Christianity

Psalms 121I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes

Summary

Psalm 121, a Song of Ascents, is a psalm of trust often called the traveler's psalm. Lifting his eyes to the hills, the pilgrim considers where his help comes from and answers that it comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth. God, the keeper of Israel, neither slumbers nor sleeps, will not let his foot be moved, and shades him so that the sun will not strike by day nor the moon by night. He will preserve his going out and coming in forever.

Key verse

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”

Psalms 121:1

Themes

Help from God
Divine Watchfulness
Protection on the Journey
Trust

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Islam
Surah Al-Baqarah (2): Neither Slumber nor Sleep
The Throne Verse, Quran 2:255, says that neither slumber nor sleep overtakes God, the Alive, the Eternal, the same assurance Psalm 121:4 gives about the keeper of Israel. Both passages are widely recited for protection.
Judaism
Psalm 121 in the JPS 1917 Tanakh
Psalm 121 is a common Jewish prayer for travelers and for protection, and in some communities a card or amulet bearing it is traditionally hung in the room of a woman in labor and of the newborn.

Questions about Psalms 121

Does the help in Psalm 121 come from the hills?

The KJV punctuates 121:1 as a statement, from whence cometh my help, but many translators read it as a question: where does my help come from? Verse 2 answers that help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth, not from the hills themselves.

What does 'preserve thy going out and thy coming in' mean?

Psalm 121:8 uses a Hebrew expression for all of life's comings and goings, from daily work to long journeys. It promises God's care in every part of life, from this time forth and for evermore.