Psalms 139:12

WEB

even the darkness doesn't hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.

KJV

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Commentary

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee,.... Any thing that is done by men in it; or "darkeneth not from thee" (i), or causeth such darkness as to hinder the sight of any action committed. The Targum is, "fr om thy Word;'' see Heb 4:12 ; but the night shineth as the day; or "enlightens as the day" (k), gives as much light with respect to God as the day does; the darkness and the light are both alike to thee; as is the one, so is the other: the day gives him no more light than the night, and the night no more darkness than the day; he sees as well, as clearly and distinctly, in the one as in the other. The psalmist expresses the same thing in different words three or four times, as Kimchi observes, to show that so the Lord is, that thus it is with him; he has as clear a discerning of all things done in the darkest night as at bright noon day; see Job 34:21 . (i) "non obscurabit a te", Montanus; "non obtenebrant", Gejerus; so Michaelis. (k) "illustrat", Junius & Tremellius; "illuminabit", Gejerus Michaelis; so Ainsworth.