Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_286.TXT

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into judgment ? or though he is afar off in the highest
heavens, yet he sees into the hearts of men, and is
privy to all their thoughts.
Ver. & Thou cornpassest my path and my lying down,
&c.] The Targum adds," to study in the law." His
walk in the day-time, and every step he took, and his
lying down at night. It denotes his perfect knowledge
of all his actions, day and night; he surrounds every
path of man, that they cannot escape his knowledge.
Or, thou winnowest, as some render the word {c}; he
distinguishes actions; he discerns and separates the
good from the bad, or the goodness of an action from
the evil and imperfection of it, as in winnowing the
wheat is separated from the chaff. Or, thou measurest
my squaringa; all his dimensions, his length and
breadth, as he lay down in his bed. And art acquainted
with all my ways; the whole of his life and conversa-
tion, all his works and doings: God knows all the evil
ways and works of his people; he takes notice of them,
and chastises for them; and all their good works, and
approves and accepts of them; he knows from what
prmciples of faith and love they spring, in what man-
ner they are performed, and with what views, aims,
and ends; see Rev. ii. 2, 19. Psal. i. 6.
Ver. 4. For there is not a word in my tongue, &c.]
Expressed by it or upon it, just ready to be spoken;
or, as the Targum, "when there is no word in m.y
"tongue:" so Aben Ezra," before it was perfect in
"my tongue :" before it is formed there; while it is in
the mind, and not expressed, and even before t!lat.
But, lo, 0 Lord, thou knowest it altogether; the whole
of it, from whence it springs; the reason of it, what is
designed, or the ends to be answered by it. The Lord
knows the good words of his people, which they speak
to him in prayer, even before and while they are speak-
ing them; and what they say to one another in private
conversation, Isa. lxv. 24. Mal. iii. 16. See an instance
of words known by Christ before spoken, in Luke xix.
31, 33.
Vet. 5. Thou hast beset me behind and before, &c.]
Art on every side of me, all around me, like one be-
sieged in a strait place; so that tilere is nothing I can
think, say, ,or do, but what is known unto thee. The
two Kimchis, father and son, render the word, thou
hast formed me: and interpret it of the formation of his
body, of which, in ver. 14--16. see Job x, 8, 10, 11.
but it denotes how God compasses men with his pre-
sence and providence, so that nothing escapes his
knowledge. And laid thine hand upon me; not his af-
flicting hand, which sometimes presses hard; though
the Targum thus paraphrases it, "and stirred against
"me tlle stroke of thine hand :" but rather his hand
of power and providence, to preserve, protect, and de-
fend him. Or it signifies ttlat he was so near to him
that his hand was upon him, and he was perfectly
known; as any thing is that is before a man, and he
has his hand upon.
Ver. 6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, &c.]
Meaning either the knowledge of himself, such as God
had of him, which was vastly superior to what he had
of himself; and especially the knowledge of other per-
sons and things, whether visible or invisible, in heaven,
earth, or hell; things past, present, and to come; or
else the manner in which God knew all this was amazing
to him, and quite impenetrable by him; that he did
know him, his thoughts, his words and actions, and
so those of all others, was easy of belief; but how he
should know all this was past his conception, and
struck him with the profoundest admiration. It is
high; sublime, out of his reach, beyond his compre-
hension. I cannot attain unto it; neither to such
knowledge, nor to comprehend what it is in God; and
how he should have it, and in what manner he exer-
cises it. Kimchi, Jarchi, and Aben Ezra, connect the
words with the following, as if the matter of his won-
der and astonishment was the omnipresence of God, or
where he should find aplace to flee from hi.m.
Ver. 7. Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? &c.] Or,
from thy .wind? which some interpret literally, the
wind being God's ores.lure; which he brings out of his
treasures, and holds in his fists, and disposes of as he
pleases; this takes its circuit through all the points of
the heavens, and blows everywhere, more or less.
Rather God himself is meant, who is a spirit, John
iv. 24. not a body, or consisting of corporeal parts,
which are only ascribed to him in a figurative sense;
and who has something analogous to spirit, being sim-
ple and uncompounded, invisible, incorruptible, im-
material, and immortal; but is different from all other
spirits, being uricreared, eternal, infinite, and immense;
so that there is no going from him, as to be out of his
sight; nor to any place Otlt Of his reach, nor from his
wrath and justice, nor so as to escape his righte-
ous judgment. It may signify his all-conscious mind,
his all-comprehending understanding and knowledge,
which reaches to all persons, places, and things; com-
pare Isa. xi. 13. with Rom. xi. 34. and 1 Cot. ii. 16.
though it seems best of all to understand it of the third
Person, the blessed Spirit, which proceeds from the
Father and the Son; and who is possessed of the same
perfections, of omniscience, omnipresence, and im-
mensity, as they are; who is the Creator of the hea-
vens and the earth, and pervades them all; and is the
Maker of all men, and is present with them to uphold
their souls in life, and there is no going from him; par-
ticularly he is in all believers, and dwells with them;
nor do they desire to go from him, but deprecate his
departure from them. Or whither shall I fiee from thy
presence ? which is everywhere, for God's presence is
omnipresence; his powerful presence and providence
are with all Iris creatures, to support and uphold them
in being; he is not far from, but near to them; in him
they live, move, and have their being: and so there is
no fleeing from him or that; and as to his gracious
presence, which is with all his people, in all places at
the same time; they do not desire to flee from it, but
always to have it; and are concerned for it, if at any
time it is removed from them, as to their apprehension
of it. Or, from thyface {e}; that is, from Christ, who is
the face of Jehovah; the image of the invisible God,

{c} \^tyrz\^ ventilasti, Pagninus, Montanus; so Tigurine version and
Ainsworth.
{d} \^yebr\^ quadraturam meam spithama mensurasti, Gussetius, p. 775;
spithama metiris, Cocceius.
{e} \^Kynpm\^ a facie tua, Pagninus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.