Psalms 139:6
in Psalms 139Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain unto it.
KJV
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
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This verse in Psalms 139
Commentary
19 notes on this verseAnd so, when you have gone over all these points with suitable reflections on each, when you have, in addition, studied the process of breathing, the manner in which the heart conserves its warmth, the organs of digestion and the veins, you will discern in all of these wonders the inscrutable wisdom of the Creator; so that you will be able to say with the prophet: "Your knowledge is become wonderful" from the study of myself. "Give heed, therefore, to yourself," that you may give heed to God, to whom be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
This site's exposition
You search out my path and my lying down
on Psalms 139:3-6
A word is known before it is on the tongue. Verse 5 draws the picture of a man hemmed in behind and before with a hand laid on him, so the knowing is close enough to touch. The man's answer is that such knowledge is too high to reach.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
"Thy skill hath displayed itself wonderfully in me: it hath waxed mighty: I shall not be able to attain unto it" (ver. 6). Listen now and hear somewhat, which is obscure indeed, yet bringeth no small pleasure in the understanding thereon. Moses, the holy servant of God, with whom God spake by a cloud, for, speaking after human fashion, He must needs speak to His servant through some work of His hands which He assumed, ...longed and desired to see the true appearance of God, and said to God, who was conversing with him, "If now I have found grace in Thy sight, show me Thyself." When this he desired vehemently, and would extort from God in that sort of friendly familiarity, if we may so speak, wherewith God deigned to treat him, that he might see His Glory and His Face, in such wise as we can speak of God's Face, He said unto him, "Thou canst not see My Face; for no one hath seen My Face, and lived;" but I will place thee in a clift of the rock, and will pass by, and will set My hand upon thee; and when I have passed by, thou shalt see My back parts. And from these words there ariseth another enigma, that is, an obscure figure of the truth. "When I have passed by," saith God, "thou shalt see My back parts;" as though He hath on one side His face, on another His back. Far be it from us to have any such thoughts of that Majesty! For whoso hath such thoughts of God, what advantageth it him that the temples are closed? He is building an idol in his own heart. In these words then are mighty mysteries. ...They who raged against the Lord, whom they saw, now seek counsel how they may be saved; and it is said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ, and your sins shall be forgiven you." Behold, they saw the back parts of Him, whose face they could not see. For His Hand was upon their eyes, not for ever, but while He passed by. […]
What man, then, is there who can comprehend that wisdom by which God knows all things, in such wise that neither what we call things past are past therein, nor what we call things future are therein waited for as coming, as though they were absent, but both past and future with things present are all present; nor yet are things thought severally, so that thought passes from one to another, but all things simultaneously are at hand in one glance;-what man, I say, is there that comprehends that wisdom, and the like prudence, and the like knowledge, since in truth even our own wisdom is beyond our comprehension? ...And do such as we are, think, that in so great infirmity of mind we can comprehend whether the foresight of God is the same as His memory and His understanding, who does not regard in thought each several thing, but embraces all that He knows in one eternal and unchangeable and ineffable vision? In this difficulty, then, and strait, we may well cry out to the living God, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is high, I cannot attain unto it." For I understand by myself how wonderful and incomprehensible is Thy knowledge, by which Thou madest me, when I cannot even comprehend myself whom Thou hast made! And yet, "while I was musing, the fire burned," so that "I seek Thy face evermore."
Since water does not support horses, donkeys, mules, the tracks of wheels and the marks of wagons and chariots, which are all unmistakable guides to travelers by land, the Maker of the universe has given to the broad seas the disposition of the stars like …
And so loud is their proclamation that the whole human race hears their voice, "There are no speeches or utterances where their voices are not heard." For every race and every tongue hears the proclamations of day and night. Tongue differs from tongue, but nature …
In truth, to know oneself seems to be the hardest of all things. Not only our eye, which observes external objects, does not use the sense of sight on itself, but even our mind, which contemplates intently another's sin, is slow in the recognition of its own defects. Therefore, even at present our speech, after eagerly investigating matters pertaining to others, is slow and hesitant in the examination of our own nature. Yet, it is not possible for one, intelligently examining himself, to learn to know God better from the heavens and earth than from our own constitution, as the prophet says, "Your knowledge is become wonderful from myself"; that is, having carefully observed myself, I have understood the superabundance of wisdom in you.
12 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
Therefore, let us listen to what the prophet says about this: "Your knowledge is too wonderful for me." But let us see what he says further on: "I will give you thanks, for you are fearful and wonderful." Why "fearful"? We wonder at the beauty of columns, mural art, the physical bloom of youth. Again, we wonder at the open sea and its limitless depth, but we wonder fearfully when we stoop down and see how deep it is. It was in this way that the prophet stooped down and looked at the limitless and yawning sea of God's wisdom. And he was struck with shuddering. He was deeply frightened, he drew back, and he said in a loud voice, "I will give you thanks for you are fearfully wondrous; wondrous are your works." And again, "Your knowledge is too wondrous for me; it is too lofty and I cannot attain to it."Do you see how prudent the servant is and how grateful is his heart? What he is saying is this: "I thank you that I have a Master whom I cannot comprehend." And he is not now speaking of God's essence. He passes over the incomprehensibility of his essence as if it is something on which everybody is agreed. What he is speaking of here is God's omnipresence; and he is showing that this is the very thing that he does not understand, namely, how God is present everywhere. To prove to you that he is speaking of God's omnipresence, listen to what follows: "If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to hell, you are present." Do you see how God is everywhere present? The prophet did not know how this was true but he shudders, he is upset, he is at a loss when he so much as thinks about it.
