Psalms 139:11,12

And if I say, Nay, but darkness might shroud me,

And the light about me become night;

Even darkness hideth not from thee, &c.

It is as impossible to hide from God under cover of darkness as it is to escape from Him by change of place (Psalms 139:8). The A.V. even the night shall be light about meseems to mean that the light of God's presence will banish the terrors of darkness; but this sense does not fit the context. The Psalmist is not expressing his confidence in God's protection, but his conviction of His omniscience. Those who think to escape God's notice in the night as they avoid the eye of men (Job 24:13-17) do but delude themselves. The word rendered coveror shroudis a rare one, and is elsewhere taken to mean overwhelm(R.V.) but this sense does not suit the context and we must either assume that it has an unusual meaning, or emend the text. Symm. and Jer. render cover.