Psalms 139:11
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Original Language Analysis
אַךְ
H389
חֹ֣שֶׁךְ
Surely the darkness
H2822
חֹ֣שֶׁךְ
Surely the darkness
Strong's:
H2822
Word #:
3 of 7
the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness
יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי
shall cover
H7779
יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי
shall cover
Strong's:
H7779
Word #:
4 of 7
properly, to gape, i.e., snap at; figuratively, to overwhelm
וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה
me even the night
H3915
וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה
me even the night
Strong's:
H3915
Word #:
5 of 7
properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e., night; figuratively, adversity
Cross References
Job 12:22He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.Jeremiah 23:24Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.Psalms 94:7Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
Historical Context
In pre-electric ancient world, darkness was total—no streetlights, no ambient glow. Night brought genuine concealment, making it prime time for crime and immorality. David's assertion that even night becomes light to God would have sounded radical, challenging assumptions about darkness as hiding place.
Questions for Reflection
- What do you do under 'cover of darkness'—literal night or metaphorical secrecy—that you wouldn't do in broad daylight before witnesses?
- How does knowing that darkness and light are alike to God affect your willingness to confess hidden sins?
- What darkness in your life—depression, ignorance, sin—needs to become 'light about you' through God's illuminating presence?
Analysis & Commentary
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me—David explores a third hypothetical escape: concealment in darkness (choshek, חֹשֶׁךְ). Cover me (shuf, שׁוּף) means to overwhelm or crush—darkness as refuge from exposure. But the conditional sentence breaks mid-verse (completed in v. 12): what we expect to be dark becomes light.
This anticipates both moral and literal truths. Morally: secret sins performed 'under cover of darkness' stand revealed to God (Ephesians 5:11-13). Literally: night doesn't diminish God's vision. We hide in darkness hoping for invisibility, but God dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16) and sees perfectly in absolute darkness.