletal system has 206 bones connected to an intricate system of tendons, cartilage, and ligaments. The skeletal system not only enables us to move but also helps to produce blood, and it stores calcium.

David recognized God's creation of man was both marvelous and distinct from the creation of everything else. No two persons are completely identical, and human beings are distinct from animals. David was fully convinced that God had fearfully and wonderfully made him. He wrote: "My soul knows it very well."

Psalm 139:13–16 describes God's omnipotence: His attribute of being all-powerful. The psalmist, David, described God's omniscience in verses 1–6 and His omnipresence in verses 7–12. In this section, he links omnipotence to the way God created the writer in his mother's womb.

In this psalm David marvels at God's amazing characteristics. God knows everything about him: where he goes, all David's thoughts and everything about his conduct. The Lord knows what David will say even before David says it. There is no place David can go that God isn't already present. David marvels at God's creative work in the womb. He is thankful for God's innumerable thoughts for him and for God's presence day and night. Finally, David's thoughts turn to the wicked. He considers them God's enemies and his, and longs for God to slay them. David is disgusted by evil people because they rail against God and take His name in vain. He asks God to search his heart to see if any sin is there, and he asks God to lead him in the way everlasting.

This psalm of David lies in the fifth division of Psalms, Psalms 107—150. It discloses information about God's omniscience: He knows everything. It explains His omnipresence: that He is everywhere. It declares His omnipotence: He formed every part of human beings. It also describes His holiness: He judges the wicked and searches the heart. These attributes reflect common themes across both the Old and New Testaments.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.