The Bible – Old Testament
Psalms
Index
Int. 1. 2. … 120. 121. 122. … 149. 150.
Chapter 121
1
1 A song of ascents. 2 I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come?
2
My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.
3
God will not allow your foot to slip; your guardian does not sleep.
4
Truly, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps.
5
3 The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade at your righthand.
6
By day the sun cannot harm you, nor the moon by night.
7
The LORD will guard you from all evil, will always guard your life.
8
The LORD will guard your coming and going both now and forever.
1 [Psalm 121] A blessing given to someone embarking on a dangerous journey whether a soldier going on a campaign or a pilgrim returning home from the temple. People look anxiously at the wooded hills. Will God protect them on their journey (⇒ Psalm 121:1)? The speaker declares that God is not confined to a place or a time (⇒ Psalm 121:2), that every step is guarded (3-4); night and day (⇒ Psalm 121:5-6) God watches over their every movement (⇒ Psalm 121:7-8).
2 [1] The mountains: possibly Mount Zion, the site of the temple and hence of safety, but more probably mountains as a place of dangers, causing anxiety to the psalmist.
3 [5-6] The image of shade, a symbol of protection, is apt: God as shade protects from the harmful effects that ancients believed were caused by the sun and moon.
Index
Int. 1. 2. … 120. 121. 122. … 149. 150.