Psalms 139:14

My Notes

What Does Psalms 139:14 Mean?

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." The MOST CELEBRATED verse about human VALUE: 'I am fearfully and wonderfully made.' The praise flows from the SELF-KNOWLEDGE that the self was DIVINELY CRAFTED. The psalmist looks at HIMSELF and sees GOD'S WORK — and the seeing produces PRAISE. The self-examination becomes the worship.

The phrase "fearfully and wonderfully made" (nora'ot niphleyti — fearfully/awesomely I was made wonderful/distinguished) uses TWO words of AWE: NORA (fearful, awesome, terror-inducing) and NIPHLA (wonderful, extraordinary, beyond comprehension). The making was FEAR-INDUCING and WONDER-PRODUCING. The construction of a human being is so complex, so intricate, so beyond understanding that it produces BOTH fear and wonder. The body is a source of THEOLOGICAL AWE.

The phrase "marvellous are thy works" (niphla'im ma'asekha — wonderful/extraordinary are your works) extends the wonder from the SELF to ALL of God's works: the psalmist begins by marveling at his OWN making and then generalizes to ALL of God's works. The personal wonder becomes the universal recognition. 'I am wonderful' leads to 'ALL your works are wonderful.' The self-knowledge produces the God-knowledge.

The phrase "my soul knoweth right well" (venaphshi yoda'at me'od — my soul knows exceedingly/greatly) is the CONFIDENCE of the knowing: the soul KNOWS this — not suspects, not hopes, not wonders. KNOWS. And knows it ME'OD — greatly, exceedingly, with deep certainty. The knowledge of being fearfully and wonderfully made is SETTLED in the soul. The truth has landed at the deepest level.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Does your soul KNOW — deep, settled — that you are fearfully and wonderfully made?
• 2.What does FEARFULLY (awe-inducing) combined with WONDERFULLY (marvel-producing) teach about the complexity of your making?
• 3.How does looking at yourself and seeing GOD'S WORK describe self-examination as worship?
• 4.What would change in your life if the truth of being wonderfully made moved from intellectual knowledge to SOUL knowledge?

Devotional

FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made. The two words of awe applied to YOUR construction: fear-inducing and wonder-producing. The making of YOU was an act so complex that it produces theological AWE. Your body, your mind, your existence — crafted with a skill that should make you TREMBLE and MARVEL simultaneously.

The PRAISE flows from the SEEING: 'I will praise thee' — the praise is the response to the recognition. The psalmist looks at himself and sees GOD'S WORK. The self-examination produces worship. The looking inward leads to looking UPWARD. The recognition of divine craftsmanship in your own body is the beginning of praise.

The 'MY SOUL KNOWETH right well' is SETTLED confidence: the soul KNOWS. Not wonders. Not hopes. KNOWS — with depth (me'od — exceedingly, greatly). The truth of being fearfully and wonderfully made isn't a surface-level affirmation. It's SOUL-DEEP knowledge — settled at the core, known in the most interior space, established at the level where identity lives.

The transition from 'I am wonderful' to 'YOUR WORKS are wonderful' is the theological MOVE: the personal recognition leads to the universal recognition. Looking at yourself and seeing God's work leads to looking at EVERYTHING and seeing God's work. The self-wonder opens the door to the creation-wonder. The body that amazes you points to the God whose ALL works amaze.

Does your soul KNOW — right well, settled, deep — that you are fearfully and wonderfully made? And what would change if it did?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture