Original Meaning
Confidence in the Lord (121:1–2)
THE OPENING STROPHE IN PSALM 121 contains the psalmist’s confident assertion that God will be his helper. In verse 1 the psalmist announces, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains.” Some interpreters have suggested that the idea of the “mountains” has a negative connotation and perhaps refers to the treacherous and dangerous path through the mountains; or perhaps the reference to the mountains alludes to the places at which false gods were worshiped.2
Alternatively, some have understood the “mountains” in verse 1a to refer to Zion, or the hills that surround Zion, so suggesting a more positive interpretation of the action.3
The first part of the colon may prove decisive in attempting to decide between the two options. In both Hebrew and Akkadian, the action of “lifting the eyes” implies looking at something longingly or with desire rather than looking at something with dread.4
This meaning is clearly evident in another psalm in the Songs of Ascent. Psalm 123 opens, “I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven.” In Psalm 121 a similar action may be in view. Understood in this way, “mountains” likely refers to the mountains of Zion, thereby creating an “emphatic confession of YHWH as the God present” on Zion, the mountain of God.5
The second half of verse 1 has also received considerable scholarly attention, in particular, its interrogative phrase me’ayin, “from where.” Some translations have understood the phrase to have a relative sense—that is, the phrase in verse 1b modifies the “mountains” in verse 1a. For example, the King James Version reads, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”6
Linguistically, however, me’ayin typically functions as an interrogative, not a relative particle. Thus, verse 1b should be understood as a rhetorical question. The NIV attempts to render this sense nicely: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?” In other words, the psalmist sees the mountains of Zion and asks rhetorically about the location of his help, with the question serving as a foil to his confession following in verse 2.7
The psalmist answers his own question in verse 2a: “My help comes from the LORD.” The word “help” in English fails to capture the fullness of the meaning implied by the Hebrew term ‘ezer. The English word “help” can be understood as mere “assistance,” but such an understanding falls short of the claim being made by the psalmist. In its nominal form, “help” occurs twenty times in the Old Testament, with thirteen of those occurrences referring to Yahweh’s ability to save and deliver. Further, when combined with the word for “shield,” the terms together indicate Yahweh’s divine protection over Israel (Deut 33:29; Pss 33:20; 89:19–20; 115:9–11).8
While the word “shield” is absent from Psalm 121, this latter meaning (i.e., divine protection) appears in view in verses 1b and 2a. Both the language and imagery in the remainder of the psalm extend this understanding of ‘ezer. In the following verses (vv. 3–8) the psalmist refers to God’s watchful care over him, and in the fourth strophe he even confesses that “the LORD will keep you from all harm” (v. 7). God provides this kind of “help” because he is “the Maker of heaven and earth.”9
Bridging Contexts
IN HIS TREATMENT OF PSALM 121, James Limburg labels this psalm “A Psalm for Sojourners.”16
Its placement within the Songs of Ascent certainly justifies such a label, and the explicit “journey” imagery present in the psalm itself reinforces his claim: lifting up one’s eyes to the hills (v. 1); the potential for feet to slip (v. 3); the mention of the sun and moon (v. 6); and the final image of “coming and going” (v. 8). The images in the last three strophes of the psalm function as reminders that such sojourns are fraught with peril, whether it is getting lost along the way (v. 3a), being beaten down by natural forces (v. 6), or simply the more generalized notion of “harm” (v. 7a) that could beset any traveler. Throughout the Songs of Ascent collection, the world is depicted as a hostile and threatening place.17
The writer of Psalm 121 understands well that the journey to God and the journey with God never occur in a vacuum, but rather in the context of a life that at times feels more like a tempest than a solitary walk down a quiet pathway. Yet, in response to the challenges referenced in Psalm 121 and those in life more generally, the psalmist exudes a certain sense of confidence based on his convictions concerning the character of Yahweh.
