Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

PSALMS 139:5KJV
Know the Bible

Psalms 139:5 (KJV)

What does Psalms 139:5 mean?

Psalms 139:5 describes how God surrounds the writer on every side and places His hand upon him, showing a sense of complete protection and care. The verse uses the image of being enclosed both behind and before, with God’s hand resting on the writer, to express how inescapable and personal God’s presence is.

King David is speaking directly to God in this psalm, reflecting on how intimately God knows and watches over him. The verse comes as part of a larger meditation on God’s knowledge and presence, highlighting that there is nowhere David can go where God is not already present and attentive.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 139:5

  • "beset" (צַרַר, tsarar): This word often means to enclose, hem in, or surround. Here, it emphasizes that God’s presence is not just ahead but also behind, enclosing the writer completely.
  • "laid" (שִׁית, shith): This word means to set, place, or lay. The image of God laying His hand suggests intentional action, not just passive presence.
  • "hand" (כַּף, kaph): This refers to the palm of the hand, often used in the Hebrew Bible to symbolize power, guidance, or blessing. Here, it adds a sense of personal involvement and care from God.

Why Psalms 139:5 matters

  • Psalms 139:5 clears up the idea that God is distant or uninvolved; instead, it shows God as actively surrounding and caring for the individual.
  • The verse emphasizes that God’s knowledge and presence are not just abstract ideas but are experienced as real protection and guidance in daily life.
  • This verse connects to the wider psalm, which is about God’s all-encompassing knowledge and presence, reinforcing the message that no part of a person’s life is outside God’s attention.

Where else these words appear

“beset” Hebrew H6696 · used in 38 verses

  • Exodus 23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
  • 1 Kings 15:27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:20 And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.

“behind” Hebrew H268 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
  • Psalms 44:10 Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
  • Isaiah 42:17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

“laid” Hebrew H7896 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
  • Job 10:20 Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,
  • Psalms 88:6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

“before” Hebrew H6924 · used in 83 verses

  • Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
  • Joshua 18:20 And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families.
  • Psalms 143:5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.