Psalms 139:2 (LSB)

Passage

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.

Nearby Context

Psalms 139:1 For the choir director. Of David. A Psalm. O Yahweh, You have searched me and known me.

Psalms 139:2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.

Psalms 139:3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

Psalms 139:4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Yahweh, You know it all.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "down", "rise", "understand", "thought", and "afar". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "down" and "rise", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "For the choir director Of David A..." into verse 3's "You scrutinize my path and my lying...", so "down" and "rise" 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 "down" and "rise" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.