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Psalm 121

Psalm 121^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

121 I look up^[c] toward the hills.
From where^[d] does my help come?
²My help comes from the Lord,^[e]
the Creator^[f] of heaven and earth.
³May he not allow your foot to slip.
May your Protector^[g] not sleep.^[h]
⁴Look! Israel’s Protector^[i]
does not sleep or slumber.
⁵The Lord is your protector;
the Lord is the shade at your right hand.
⁶The sun will not harm you by day,
or the moon by night.^[j]
⁷The Lord will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.
⁸The Lord will protect you in all you do,^[k]
now and forevermore.

Footnotes

Psalm 121:1 sn Psalm 121. The psalm affirms that the Lord protects his people Israel. Unless the psalmist addresses an observer (note the second person singular forms in vv. 3-8), it appears there are two or three speakers represented in the psalm, depending on how one takes v. 3. The translation assumes that speaker one talks in vv. 1-2, that speaker two responds to him with a prayer in v. 3 (this assumes the verbs are true jussives of prayer), and that speaker three responds with words of assurance in vv. 4-8. If the verbs in v. 3 are taken as a rhetorical use of the jussive, then there are two speakers. Verses 3-8 are speaker two’s response to the words of speaker one. See the note on the word “sleep” at the end of v. 3.
Psalm 121:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 121:1 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
Psalm 121:1 tn The Hebrew term מֵאַיִן (meʾayin) is interrogative, not relative, in function. Rather than directly stating that his source of help descends from the hills, the psalmist is asking, “From where does my help come?” Nevertheless, the first line does indicate that he is looking toward the hills for help, probably indicating that he is looking up toward the sky, or up toward the temple, in anticipation of supernatural intervention. The psalmist assumes the dramatic role of one needing help. He answers his own question in v. 2.
Psalm 121:2 tn Heb “my help [is] from with the Lord.”
Psalm 121:2 tn Or “Maker.”
Psalm 121:3 tn Heb “the one who guards you.”
Psalm 121:3 tn The prefixed verbal forms following the negative particle אַל (ʾal) appear to be jussives. As noted above, if they are taken as true jussives of prayer, then the speaker in v. 3 would appear to be distinct from both the speaker in vv. 1-2 and the speaker in vv. 4-8. However, according to GKC 322 §109.e), the jussives are used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one should probably translate, “he will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not sleep,” and understand just one speaker in vv. 4-8. But none of the examples in GKC for this use of the jussive are compelling.
Psalm 121:4 tn Heb “the one who guards Israel.”
Psalm 121:6 sn One hardly thinks of the moon’s rays as being physically harmful, like those of the sun. The reference to the moon may simply lend poetic balance to the verse, but it is likely that the verse reflects an ancient, primitive belief that the moon could have an adverse effect on the mind (note the English expression “moonstruck,” which reflects such a belief). Another possibility is that the sun and moon stand by metonymy for harmful forces characteristic of the day and night, respectively.
Psalm 121:8 tn Heb “your going out and your coming in.”

Psalm 123-125

Psalm 123^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

123 I look up^[c] toward you,
the one enthroned^[d] in heaven.
²Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress,^[e]
so our eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.
³Show us favor, O Lord, show us favor!
For we have had our fill of humiliation, and then some.^[f]
⁴We have had our fill^[g]
of the taunts of the self-assured,
of the contempt of the proud.

Psalm 124^[h]

A song of ascents;^[i] by David.

124 “If the Lord had not been on our side”—
let Israel say this.—
²if the Lord had not been on our side,
when men attacked us,^[j]
³they would have swallowed us alive,
when their anger raged against us.
⁴The water would have overpowered us;
the current^[k] would have overwhelmed^[l] us.^[m]
⁵The raging water
would have overwhelmed us.^[n]
⁶The Lord deserves praise,^[o]
for^[p] he did not hand us over as prey to their teeth.
⁷We escaped with our lives,^[q] like a bird from a hunter’s snare.
The snare broke, and we escaped.
⁸Our deliverer is the Lord,^[r]
the Creator^[s] of heaven and earth.

