I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Parallel translations
- WEB I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.
- BSB I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.
- NKJV I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
- NASB I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.
- NLT Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David praises God because he is 'fearfully and wonderfully made,' marveling at the Creator's works. It calls every person to gratitude and awe before God.
Overview
Reflecting on his own formation, David responds with thanksgiving rather than mere self-regard, for the wonder points to the Maker. The phrase 'fearfully and wonderfully made' captures both the awe and the intricate design of human life. Such wonder anticipates the greater wonder of redemption, where God remakes sinners into the image of Christ (Ephesians 2:10).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Gen 1:26–27And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
- Ps 111:2The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
- Ps 104:24O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
- Ps 92:4–5For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
- Job 5:9Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
- Ps 40:5Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
- Rev 15:3And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 139:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.