The Medieval Church5 voices
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 4 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Here it must be noted that there is a clarity of philosophical knowledge, of theological knowledge, of gratuitous knowledge, and a clarity of glorious knowledge. The clarity of philosophical knowledge is great according to the opinion of worldly men, yet it is small in comparison …
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 8 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
The height of God is beyond investigation. Hence, "such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too lofty for me to attain."
A commentator
BonaventureQuaestiones Disputatae, De Scientia Christi, Question 6 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Although the intellect and the affection of the rational soul never rest except in God and in the infinite good, this is not because it comprehends that good, but because nothing suffices for the soul unless it exceeds its capacity. Whence it is true that …
A commentator
BonaventureQuaestiones Disputatae, De Scientia Christi, Question 7 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
The Psalm: Your knowledge has become wonderful, etc.; the Gloss: "The assumed man cannot be made equal to the divine substance in substance nor in anything else." Therefore the soul of Christ does not comprehend all things that are comprehended by the eternal wisdom.
Sacred Scripture possesses in its progression a sublimity, which consists in the description of hierarchies arranged in graduated order, which are the ecclesiastical, angelic, and divine hierarchy; such that it describes the first openly, the second somewhat more hiddenly, and the third still more hiddenly. …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): It is too wonderful for me; it is high. "Thou hast such a knowledge of me as I have not of myself, nor can have. I cannot take notice of all my own thoughts, nor make such a judgment of myself as thou makest of me." 2.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,....
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. I cannot grasp it. I can hardly endure to think of it. The theme overwhelms me. I am amazed and astounded at it. Such knowledge not only surpasses my comprehension, but even my imagination. It is high, I cannot attain unto it. Mount as I may, this truth is too lofty for my mind. It seems to be always above me, even when I soar into the loftiest regions of spiritual thought. Is it not so with every attribute of God?
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. I cannot grasp it. I can hardly endure to think of it. The theme overwhelms me. I am amazed and astounded at it. Such knowledge not only surpasses my comprehension, but even my imagination. It is high, I cannot attain unto it. Mount as I may, this truth is too lofty for my mind. It seems to be always above me, even when I soar into the loftiest regions of spiritual thought. Is it not so with every attribute of God? Can we attain to any idea of his power, his wisdom, his holiness? Our mind has no line with which to measure the Infinite. Do we therefore question? Say, rather, that we therefore believe and adore. We are not surprised that the Most Glorious God should in his knowledge be high above all the knowledge to which we can attain: it must of necessity be so, since we are such poor limited beings; and when we stand a tip toe we cannot reach to the lowest step of the throne of the Eternal.
Such knowledge is too wonderful - I think, with Kennicott, that פלאיה דעת pelaiah daath should be read פלאי הדעת peli haddaath, “This knowledge,” ממני mimmenni, “is beyond or above me.” This change is made by taking the ה he from the end of פלאיה pelaiah, which is really no word, and joining it with דעת daath; which, by giving it an article, makes it demonstrative, הדעת haddaath, “This knowledge.” This kind of knowledye, God’s knowledge, that takes in all things, and their reasons, essences, tendencies, and issues, is far beyond me.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me - literally, “Wonderful knowledge away from me,” or, more than I can comprehend. It is beyond my reach; it surpasses all my powers to comprehend it. It is high, I cannot attain unto it - It is so exalted that I cannot grasp it; I cannot understand how it can be.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| פְּלִ֣יאָֽה | piliyah | [is too] wonderful | H6383 → | |
| דַ֣עַת | daat | knowledge | H1847 → | 92 times |
| מִמֶּ֑נִּי | mimeni | for me | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| נִ֝שְׂגְּבָ֗ה | nisgevah | it is set on high | H7682 → | 20 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| א֥וּכַֽל | ʾukhal | I am able | H3201 → | 194 times |
| לָֽהּ׃ | lah | to it |
פְּלִ֣יאָֽה[is too] wonderful
piliyahH6383 →
דַ֣עַתknowledge
daatH1847 →92 times
מִמֶּ֑נִּיfor me
mimeniH4480 →1188 times
נִ֝שְׂגְּבָ֗הit is set on high
nisgevahH7682 →20 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
א֥וּכַֽלI am able
ʾukhalH3201 →194 times
לָֽהּ׃to it
lah
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Romans 11:33O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
it leads to
- Job 11:7–9
Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 92:5
How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Job 5:9
the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.
- Colossians 2:2–3
that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ,
- Job 11:7–9
Through
Psalms 40:5Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us— none can compare to You— if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.
- Exodus 15:11
Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
- Psalms 139:17–18
How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum!
- Psalms 71:15
My mouth will declare Your righteousness and Your salvation all day long, though I cannot know their full measure.
- Jeremiah 29:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 18 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 139; Augustine of Hippo, On The Trinity 15:7.13; Basil of Caesarea, HOMILY ON THE WORDS 'GIVE HEED TO THYSELF.'; Basil of Caesarea, HOMILIES ON THE HEXAEMERON 9:6; Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 4; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 8; Bonaventure, Quaestiones Disputatae, De Scientia Christi, Question 6; Bonaventure, Quaestiones Disputatae, De Scientia Christi, Question 7; Bonaventure, Breviloquium, Prologue; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; John Chrysostom, AGAINST THE ANOMOEANS 1:24-25; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodoret of Cyrus, DISCOURSE 1:39 and Theodoret of Cyrus, DISCOURSE 4:4.