“You knit me together in my mother’s womb”
A Bible Study on Psalm 139:13–14
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“For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.”
— Psalm 139:13–14
Before anyone saw us, Yahweh saw us. Before we could speak, He knew us. While our bodies were developing unseen within our mothers, we were already within His knowledge and care.
These verses invite us to look at our lives with gratitude and reverence. We are wonderfully made, known by our Creator, and precious to Him.
1. “You knit me together in my mother’s womb”
The expression “knit me together” pictures the intricate formation of a human being. The KJV says, “thou hast covered me.” The “reins” are literally the kidneys, also used in Scripture to describe a person’s inward being.
David recognizes Yahweh’s work in the formation of his body and his innermost life.
“Thine hands have made me and fashioned me.”
— Psalm 119:73
“Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.”
— Job 10:11
Job uses the language of clothing and weaving to describe the formation of the body. Skin, flesh, bones, and sinews become a living whole.
Related passages:
- Job 10:8–12: Yahweh’s hands fashioned Job, gave him life, and preserved him.
- Isaiah 44:2: Yahweh identifies Himself as the One who made and formed Israel from the womb.
- Isaiah 44:24: Yahweh joins His formation of Israel with His work as Creator of heaven and earth.
- Ecclesiastes 11:5: The development of a child in the womb illustrates how much of Yahweh’s work remains beyond our understanding.
Lesson: Our beginning was hidden from human eyes, but never hidden from Yahweh.
2. “Fearfully and wonderfully made”
“Fearfully” here carries the thought of awe and reverence. David is moved to worship when he considers the wonder of his own creation.
His response is:
“I will praise thee.”
— Psalm 139:14
The purpose of recognizing the wonder of our bodies is to honor the One who made them.
“Know ye that Yahweh he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.”
— Psalm 100:3
This does not mean that every person is born without illness or disability, or that our bodies will never suffer. It means that human life is a marvelous work of our Creator. A person’s worth does not depend on physical strength, appearance, health, or ability.
Related passages:
- Genesis 1:26–27: Humanity is made in the image of God.
- Genesis 2:7: Yahweh formed man from the dust and gave him the breath of life.
- Psalm 8:3–6: David marvels that the Creator of the heavens cares for mankind.
- Proverbs 22:2: Rich and poor share the same Maker.
Lesson: We should treat ourselves and others with the dignity appropriate to people made by Yahweh.
3. “My substance was not hid from thee”
“My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”
— Psalm 139:15
“Curiously wrought” means intricately worked or woven. The reference to “the lowest parts of the earth” is poetic language describing the hidden place of formation, continuing the picture of the womb.
“Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect.”
— Psalm 139:16
“Unperfect” here means unformed or unfinished. David describes Yahweh seeing him while he was still developing.
The passage emphasizes how completely Yahweh knows a life that human beings cannot yet see.
Related passages:
- Psalm 22:9–10: David speaks of dependence on Yahweh from his mother’s womb.
- Psalm 71:5–6: The psalmist remembers Yahweh’s sustaining care from birth.
- Isaiah 46:3–4: Yahweh describes carrying His people from the womb and continuing to carry them into old age.
Lesson: Yahweh’s care does not begin when we become strong, useful, or able to understand Him. Our dependence on Him begins with life itself.
4. Yahweh knows us before others do
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.”
— Jeremiah 1:5
Yahweh spoke these words specifically to Jeremiah about his appointment as a prophet. We should not assume that everyone receives Jeremiah’s particular calling. Nevertheless, the passage shows that Yahweh’s knowledge and purpose can precede a person’s birth.
Other servants were also identified with a calling from the womb:
- Isaiah 49:1, 5: Yahweh’s servant speaks of being called and formed from the womb.
- Luke 1:13–17: John the Baptist’s work is announced before his conception.
- Galatians 1:15–16: Paul describes being set apart from his mother’s womb and called by grace.
Lesson: Yahweh’s knowledge reaches further back than our memories and further ahead than our understanding.
