(12) Hideth not.--Better to keep as near as possible to the original maketh not dark. Others render cannot be too dark for thee. The highest development of the psalmist's thought is of course to be found in St. John's declaration, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."

Shineth.--Or, giveth light.

The darkness . . .--Literally, as darkness, so light.

"God is the light which, never seen itself, makes all things visible, and clothes itself in colours."--RICHTER.

139:7-16 We cannot see God, but he can see us. The psalmist did not desire to go from the Lord. Whither can I go? In the most distant corners of the world, in heaven, or in hell, I cannot go out of thy reach. No veil can hide us from God; not the thickest darkness. No disguise can save any person or action from being seen in the true light by him. Secret haunts of sin are as open before God as the most open villanies. On the other hand, the believer cannot be removed from the supporting, comforting presence of his Almighty Friend. Should the persecutor take his life, his soul will the sooner ascend to heaven. The grave cannot separate his body from the love of his Saviour, who will raise it a glorious body. No outward circumstances can separate him from his Lord. While in the path of duty, he may be happy in any situation, by the exercise of faith, hope, and prayer.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,

"from thy Word;''

see Hebrews 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.