Psalms 139:3 (KJV)

Passage

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

Nearby Context

Psalms 139:1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

Psalms 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

Psalms 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

Psalms 139:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "compassest", "path", "lying", "down", "acquainted", and "ways". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "compassest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising..." into verse 4's "For there is not a word in...", so "thou" and "compassest" 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 "thou" and "compassest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.