If I take up the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Parallel translations
- WEB If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;
- KJV If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
- BSB If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea,
- NKJV If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
- NLT If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
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
Even if David flew to the farthest sea on the wings of dawn, God would be there.
Overview
With poetic imagery David imagines fleeing to the most distant reaches of the earth. No matter how far he could travel, he could not outrun God's presence. The God who fills every corner of creation is the same Lord who pursues His people in love and meets them in Christ wherever they are.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ps 19:6His going out is from the end of the heavens, his circuit to its ends; There is nothing hidden from its heat.
- Ps 74:16–17The day is yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun.
- Mal 4:2But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and leap like calves of the stall.
- Ps 18:10He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
- Isa 24:14–16These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of Yahweh. They cry aloud from the sea.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 139:9 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.