Psalm 125^[t]

A song of ascents.^[u]

125 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved and will endure forever.
²As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
now and forevermore.
³Indeed,^[v] the scepter of a wicked king^[w] will not settle^[x]
upon the allotted land of the godly.
Otherwise the godly
might do what is wrong.^[y]
⁴Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
to the morally upright.^[z]
⁵As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path,^[aa]
may the Lord remove them,^[ab] along with those who behave wickedly.^[ac]
May Israel experience peace.^[ad]

Footnotes

Psalm 123:1 sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a crisis.
Psalm 123:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 123:1 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
Psalm 123:1 tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12).
Psalm 123:2 sn Servants look to their master for food, shelter, and other basic needs.
Psalm 123:3 tn Heb “for greatly we are filled [with] humiliation.”
Psalm 123:4 tn Heb “greatly our soul is full to it.”
Psalm 124:1 sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.
Psalm 124:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 124:2 tn Heb “rose up against us.”
Psalm 124:4 tn Or “stream.”
Psalm 124:4 tn Heb “would have passed over.”
Psalm 124:4 tn Heb “our being.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
Psalm 124:5 tn Heb “then they would have passed over our being, the raging waters.”
Psalm 124:6 tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”
Psalm 124:6 tn Heb “[the one] who.”
Psalm 124:7 tn Heb “our life escaped.”
Psalm 124:8 tn Heb “our help [is] in the name of the Lord.”
Psalm 124:8 tn Or “Maker.”
Psalm 125:1 sn Psalm 125. The psalmist affirms his confidence in the Lord’s protection and justice.
Psalm 125:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 125:3 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 125:3 tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.
Psalm 125:3 tn Or “rest.”
Psalm 125:3 tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.
Psalm 125:4 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
Psalm 125:5 tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.
Psalm 125:5 tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the Lord will remove them” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
Psalm 125:5 tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”
Psalm 125:5 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).

Psalm 128-130

Psalm 128^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

128 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers,^[c]
each one who keeps his commands.^[d]
²You^[e] will eat what you worked so hard to grow.^[f]
You will be blessed and secure.^[g]
³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine^[h]
in the inner rooms of your house;
your children^[i] will be like olive branches,
as they sit all around your table.
⁴Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed in this way.^[j]
⁵May the Lord bless you^[k] from Zion,
that you might see^[l] Jerusalem prosper
all the days of your life,
⁶and that you might see^[m] your grandchildren.^[n]
May Israel experience peace.^[o]

Psalm 129^[p]

A song of ascents.^[q]

129 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”
let Israel say.
²“Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not defeated me.
³The plowers plowed my back;
they made their furrows long.
⁴The Lord is just;
he cut the ropes of the wicked.”^[r]
⁵May all who hate Zion
be humiliated and turned back.
⁶May they be like the grass on the rooftops,
which withers before one can even pull it up,^[s]
⁷which cannot fill the reaper’s hand,
or the lap of the one who gathers the grain.
⁸Those who pass by will not say,^[t]
“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!
We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”

Psalm 130^[u]

A song of ascents.^[v]

130 From the deep water^[w] I cry out to you, O Lord.
²O Lord, listen to me.^[x]
Pay attention to^[y] my plea for mercy.
³If you, O Lord, were to keep track of^[z] sins,
O Lord, who could stand before you?^[aa]
⁴But^[ab] you are willing to forgive,^[ac]
so that you might^[ad] be honored.^[ae]
⁵I rely on^[af] the Lord.
I rely on him with my whole being;^[ag]
I wait for his assuring word.^[ah]
⁶I yearn for the Lord,^[ai]
more than watchmen do for the morning,
yes, more than watchmen do for the morning.^[aj]
⁷O Israel, hope in the Lord,
for the Lord exhibits loyal love,^[ak]
and is more than willing to deliver.^[al]
⁸He will deliver^[am] Israel
from all their sins.^[an]