Helper and Maker. In the opening verses of Psalm 121, the poet describes Yahweh by using two labels—“my help” and and “the Maker of heaven and earth.” Each of these appellations for God can be found elsewhere in the Old Testament, but they appear together only here in Psalm 121 and in one other poem (Ps 124:8) in the Songs of Ascent. The unique appearance of these labels together in this collection may relate to another thematic thread that permeates these fifteen psalms. James Mays has suggested that one of the recurring themes in the Songs of Ascent is “dependence upon the LORD in a hostile world.”18
Such dependence on God, however, must be predicated on a proper understanding of this God. Amid a threatening and hostile world, having a God who desires to help but whose power is not sufficient provides little hope. Conversely, a God who stands over all as Creator yet fails to intervene personally remains equally problematic. The psalmist rejects what is sometimes labeled as a “false dilemma” in logic—that there are only two solutions to the problem. Instead, the psalmist provides a “third way” that offers a much more powerful affirmation about the God of Israel. The God who will deliver the psalmist is the God who stands over all creation as its Maker, and the God of all power who stands over all creation as its Maker seeks to intervene in the life of the psalmist to ensure that not even his foot will slip (v. 3).
Guardian and keeper. In verses 1–2 the psalmist adopts language from creation theology to affirm that Israel’s God can and will protect the psalmist because God is the Maker of heaven and earth. In the remaining verses of Psalm 121 the poet shifts the imagery and language. As noted above, the verb shamar occurs six times in verses 3–8. In translating shamar, the NIV alternates between “watch over” and “keep”; but regardless of which translation is chosen in English, the meaning remains the same: Israel’s God keeps faithful watch over his people. In Psalm 121 the notion of keeper or guardian is cast within the context of a journey: God guards his people, who face uncertain times while on journey. A similar connection is made in Joshua 24:17. As the book comes to a close, the people respond to Joshua’s call to “serve the LORD” by pledging their own faithfulness to this God, who brought them “out of Egypt, from that land of slavery.” But they extend the idea of God’s faithful deliverance by claiming that “he protected [shamar] us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.” Yahweh, the God of Israel, not only delivered Israel from captivity in Egypt, but he also accompanied them as Keeper and Guardian on their sojourn from Egypt to Canaan.
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the metaphor of God as Guardian for those on a journey is extended to refer to any difficult or challenging circumstance, whether or not on a literal journey. The psalmists often invoke the image of the “slipping foot” in an effort to capture the danger that is present (cf. Pss 38:16; 94:18). The psalmists lament the peril of their own situation, and they cry out to God to steady their feet lest they stumble. Even closer to the assertion made in Psalm 121, other texts suggest that God can keep the petitioner’s feet from stumbling altogether. In Hannah’s prayer she confesses that God “will guard [shamar] the feet of his faithful servants” (1 Sam 2:9a), and in Psalm 91 the psalmist explains that God will “guard [shamar] you in all your ways . . . so that you will not strike your foot against a stone” (vv. 11b, 12b). In the cries to God because of “slipping feet” and in the confident assertions that God will guard the feet of his people, there is a presupposition at work. The images or claims are only effective if the speaker perceives the nearness of God. God cannot steady the slipping feet or protect the steps of his servants from a distance. God travels with his people and consequently will “keep [shamar] you from all harm” (Ps 121:7).
Similarly, the New Testament writers refer to the protective care of God for his people. In John 17:12, Jesus prays that God would protect his disciples because, “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe [phylassō] by that name that you gave me.”19
And later in the chapter Jesus explains, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (17:15). Those who journey in this world are assured that God journeys with them and protects them.20
Contemporary Significance
THE SONGS OF ASCENT were likely used as the people of God made their way to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. Most of us have taken trips on which the people traveling together sing songs. Typically, these songs are silly, nonsensical, and designed primarily to entertain as the time passes ever so slowly. The Songs of Ascent may have been intended to help pass the time, but the collection had a much larger theological purpose. These psalms were confessional. Together as people recited these psalms, they were making claims about God, themselves, and the world in which they lived.
