“Wonderfully Made”? (Psalm 139:14)

In most Bible translations, Psalm 139:14 is rendered:

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

However, this translation is not accurate. The Hebrew word for “wonderfully made” is nip̄lēyṯiy (נִ֫פְלֵ֥יתִי). Most translators think that it is a form of the verb nip̄lāʾ (נִפְלָא), meaning “to be wonderful”.

However, this is highly unlikely. If it were really a form of nip̄lāʾ, then it would be spelt as nip̄lēʾṯiy (נִפְלֵאתִי) rather than nip̄lēyṯiy (נִפְלֵיתִי). Rather, nip̄lēyṯiy is actually a form of the verb nip̄lāh (נִפְלָה), which means “to be distinguished”.

Therefore, a more accurate translation of Psalm 139:14 is: “I thank you, because I have been fearfully distinguished.”