Psalms 139:8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Original Language Analysis
אִם
H518
אִם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
1 of 8
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
שָׁ֭מַיִם
into heaven
H8064
שָׁ֭מַיִם
into heaven
Strong's:
H8064
Word #:
3 of 8
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies r
שָׁ֣ם
H8033
Cross References
Jonah 2:2And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.Proverbs 15:11Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?Obadiah 1:4Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.Job 26:6Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
Historical Context
Ancient cosmology conceived heaven above and sheol below, with earth between. David uses this three-tiered worldview to express God's universal presence. Notably, sheol wasn't hell in the later Christian sense but the shadowy underworld where all the dead went—making God's presence there even more remarkable.
Questions for Reflection
- What 'heavenly' highs or 'sheol' lows have you experienced where you felt God's presence was absent—and how does this verse challenge that perception?
- How does knowing that God is present even in sheol (death, darkness, separation) change how you face your deepest fears?
- Are you trying to ascend to some spiritual height to meet God, forgetting that He is already wherever you are?
Analysis & Commentary
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there—David explores God's omnipresence through cosmic extremes. Heaven (shamayim, שָׁמַיִם) represents the highest heights, God's dwelling place. Hell (sheol, שְׁאוֹל) is the grave, the realm of the dead, the lowest depths. The emphatic thou art there (sham attah, שָׁם אַתָּה) brackets both locations—God's presence is not limited by spatial or spiritual boundaries.
Sheol was understood as shadowy separation from God's active presence (Psalm 88:5), yet even there, God is. This anticipates the Christian truth that Christ descended to the dead (1 Peter 3:19). There is literally nowhere—no height of blessing, no depth of despair—outside God's presence.