Psalm 121 invites those who recite this psalm to consider “from whence” comes their help. The correct answer is God, of course, but to speak it is one thing, to believe it is another. The psalmist assures those who pray this psalm that we do not walk alone—the Maker of heaven and earth journeys with us as our helper. John Ortberg reminds us that “Scripture alternates between hair-raising risks and assurances of impregnable security. And when we look at the lives of great followers of God, we see this combination of breath-taking risks with an almost brazen confidence of being safe in God’s hands.”21
Ortberg mentions those moments in biblical history when people journeyed with God amid the risks. Moses defied Pharoah. Israel occupied the promised land. David challenged Goliath. A poor band of disciples followed Jesus. Paul sat in a Roman prison. None of these actions make sense unless the actors all understood “from whence” came their help—unless they understood that they were “in the watch-care of a great big God.”22
And the same is true for us. The risk-taking, journey-making paths we walk as Christians are informed by the claims in Psalm 121. While the paths we walk and the lives we live may be fraught with challenges, we are not forced to confront them alone, for we know that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:39). We have confidence that the Maker of heaven and earth stands as Guardian “watch[ing] over [our] coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Original Meaning
The Watchful Care of Yahweh (121:3–4)
IN THE SECOND STROPHE THE PSALMIST employs a different word to describe the protection afforded by Yahweh while also introducing a new metaphorical concept. The verb shamar (“to guard,” “to protect,” or “to watch”) occurs six times in the final three strophes, with its first occurrence in verse 3b. Throughout the psalm the NIV translates the Hebrew as “watch,” but the watchful care of Yahweh must not be limited to passive observation; rather, Yahweh “watches” over Israel by providing protection. This image is heightened further in verse 4a. In that verse the verb appears as a participle (shomer) and stands in a construct relationship with “Israel.” Most English translations render this unit as a participial phrase, “he who watches over Israel” (NIV). The placement of the two terms together in a construct relationship, however, could suggest something closer to a title. The psalmist may have sought to label Yahweh as “the Guardian of Israel.”10
To highlight the watchful and attentive care of Yahweh, the psalmist invokes a metaphorical image—that of the sleeping deity. Within the larger ancient Near Eastern tradition, the gods were frequently depicted as sleeping. This activity on the part of the deities was not considered exceptional or unusual but simply necessary. Even as humans need sleep to perform their daily activities, so too do the deities. In the Atrahasis Epic (1800 BCE) the god Enlil is awakened from his restful slumber by the humans, and he demands that they be cut off from food as punishment for waking him (II:1–9).11
In the Enuma Elish the god Apsu also complains about his lack of sleep because of the noise made by his offspring (I:35–50). Neither text records outrage or shock that a deity was asleep—only that a sleeping deity had been disturbed.
The image of Yahweh in Psalm 121 subverts the claims about deities in the literature of the broader ancient Near East. As the “Guardian of Israel,” Yahweh remains on watch to protect his people because God will not “slumber nor sleep.” While the two words may appear synonymous, the first Hebrew term, num, refers to drowsiness or light sleep, while the second term, yashan, may be understood as sleep in the more traditional sense. In using both words the psalmist confesses that the Guardian of Israel never “nods off” or dozes, much less falls into a deep sleep, but rather remains attentive and keeps continual watch over his people so that not even a foot of theirs will slip from the path (v. 3a).
Bridging Contexts
IN HIS TREATMENT OF PSALM 121, James Limburg labels this psalm “A Psalm for Sojourners.”16
Its placement within the Songs of Ascent certainly justifies such a label, and the explicit “journey” imagery present in the psalm itself reinforces his claim: lifting up one’s eyes to the hills (v. 1); the potential for feet to slip (v. 3); the mention of the sun and moon (v. 6); and the final image of “coming and going” (v. 8). The images in the last three strophes of the psalm function as reminders that such sojourns are fraught with peril, whether it is getting lost along the way (v. 3a), being beaten down by natural forces (v. 6), or simply the more generalized notion of “harm” (v. 7a) that could beset any traveler. Throughout the Songs of Ascent collection, the world is depicted as a hostile and threatening place.17
The writer of Psalm 121 understands well that the journey to God and the journey with God never occur in a vacuum, but rather in the context of a life that at times feels more like a tempest than a solitary walk down a quiet pathway. Yet, in response to the challenges referenced in Psalm 121 and those in life more generally, the psalmist exudes a certain sense of confidence based on his convictions concerning the character of Yahweh.