Footnotes

Psalm 128:1 sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.
Psalm 128:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 128:1 tn Heb “every fearer of the Lord.”
Psalm 128:1 tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”
Psalm 128:2 tn The psalmist addresses the representative God-fearing man, as indicated by the references to “your wife” (v. 3) and “the man” (v. 4), as well as the second masculine singular pronominal and verbal forms in vv. 2-6.
Psalm 128:2 tn Heb “the work of your hands, indeed you will eat.”
Psalm 128:2 tn Heb “how blessed you [will be] and it will be good for you.”
Psalm 128:3 sn The metaphor of the fruitful vine pictures the wife as fertile; she will give her husband numerous children (see the next line).
Psalm 128:3 tn One could translate “sons” (see Ps 127:3 and the note on the word “sons” there), but here the term seems to refer more generally to children of both genders.
Psalm 128:4 tn Heb “look, indeed thus will the man, the fearer of the Lord, be blessed.”
Psalm 128:5 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer (note the imperatives that are subordinated to this clause in vv. 5b-6a). Having described the blessings that typically come to the godly, the psalmist concludes by praying that this ideal may become reality for the representative godly man being addressed.
Psalm 128:5 tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding jussive.
Psalm 128:6 tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive in v. 5a.
Psalm 128:6 tn Heb “sons to your sons.”
Psalm 128:6 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 125:5).
Psalm 129:1 sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.
Psalm 129:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 129:4 tn The background of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Perhaps the “ropes” are those used to harness the ox for plowing (see Job 39:10). Verse 3 pictures the wicked plowing God’s people as if they were a field. But when God “cut the ropes” of their ox, as it were, they could no longer plow. The point of the metaphor seems to be that God took away the enemies’ ability to oppress his people. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 187.
Psalm 129:6 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁלַף (shalaf) normally means “to draw [a sword]” or “to pull.” BDB 1025 s.v. suggests the meaning “to shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “to pluck; to pull up,” a nuance attested for this word in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow 1587 s.v. שָׁלַף).
Psalm 129:8 tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
Psalm 130:1 sn Psalm 130. The psalmist, confident of the Lord’s forgiveness, cries out to the Lord for help in the midst of his suffering and urges Israel to do the same.
Psalm 130:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 130:1 tn Heb “depths,” that is, deep waters (see Ps 69:2, 14; Isa 51:10), a metaphor for the life-threatening danger faced by the psalmist.
Psalm 130:2 tn Heb “my voice.”
Psalm 130:2 tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”
Psalm 130:3 tn Heb “observe.”
Psalm 130:3 tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”
Psalm 130:4 tn Or “surely.”
Psalm 130:4 tn Heb “for with you [there is] forgiveness.”
Psalm 130:4 tn Or “consequently you are.”
Psalm 130:4 tn Heb “feared.”
Psalm 130:5 tn Or “wait for.”
Psalm 130:5 tn Heb “my soul waits.”
Psalm 130:5 tn Heb “his word.”
Psalm 130:6 tn Heb “my soul for the master.”
Psalm 130:6 tn Heb “more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning.” The words “yes, more” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Psalm 130:7 tn Heb “for with the Lord [is] loyal love.”
Psalm 130:7 tn Heb “and abundantly with him [is] redemption.”
Psalm 130:8 tn Or “redeem.”
Psalm 130:8 tn Or “all the consequences of their sins.” The Hebrew noun עָוֹן (ʿavon) can refer to sin, the guilt sin produces, or the consequences of sin. Only here is the noun collocated with the verb פָּדָה (padah, “to redeem; to deliver”). The psalmist may refer to deliverance from the national consequences of sin or forgiveness per se (v. 4). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 192.

New English Translation (NET)

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Chronological

Psalm 121[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

Footnotes

Psalm 123[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

Psalm 124[h]

A song of ascents;[i] by David.

Psalm 125[t]

A song of ascents.[u]

Footnotes

Psalm 128[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

Psalm 129[p]

A song of ascents.[q]

Psalm 130[u]

A song of ascents.[v]

Footnotes

Psalm 121^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

Psalm 123^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

Psalm 124^[h]

A song of ascents;^[i] by David.

Psalm 125^[t]

A song of ascents.^[u]

Psalm 128^[a]

A song of ascents.^[b]

Psalm 129^[p]

A song of ascents.^[q]

Psalm 130^[u]

A song of ascents.^[v]