"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
— Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
Psalm 139:14 is the "fearfully and wonderfully made" verse. This page gives the verse, the verses around it, and a plain reading. For more verses on the theme, see Bible verses about identity, Bible verses about creation, and Bible verses about God's love.
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The verse
Psalm 139:14 (NIV) reads: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
The King James says, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." "Fearfully" comes from yare' (H3372), to fear or stand in awe. "Wonderfully made" is palah (H6395), to be set apart or distinct. "Wonderful" (KJV "marvellous") is pala' (H6381), something extraordinary.
The verses around it
Psalm 139 is titled "For the director of music. Of David. A psalm." It opens, "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me" (Psalm 139:1), and asks, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" (Psalm 139:7).
Verse 13 leads into verse 14: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Verses 15-16 continue: "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place... Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
What the verse is saying
David is praising God, not himself. The awe is aimed at the Maker: a person is made with such care that the right response is worship. "Fearfully" here means with awe and reverence, not with fear of harm.
The verse sits inside a psalm about being fully known. The God who knit David together also knows his thoughts and is present everywhere he could go. That is why the verse is so often read about a person's worth: it rests on being made and known by God, as in Genesis 1:27, "So God created mankind in his own image." For more on that, see Bible verses about praise and Bible verses about God's presence.
Questions people ask
What does Psalm 139:14 say?
In the NIV it says, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." The KJV says, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works."
What does fearfully and wonderfully made mean?
"Fearfully" comes from the Hebrew word for fear or awe, and "wonderfully" means set apart or distinct. Together they say a person is made with a care that should move us to awe of God.
What is the context of Psalm 139:14?
It follows verse 13, "you knit me together in my mother's womb," inside a psalm about God knowing David completely (verse 1) and being present everywhere (verse 7).
Who wrote Psalm 139?
The psalm's title says, "Of David." See Bible verses about David.
What verse goes well with Psalm 139:14?
Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created mankind in his own image." Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 5:8 also speak to God's care and love for each person.