Helper and Maker. In the opening verses of Psalm 121, the poet describes Yahweh by using two labels—“my help” and and “the Maker of heaven and earth.” Each of these appellations for God can be found elsewhere in the Old Testament, but they appear together only here in Psalm 121 and in one other poem (Ps 124:8) in the Songs of Ascent. The unique appearance of these labels together in this collection may relate to another thematic thread that permeates these fifteen psalms. James Mays has suggested that one of the recurring themes in the Songs of Ascent is “dependence upon the LORD in a hostile world.”18
Such dependence on God, however, must be predicated on a proper understanding of this God. Amid a threatening and hostile world, having a God who desires to help but whose power is not sufficient provides little hope. Conversely, a God who stands over all as Creator yet fails to intervene personally remains equally problematic. The psalmist rejects what is sometimes labeled as a “false dilemma” in logic—that there are only two solutions to the problem. Instead, the psalmist provides a “third way” that offers a much more powerful affirmation about the God of Israel. The God who will deliver the psalmist is the God who stands over all creation as its Maker, and the God of all power who stands over all creation as its Maker seeks to intervene in the life of the psalmist to ensure that not even his foot will slip (v. 3).
Guardian and keeper. In verses 1–2 the psalmist adopts language from creation theology to affirm that Israel’s God can and will protect the psalmist because God is the Maker of heaven and earth. In the remaining verses of Psalm 121 the poet shifts the imagery and language. As noted above, the verb shamar occurs six times in verses 3–8. In translating shamar, the NIV alternates between “watch over” and “keep”; but regardless of which translation is chosen in English, the meaning remains the same: Israel’s God keeps faithful watch over his people. In Psalm 121 the notion of keeper or guardian is cast within the context of a journey: God guards his people, who face uncertain times while on journey. A similar connection is made in Joshua 24:17. As the book comes to a close, the people respond to Joshua’s call to “serve the LORD” by pledging their own faithfulness to this God, who brought them “out of Egypt, from that land of slavery.” But they extend the idea of God’s faithful deliverance by claiming that “he protected [shamar] us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.” Yahweh, the God of Israel, not only delivered Israel from captivity in Egypt, but he also accompanied them as Keeper and Guardian on their sojourn from Egypt to Canaan.
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the metaphor of God as Guardian for those on a journey is extended to refer to any difficult or challenging circumstance, whether or not on a literal journey. The psalmists often invoke the image of the “slipping foot” in an effort to capture the danger that is present (cf. Pss 38:16; 94:18). The psalmists lament the peril of their own situation, and they cry out to God to steady their feet lest they stumble. Even closer to the assertion made in Psalm 121, other texts suggest that God can keep the petitioner’s feet from stumbling altogether. In Hannah’s prayer she confesses that God “will guard [shamar] the feet of his faithful servants” (1 Sam 2:9a), and in Psalm 91 the psalmist explains that God will “guard [shamar] you in all your ways . . . so that you will not strike your foot against a stone” (vv. 11b, 12b). In the cries to God because of “slipping feet” and in the confident assertions that God will guard the feet of his people, there is a presupposition at work. The images or claims are only effective if the speaker perceives the nearness of God. God cannot steady the slipping feet or protect the steps of his servants from a distance. God travels with his people and consequently will “keep [shamar] you from all harm” (Ps 121:7).
Similarly, the New Testament writers refer to the protective care of God for his people. In John 17:12, Jesus prays that God would protect his disciples because, “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe [phylassō] by that name that you gave me.”19
And later in the chapter Jesus explains, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (17:15). Those who journey in this world are assured that God journeys with them and protects them.20
Contemporary Significance
THE SONGS OF ASCENT were likely used as the people of God made their way to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. Most of us have taken trips on which the people traveling together sing songs. Typically, these songs are silly, nonsensical, and designed primarily to entertain as the time passes ever so slowly. The Songs of Ascent may have been intended to help pass the time, but the collection had a much larger theological purpose. These psalms were confessional. Together as people recited these psalms, they were making claims about God, themselves, and the world in which they lived.
