Psalms 139:16

my substance, yet being unperfect R.V. mine unperfect substance. The word (gôlem) is a different one from that in Psalms 139:15, and denotes the undeveloped embryo. Cp. Aram, gôlmâ, an unfinished vessel.

allmy members] Lit. all of them, which A.V. and R.V. interpret to mean all the members into which the embryo was to develop. But it is better (cp. R.V. marg.) to regard the pronoun as anticipatory, and to render,

And in thy book were all of them written,

Even days which were formed,

When as yet there was none of them.

Each day of his life with all its history was pre-determined by the Creator and recorded in His book, before one of them actually was in existence: a clear expression of the truth that there is an ideal plan of life providentially marked out for every individual. (Ephesians 2:10.)

The Q'rçor traditional reading of the Hebrew text, reads lô, -for it" instead of lô"-not" (see note on Psalms 100:3), giving the sense, and for it there was one among them: one of them was pre-ordained as -its day," the day of its birth. Cp. -his day," Job 3:1.