Psalm 139 18

Psalm 139:18 kjv

If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

Psalm 139:18 nkjv

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

Psalm 139:18 niv

Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand? when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139:18 esv

If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

Psalm 139:18 nlt

I can't even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

Psalm 139 verses

Psalm 139 18 Meaning

The Psalmist declares that God's thoughts toward him are so numerous that if he were to attempt to count them, they would be far more abundant than the grains of sand. Furthermore, this deep and intimate awareness of God's pervasive care and presence is constant; upon awakening, the Psalmist finds himself still in an unbroken communion with the Almighty. This conveys an overwhelming sense of God's infinite, continuous, and personal attentiveness.

Psalm 139 18 Context

Psalm 139 is a profound exploration of God's omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. The first six verses describe God's absolute knowledge of the Psalmist's inner being and outer movements. Verses 7-12 emphasize God's inescapable presence, from which no one can flee. Verses 13-16 recount God's intricate formation of the Psalmist in the womb, highlighting His precise and powerful creative work. Verse 17 directly precedes verse 18, expressing wonder at the preciousness and vastness of God's "thoughts" or "plans" concerning the Psalmist. Verse 18 then expands on this numerical immensity and culminates in the intimate reassurance that God's presence is constant and unbroken, even through sleep and awakening. Historically, this psalm reflects an individual's deep, personal devotion to Yahweh in a cultural landscape often dominated by polytheism or distant, limited deities. It contrasts with pagan ideas of localized or uninformed gods by asserting the boundless, all-knowing, and intimately involved nature of the God of Israel.

Psalm 139 18 Word analysis

• "If I should count them": Hebrew: 'im 'esparam (אִם אֶסְפְּרֵם). 'esparam comes from the root sapar, meaning "to count, number, recount, tell, declare." The suffix "them" (dual form) refers to "Your thoughts" (v.17). This phrase denotes the human attempt, an impossibility in itself, to quantify God's infinite designs and benevolent intentions toward the Psalmist.
• "they are more in number than the sand": Hebrew: ravu mechol (רַבּוּ מֵחֹול). Ravu comes from rabah, meaning "to be or become numerous, increase, multiply, abound." Mechol is from chol, meaning "sand, dust, grit." This is a deeply resonant biblical idiom used to describe an immense, immeasurable, and innumerable quantity. It visually evokes the vastness of the seashore, an ancient and well-understood symbol of things beyond human computation.
• "when I awake": Hebrew: haqisotii (הֱקִיצֹותִי). From the root quẓ, meaning "to awake, arise, start up." Primarily, it refers to waking from literal sleep. However, in wider biblical usage, it extends to "awakening" from spiritual slumber (Rom 13:11; Eph 5:14) or, profoundly, to the ultimate awakening into resurrection or eternal life (Dan 12:2; Ps 17:15). It represents a significant transition from one state to another.
• "I am still with You": Hebrew: 'odkha 'imka (עֹודֶנִּי עִמָּךְ). 'Od (עוד) is an adverb meaning "still, yet, continually, besides, all the more." It conveys the persistence and continuation of a state. 'Imka (עמָּךְ) means "with You" (with the second person masculine singular suffix for "You," referring to God). This phrase affirms the unbroken, intimate, and continuous nature of God's presence and relationship with the Psalmist.

Words-group Analysis

• "If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand": This segment expresses the overwhelming boundlessness of God's active engagement and comprehensive planning for the individual. It highlights that God's intentions, purposes, and love are not finite but surpass all human capacity for comprehension or measurement. It speaks to the richness and multiplicity of God's care.
• "when I awake, I am still with You": This second part points to the perpetual, unceasing nature of God's companionship. It assures the believer that the intimacy and security found in God's presence are not disrupted by sleep or even the symbolic transitions of life and death. The "still" (Hebrew: 'od) is key, indicating a continuity that bridges conscious and unconscious states, ensuring that the last conscious thought before sleep and the first upon awakening is enveloped in God's presence.

Psalm 139 18 Bonus section

• The hyperbole of "more in number than the sand" is not mere poetic exaggeration but a theological statement about God's infinitude and the comprehensive nature of His redemptive thoughts and covenant promises, often connected to the Abrahamic covenant.
• The "awakening" can imply waking in the morning, finding renewed awareness of God's presence, which transforms the start of each day. It can also be interpreted eschatologically, as waking into eternity, or waking in resurrection, highlighting the continuity of the relationship beyond physical death. This means the faithful can face both life and death with confidence in God's unwavering presence.
• The progression in Psalm 139 moves from God knowing the individual (v.1-6) to the individual recognizing and finding solace in God's inescapable presence (v.7-18), illustrating a responsive faith.

Psalm 139 18 Commentary

Psalm 139:18 offers a breathtaking crescendo to the Psalmist's contemplation of God's omni-attributes. Following the revelation that God knows his every move, has searched his heart, and knit him together in the womb, the Psalmist then reflects on the number of God's thoughts towards him. These thoughts are not sparse or infrequent but are as immeasurable as the grains of sand on the seashore, signifying an unfathomable depth of divine care, purpose, and planning that perpetually engages with the believer's life. This vastness assures that no moment, no detail, is beyond God's intentional involvement. The concluding declaration, "when I awake, I am still with You," profoundly seals this assurance of unending communion. It is a testament to an uninterrupted relationship: sleep does not sever the bond, nor does unconsciousness diminish God's presence. This brings immense comfort, as it portrays God's watchfulness and companionship as unwavering through all cycles of life—from the busiest activity to the quietest rest. It means the believer wakes not into a void, but into the palpable, consistent presence of their Creator and Redeemer, making God the constant anchor of their existence. This continuity transforms vulnerability into security and uncertainty into trust, embodying the security of the redeemed who remain forever encompassed by divine love.