Psalm 121 invites those who recite this psalm to consider “from whence” comes their help. The correct answer is God, of course, but to speak it is one thing, to believe it is another. The psalmist assures those who pray this psalm that we do not walk alone—the Maker of heaven and earth journeys with us as our helper. John Ortberg reminds us that “Scripture alternates between hair-raising risks and assurances of impregnable security. And when we look at the lives of great followers of God, we see this combination of breath-taking risks with an almost brazen confidence of being safe in God’s hands.”21
Ortberg mentions those moments in biblical history when people journeyed with God amid the risks. Moses defied Pharoah. Israel occupied the promised land. David challenged Goliath. A poor band of disciples followed Jesus. Paul sat in a Roman prison. None of these actions make sense unless the actors all understood “from whence” came their help—unless they understood that they were “in the watch-care of a great big God.”22
And the same is true for us. The risk-taking, journey-making paths we walk as Christians are informed by the claims in Psalm 121. While the paths we walk and the lives we live may be fraught with challenges, we are not forced to confront them alone, for we know that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:39). We have confidence that the Maker of heaven and earth stands as Guardian “watch[ing] over [our] coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Original Meaning
The Lord is your Shade (121:5–6)
IN THE THIRD STROPHE THE PSALMIST introduces two additional metaphorical images meant to illustrate Yahweh’s watchful care over him. The psalmist collapses the notion of standing at the right hand with that of the shade. Because the soldier carried his shield in his left hand, the right side of his body remained exposed and vulnerable. Consequently, one always sought to have a friend or ally at his “right hand” to provide protection. The image of Yahweh as standing at the right hand of the psalmist and fending off potential threats can be found elsewhere in the Psalter (e.g., Pss 16:8; 109:31; 110:5).
Adding to the claim that Yahweh will station himself at the right hand of the psalmist, verse 5 suggests that Yahweh will be for him a protective shade or shadow (tsel). This image of Yahweh is not unique to Psalm 121. Frequently individuals are invited into the “shadow of the wings” of Yahweh (cf. Pss 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 63:7; Isa 30:2–3). In that space the psalmists find relief from the forces that threaten them. In Psalm 121 the poet speaks figuratively in claiming that, as shade, Yahweh will protect him from the searing heat of the sun by day and the dangers of the moon by night.12
While the threats associated with the sun seem readily apparent, those associated with the moon are less so. The Babylonians attributed to the moon god, Sîn, a number of illnesses, including fever and leprosy.13
By the time of the New Testament, there remained some thought of a connection between illness and the effects of the moon. (For example, the word selēniazomenous, translated as “seizures” in Matt 4:24; 17:15, means “to be moonstruck.”) The mention of the sun by day and the moon by night, however, has a rhetorical force that supersedes its literal meaning. The two concepts create a merismus, a literary device in which two contrasting ideas or objects are mentioned in an effort to capture the sense of the whole. By noting the threats by day and the threats by night, the psalmist acknowledges that God stands as the protective shade over all life.
Bridging Contexts
IN HIS TREATMENT OF PSALM 121, James Limburg labels this psalm “A Psalm for Sojourners.”16
Its placement within the Songs of Ascent certainly justifies such a label, and the explicit “journey” imagery present in the psalm itself reinforces his claim: lifting up one’s eyes to the hills (v. 1); the potential for feet to slip (v. 3); the mention of the sun and moon (v. 6); and the final image of “coming and going” (v. 8). The images in the last three strophes of the psalm function as reminders that such sojourns are fraught with peril, whether it is getting lost along the way (v. 3a), being beaten down by natural forces (v. 6), or simply the more generalized notion of “harm” (v. 7a) that could beset any traveler. Throughout the Songs of Ascent collection, the world is depicted as a hostile and threatening place.17
The writer of Psalm 121 understands well that the journey to God and the journey with God never occur in a vacuum, but rather in the context of a life that at times feels more like a tempest than a solitary walk down a quiet pathway. Yet, in response to the challenges referenced in Psalm 121 and those in life more generally, the psalmist exudes a certain sense of confidence based on his convictions concerning the character of Yahweh.
