Mazmur 44:21

44:21 would not God discover it,

for he knows ¹  one’s thoughts? ² 

Mazmur 139:2

139:2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;

even from far away you understand my motives.

Mazmur 139:23

139:23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts! ³ 

Test me, and know my concerns! ⁴ 

[44:21]  ¹ tn The active participle describes what is characteristically true.

[44:21]  ² tn Heb “would not God search out this, for he knows the hidden things of [the] heart?” The expression “search out” is used metonymically here, referring to discovery, the intended effect of a search. The “heart” (i.e., mind) is here viewed as the seat of one’s thoughts. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he would!” The point seems to be this: There is no way the Israelites who are the speakers in the psalm would reject God and turn to another god, for the omniscient God would easily discover such a sin.

[139:23]  ³ tn Heb “and know my heart.”

[139:23]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sar’apay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.