Psalm 139:6
New International Version
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

New Living Translation
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

English Standard Version
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Berean Standard Bible
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

King James Bible
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

New King James Version
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

New American Standard Bible
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.

NASB 1995
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

NASB 1977
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Legacy Standard Bible
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Amplified Bible
Such [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high [above me], I cannot reach it.

Christian Standard Bible
This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

American Standard Version
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Contemporary English Version
I can't understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.

English Revised Version
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Such knowledge is beyond my grasp. It is so high I cannot reach it.

Good News Translation
Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding.

International Standard Version
Knowledge like this is too amazing for me. It is beyond my reach, and I cannot fathom it.

Majority Standard Bible
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

NET Bible
Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.

New Heart English Bible
This knowledge is beyond me. It's lofty. I can't attain it.

Webster's Bible Translation
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain to it.

World English Bible
This knowledge is beyond me. It’s lofty. I can’t attain it.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Knowledge too wonderful for me, "" It has been set on high, "" I am not able for it.

Young's Literal Translation
Knowledge too wonderful for me, It hath been set on high, I am not able for it.

Smith's Literal Translation
Knowledge being wonderful from me; being high, I shall not be able for it.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thy knowledge is become wonderful to me: it is high, and I cannot reach to it.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Your knowledge has become a wonder to me. It has been reinforced, and I am not able to prevail against it.

New American Bible
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, far too lofty for me to reach.

New Revised Standard Version
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The knowledge and the wonder are stronger than I and I could not master them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; Too high, I cannot attain unto it.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The knowledge of thee is too wonderful for me; it is very difficult, I cannot attain to it.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
You Have Searched Me and Known Me
5You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?…

Cross References
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. / “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Romans 11:33-34
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! / “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”

Job 42:3
You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.

1 Corinthians 2:9-11
Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” / But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. / For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Job 11:7-9
Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? / They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know? / Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.

Proverbs 30:3-4
I have not learned wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. / Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know!

Ephesians 3:18-19
will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth / of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Jeremiah 32:19
the One great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are on all the ways of the sons of men, to reward each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.

1 Corinthians 13:12
Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Job 26:14
Indeed, these are but the fringes of His ways; how faint is the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”

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, / in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.

Matthew 11:25-27
At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. / Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight. / All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Daniel 2:20-22
and declared: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. / He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. / He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.

Romans 8:27
And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.


Treasury of Scripture

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain to it.

knowledge

Psalm 40:5
Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Psalm 13:1
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

Job 11:7-9
Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? …

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Able Attain Greater High Lofty Powers Wonder Wonderful
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Able Attain Greater High Lofty Powers Wonder Wonderful
Psalm 139
1. David praises God for his all-seeing providence
17. And for this infinite mercies
19. He defies the wicked
23. He prays for sincerity














Such knowledge is too wonderful for me
This phrase reflects the psalmist's awe at God's omniscience and omnipresence. The "knowledge" refers to God's intimate understanding of the psalmist's thoughts, actions, and even his formation in the womb, as described earlier in the psalm. This echoes the biblical theme of God's incomprehensible wisdom, as seen in Job 42:3, where Job acknowledges that God's plans are "too wonderful" for him to understand. The Hebrew word for "wonderful" (פלא, pala) often denotes something extraordinary or miraculous, suggesting that God's knowledge is beyond human comprehension. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative that God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

too lofty for me to attain
The term "lofty" indicates something elevated or exalted, emphasizing the transcendence of God's understanding. This reflects the biblical theme of human limitation in grasping divine mysteries, as seen in Romans 11:33, where Paul marvels at the depth of God's wisdom and knowledge. The psalmist's admission of his inability to "attain" this knowledge underscores the humility required in recognizing human limitations before God. This humility is a recurring theme in Scripture, where believers are encouraged to trust in God's wisdom rather than their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). The phrase also points to the idea that while humans are made in the image of God, there remains a vast chasm between human and divine understanding, highlighting the need for faith and reliance on God's revelation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
- The author of Psalm 139, King David, is expressing his awe at God's omniscience and omnipresence.

2. God
- The central figure in this Psalm, whose attributes of omniscience and omnipresence are being praised.

3. Israel
- The nation to which David belonged, often the context for his writings and reflections on God's nature.
Teaching Points
The Limitations of Human Understanding
Recognize that God's knowledge and wisdom are beyond human comprehension. This should lead to humility and reverence in our approach to God.

The Wonder of God's Omniscience
Reflect on the fact that God knows us completely and intimately. This should bring comfort and assurance in our relationship with Him.

Trust in God's Sovereignty
Since God's knowledge is perfect, we can trust Him with our lives, even when we do not understand our circumstances.

Pursuit of Godly Wisdom
While we cannot attain God's level of knowledge, we are encouraged to seek wisdom through His Word and Spirit, aligning our lives with His will.

Worship in Response to God's Greatness
Our response to the realization of God's infinite knowledge should be one of worship and adoration, acknowledging His greatness.(6) Such . . .--God's omniscience is for man at once transcendent, unattainable, impossible. Possibly the article has dropped away, and we should read this knowledge. LXX. and Vulg. have "thy knowledge."

For the thought comp. Psalm 139:17-18, and Romans 11:33.

Verse 6. - Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. The psalmist does not say, "such knowledge," but simply "knowledge," i.e. real true knowledge, such as deserves the name. "The thought of God's omniscience makes him feel as if real knowledge were beyond his reach" (Kay).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
[Such] knowledge
דַ֣עַת (ḏa·‘aṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1847: Knowledge

[is] too wonderful
פְּלִ֣יאָֽה (pə·lî·’āh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 6383: Wonderful, incomprehensible

for me,
מִמֶּ֑נִּי (mim·men·nî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

too lofty
נִ֝שְׂגְּבָ֗ה (niś·gə·ḇāh)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7682: To be, lofty, inaccessible, safe, strong

for me to attain.
א֥וּכַֽל (’ū·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3201: To be able, have power


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OT Poetry: Psalm 139:6 This knowledge is beyond me (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 139:5
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