Helper and Maker. In the opening verses of Psalm 121, the poet describes Yahweh by using two labels—“my help” and and “the Maker of heaven and earth.” Each of these appellations for God can be found elsewhere in the Old Testament, but they appear together only here in Psalm 121 and in one other poem (Ps 124:8) in the Songs of Ascent. The unique appearance of these labels together in this collection may relate to another thematic thread that permeates these fifteen psalms. James Mays has suggested that one of the recurring themes in the Songs of Ascent is “dependence upon the LORD in a hostile world.”18
Such dependence on God, however, must be predicated on a proper understanding of this God. Amid a threatening and hostile world, having a God who desires to help but whose power is not sufficient provides little hope. Conversely, a God who stands over all as Creator yet fails to intervene personally remains equally problematic. The psalmist rejects what is sometimes labeled as a “false dilemma” in logic—that there are only two solutions to the problem. Instead, the psalmist provides a “third way” that offers a much more powerful affirmation about the God of Israel. The God who will deliver the psalmist is the God who stands over all creation as its Maker, and the God of all power who stands over all creation as its Maker seeks to intervene in the life of the psalmist to ensure that not even his foot will slip (v. 3).
Guardian and keeper. In verses 1–2 the psalmist adopts language from creation theology to affirm that Israel’s God can and will protect the psalmist because God is the Maker of heaven and earth. In the remaining verses of Psalm 121 the poet shifts the imagery and language. As noted above, the verb shamar occurs six times in verses 3–8. In translating shamar, the NIV alternates between “watch over” and “keep”; but regardless of which translation is chosen in English, the meaning remains the same: Israel’s God keeps faithful watch over his people. In Psalm 121 the notion of keeper or guardian is cast within the context of a journey: God guards his people, who face uncertain times while on journey. A similar connection is made in Joshua 24:17. As the book comes to a close, the people respond to Joshua’s call to “serve the LORD” by pledging their own faithfulness to this God, who brought them “out of Egypt, from that land of slavery.” But they extend the idea of God’s faithful deliverance by claiming that “he protected [shamar] us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.” Yahweh, the God of Israel, not only delivered Israel from captivity in Egypt, but he also accompanied them as Keeper and Guardian on their sojourn from Egypt to Canaan.
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the metaphor of God as Guardian for those on a journey is extended to refer to any difficult or challenging circumstance, whether or not on a literal journey. The psalmists often invoke the image of the “slipping foot” in an effort to capture the danger that is present (cf. Pss 38:16; 94:18). The psalmists lament the peril of their own situation, and they cry out to God to steady their feet lest they stumble. Even closer to the assertion made in Psalm 121, other texts suggest that God can keep the petitioner’s feet from stumbling altogether. In Hannah’s prayer she confesses that God “will guard [shamar] the feet of his faithful servants” (1 Sam 2:9a), and in Psalm 91 the psalmist explains that God will “guard [shamar] you in all your ways . . . so that you will not strike your foot against a stone” (vv. 11b, 12b). In the cries to God because of “slipping feet” and in the confident assertions that God will guard the feet of his people, there is a presupposition at work. The images or claims are only effective if the speaker perceives the nearness of God. God cannot steady the slipping feet or protect the steps of his servants from a distance. God travels with his people and consequently will “keep [shamar] you from all harm” (Ps 121:7).
Similarly, the New Testament writers refer to the protective care of God for his people. In John 17:12, Jesus prays that God would protect his disciples because, “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe [phylassō] by that name that you gave me.”19
And later in the chapter Jesus explains, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (17:15). Those who journey in this world are assured that God journeys with them and protects them.20
Contemporary Significance
THE SONGS OF ASCENT were likely used as the people of God made their way to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. Most of us have taken trips on which the people traveling together sing songs. Typically, these songs are silly, nonsensical, and designed primarily to entertain as the time passes ever so slowly. The Songs of Ascent may have been intended to help pass the time, but the collection had a much larger theological purpose. These psalms were confessional. Together as people recited these psalms, they were making claims about God, themselves, and the world in which they lived.