5. Life in the womb is treated with significance
“And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.”
— Luke 1:41
Elizabeth then says:
“The babe leaped in my womb for joy.”
— Luke 1:44
This account presents John as a child already involved in the unfolding work of Yahweh before his birth.
Related passages:
- Genesis 25:21–23: Rebekah’s children struggle within her, and Yahweh speaks about their future.
- Ruth 4:13: Yahweh gives Ruth conception, and she bears a son.
- Psalm 127:3: Children are described as a heritage from Yahweh.
These passages encourage reverence for developing human life and gratitude for children. They should never be used to suggest that people who experience infertility or pregnancy loss are less loved by Yahweh.
Lesson: The hidden beginnings of life deserve tenderness, care, and respect.
6. Our Maker understands our weakness
The One who formed us also understands how fragile we are.
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so Yahweh pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
— Psalm 103:13–14
Yahweh does not forget the limitations of our bodies or the burdens we carry. His knowledge is joined with compassion.
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
— Psalm 147:3
Related passages:
- Isaiah 40:28–31: The Creator gives strength to the weary.
- Psalm 34:18: Yahweh is near to the brokenhearted.
- 2 Corinthians 4:16–18: Though the outward person suffers decline, inward renewal and future hope remain.
- Romans 8:22–23: Believers groan while awaiting the redemption of their bodies.
Lesson: Illness, aging, disability, or sorrow do not erase the worth of the person Yahweh formed.
7. Being wonderfully made teaches us how to treat others
“Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother?”
— Malachi 2:10
Our shared dependence on our Creator should shape our conduct.
Job recognized that the One who made him also made his servants:
“Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?”
— Job 31:15
This is a powerful argument against mistreatment. Differences in wealth, position, age, or ability do not give anyone permission to disregard another person’s humanity.
Related passages:
- Proverbs 14:31: Oppressing the poor dishonors their Maker.
- James 3:9–10: Blessing God while cursing people made in His likeness is inconsistent.
- Matthew 22:39: Yeshua commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Lesson: Respect for our Creator should be visible in the way we treat His creation.
8. The One who formed us can raise us again
The bodies Yahweh formed are mortal. Yet Scripture directs our hope toward the resurrection.
“Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.”
— Job 14:15
In the surrounding passage, Job longs to be remembered after death and to answer when Yahweh calls him.
Yeshua declares:
“The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth.”
— John 5:28–29
The Creator’s power is not exhausted when our present lives end.
Related passages:
- Daniel 12:2: Those sleeping in the dust awaken.
- 1 Corinthians 15:20–23: Resurrection comes through Yeshua.
- 1 Corinthians 15:42–44: Paul describes the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the body.
- Philippians 3:20–21: Yeshua will transform the humble bodies of His people.
- Revelation 21:4: In Yahweh’s final restoration, death, sorrow, crying, and pain pass away.
Lesson: The One who gave us life in the womb has the power to give life again.
9. David’s response: “Search me”
Psalm 139 begins with Yahweh’s complete knowledge of David and ends with David inviting that knowledge to shape his life.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
— Psalm 139:23–24
David does more than admire the wonder of creation. He asks his Creator to examine and guide him.
Our response can follow the same pattern:
- Praise Him: “Marvellous are thy works.”
- Trust His care: Nothing about us is hidden from Him.
- Respect others: They also bear their Creator’s image.
- Seek His guidance: Ask Him to reveal what needs to change.
- Hold to resurrection hope: Our Maker can call the dead to life.
A personal reflection
Before my mother held me, Yahweh saw me.
Before I spoke my first word, He knew me.
He understands the body that carries me, the weakness that troubles me, and the grief I struggle to express.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. So is the person beside me—the elderly, the disabled, the sick, the lonely, and the child still growing unseen.
May I honor my Maker by thanking Him for life, caring for others, and asking Him to lead me in the way everlasting.
“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” — Psalm 139:14
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