Psalms 139:7 (ASV)

Passage

Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

Nearby Context

Psalms 139:5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, And laid thy hand upon me.

Psalms 139:6 [Such] knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Psalms 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

Psalms 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there.

Psalms 139:9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "whither", "shall", "flee", and "presence". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "whither", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me..." into verse 8's "If I ascend up into heaven thou...", so "Spirit" and "whither" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "whither" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.