Psalm 121 invites those who recite this psalm to consider “from whence” comes their help. The correct answer is God, of course, but to speak it is one thing, to believe it is another. The psalmist assures those who pray this psalm that we do not walk alone—the Maker of heaven and earth journeys with us as our helper. John Ortberg reminds us that “Scripture alternates between hair-raising risks and assurances of impregnable security. And when we look at the lives of great followers of God, we see this combination of breath-taking risks with an almost brazen confidence of being safe in God’s hands.”21
Ortberg mentions those moments in biblical history when people journeyed with God amid the risks. Moses defied Pharoah. Israel occupied the promised land. David challenged Goliath. A poor band of disciples followed Jesus. Paul sat in a Roman prison. None of these actions make sense unless the actors all understood “from whence” came their help—unless they understood that they were “in the watch-care of a great big God.”22
And the same is true for us. The risk-taking, journey-making paths we walk as Christians are informed by the claims in Psalm 121. While the paths we walk and the lives we live may be fraught with challenges, we are not forced to confront them alone, for we know that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:39). We have confidence that the Maker of heaven and earth stands as Guardian “watch[ing] over [our] coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Original Meaning
The Lord Will Protect Your Life (121:7–8)
IN THE FINAL STROPHE THE PSALMIST reinforces and extends the theme of Yahweh’s attentive and protective care. The verb shamar (“to guard,” “to watch,” “to keep”), which governs Psalm 121, appears in verses 7a, 7b, and 8a. The NIV translates verse 7a as “the LORD will keep you from all harm,” while in the two latter cola the verb is translated as “watch.” The repetition of the verb in all three cola should not be missed, however. As the psalm draws to a close, the thrice-repeated word creates a sort of crescendo celebrating Yahweh as the guardian and keeper of all life.
In verse 8a the psalmist acknowledges that “the LORD will watch over your coming and going.”14
The phrase “going out and coming in” functions elsewhere in the Old Testament as a metaphor for going to war, yet the context of the psalm, particularly as a pilgrim psalm, seems to warrant against such a narrow interpretation.15
Elsewhere the phrase functions as a merismus referring simply to the general activity of life (e.g., 1 Kgs 3:7; 2 Kgs 19:27; Jer 37:4). The latter understanding appears to be in view in Ps 121. The poem may have been included in the Songs of Ascent because of the image evoked by the phrase “going and coming.”
Bridging Contexts
IN HIS TREATMENT OF PSALM 121, James Limburg labels this psalm “A Psalm for Sojourners.”16
Its placement within the Songs of Ascent certainly justifies such a label, and the explicit “journey” imagery present in the psalm itself reinforces his claim: lifting up one’s eyes to the hills (v. 1); the potential for feet to slip (v. 3); the mention of the sun and moon (v. 6); and the final image of “coming and going” (v. 8). The images in the last three strophes of the psalm function as reminders that such sojourns are fraught with peril, whether it is getting lost along the way (v. 3a), being beaten down by natural forces (v. 6), or simply the more generalized notion of “harm” (v. 7a) that could beset any traveler. Throughout the Songs of Ascent collection, the world is depicted as a hostile and threatening place.17
The writer of Psalm 121 understands well that the journey to God and the journey with God never occur in a vacuum, but rather in the context of a life that at times feels more like a tempest than a solitary walk down a quiet pathway. Yet, in response to the challenges referenced in Psalm 121 and those in life more generally, the psalmist exudes a certain sense of confidence based on his convictions concerning the character of Yahweh.
Helper and Maker. In the opening verses of Psalm 121, the poet describes Yahweh by using two labels—“my help” and and “the Maker of heaven and earth.” Each of these appellations for God can be found elsewhere in the Old Testament, but they appear together only here in Psalm 121 and in one other poem (Ps 124:8) in the Songs of Ascent. The unique appearance of these labels together in this collection may relate to another thematic thread that permeates these fifteen psalms. James Mays has suggested that one of the recurring themes in the Songs of Ascent is “dependence upon the LORD in a hostile world.”18
Such dependence on God, however, must be predicated on a proper understanding of this God. Amid a threatening and hostile world, having a God who desires to help but whose power is not sufficient provides little hope. Conversely, a God who stands over all as Creator yet fails to intervene personally remains equally problematic. The psalmist rejects what is sometimes labeled as a “false dilemma” in logic—that there are only two solutions to the problem. Instead, the psalmist provides a “third way” that offers a much more powerful affirmation about the God of Israel. The God who will deliver the psalmist is the God who stands over all creation as its Maker, and the God of all power who stands over all creation as its Maker seeks to intervene in the life of the psalmist to ensure that not even his foot will slip (v. 3).
