KJV ORIGINAL
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the depths of death, you are there too.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is expressing that God is present everywhere - in the highest places and even in the lowest, darkest places we could imagine.
📚 Historical Context
This psalm is attributed to King David and reflects the Hebrew understanding that God's presence extends throughout all creation. The word translated as 'hell' here is 'Sheol' in Hebrew, which referred to the realm of the dead rather than a place of punishment. Ancient peoples often thought of gods as being limited to certain territories, but David is declaring that Israel's God transcends all boundaries.
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