Guardian and keeper. In verses 1–2 the psalmist adopts language from creation theology to affirm that Israel’s God can and will protect the psalmist because God is the Maker of heaven and earth. In the remaining verses of Psalm 121 the poet shifts the imagery and language. As noted above, the verb shamar occurs six times in verses 3–8. In translating shamar, the NIV alternates between “watch over” and “keep”; but regardless of which translation is chosen in English, the meaning remains the same: Israel’s God keeps faithful watch over his people. In Psalm 121 the notion of keeper or guardian is cast within the context of a journey: God guards his people, who face uncertain times while on journey. A similar connection is made in Joshua 24:17. As the book comes to a close, the people respond to Joshua’s call to “serve the LORD” by pledging their own faithfulness to this God, who brought them “out of Egypt, from that land of slavery.” But they extend the idea of God’s faithful deliverance by claiming that “he protected [shamar] us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.” Yahweh, the God of Israel, not only delivered Israel from captivity in Egypt, but he also accompanied them as Keeper and Guardian on their sojourn from Egypt to Canaan.
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the metaphor of God as Guardian for those on a journey is extended to refer to any difficult or challenging circumstance, whether or not on a literal journey. The psalmists often invoke the image of the “slipping foot” in an effort to capture the danger that is present (cf. Pss 38:16; 94:18). The psalmists lament the peril of their own situation, and they cry out to God to steady their feet lest they stumble. Even closer to the assertion made in Psalm 121, other texts suggest that God can keep the petitioner’s feet from stumbling altogether. In Hannah’s prayer she confesses that God “will guard [shamar] the feet of his faithful servants” (1 Sam 2:9a), and in Psalm 91 the psalmist explains that God will “guard [shamar] you in all your ways . . . so that you will not strike your foot against a stone” (vv. 11b, 12b). In the cries to God because of “slipping feet” and in the confident assertions that God will guard the feet of his people, there is a presupposition at work. The images or claims are only effective if the speaker perceives the nearness of God. God cannot steady the slipping feet or protect the steps of his servants from a distance. God travels with his people and consequently will “keep [shamar] you from all harm” (Ps 121:7).
Similarly, the New Testament writers refer to the protective care of God for his people. In John 17:12, Jesus prays that God would protect his disciples because, “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe [phylassō] by that name that you gave me.”19
And later in the chapter Jesus explains, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (17:15). Those who journey in this world are assured that God journeys with them and protects them.20
Contemporary Significance
THE SONGS OF ASCENT were likely used as the people of God made their way to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. Most of us have taken trips on which the people traveling together sing songs. Typically, these songs are silly, nonsensical, and designed primarily to entertain as the time passes ever so slowly. The Songs of Ascent may have been intended to help pass the time, but the collection had a much larger theological purpose. These psalms were confessional. Together as people recited these psalms, they were making claims about God, themselves, and the world in which they lived.
Psalm 121 invites those who recite this psalm to consider “from whence” comes their help. The correct answer is God, of course, but to speak it is one thing, to believe it is another. The psalmist assures those who pray this psalm that we do not walk alone—the Maker of heaven and earth journeys with us as our helper. John Ortberg reminds us that “Scripture alternates between hair-raising risks and assurances of impregnable security. And when we look at the lives of great followers of God, we see this combination of breath-taking risks with an almost brazen confidence of being safe in God’s hands.”21
Ortberg mentions those moments in biblical history when people journeyed with God amid the risks. Moses defied Pharoah. Israel occupied the promised land. David challenged Goliath. A poor band of disciples followed Jesus. Paul sat in a Roman prison. None of these actions make sense unless the actors all understood “from whence” came their help—unless they understood that they were “in the watch-care of a great big God.”22
And the same is true for us. The risk-taking, journey-making paths we walk as Christians are informed by the claims in Psalm 121. While the paths we walk and the lives we live may be fraught with challenges, we are not forced to confront them alone, for we know that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:39). We have confidence that the Maker of heaven and earth stands as Guardian “watch[ing] over [our] coming and going both now and forevermore.”
NIDOTTE 3:378–79.