Psalm 121
This psalm is meant to be recited before embarking on a journey.
1I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
This can interpreted in two ways:
- I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. Where will my help come from? Will the mountains give me safety?
- I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from where my help comes (allusion to Horeb from where God communicated with Moses?)
One must place trust in the Lord and not on humans. The psalmist who doesn’t talk about lifting his eyes towards the king or the temple, but towards the Lord.
2My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
It is the powerful Lord (the creator of heaven and earth) who helps me. A nondescript human is helped by none other than the maker of heaven and earth! How much more protected can one be?
3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
The Lord will not permit your foot to waver in any circumstances. He will keep you strong, and will guide you. The Lord is your keeper (He is your guardian)- He will not fall asleep.
4Behold, he that keepeth
The guardian of
5The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The Lord is physically very close to you- He is as close as your shadow; Shade can also imply a spiritual being = so, it could mean that He is present next to you.
6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord’s presence ensures that you won’t be harmed by the sun, or by the moon.
7The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He will take care of your soul (which is far much more important)
8The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in, from today and forever.
Labels: Creator, journey, keeper, Psalm 121, The Lord, travel
posted by sann2282 at 4:15 pm
2 Comments:
I saw these- A Jewish perspective-http://www.circumcision.net/Psalm121.htm
And I like the translation- 'guardian' instead of keeper. I think it signifies a stronger bond to the person who is being protected and also the nature of the protector.
About the verse 'the sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night'. It perhaps encompasses all the natural elements.
I once heard someone preach that Psalm 91 was a psalm that is recited by pilgrims as they go to the Jerusalem temple which is on a hill top and that is the reason why the psalmist says - I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence commeth my help-implying that help comes from God who dwells in Jerusalem temple.
R
The translation of the first verse is rather tricky. Whilst our KJV implies 'help comes the hills where God is', the Tamil one (apparently from original Hebrew) implies- 'Will my help come from the hills?'.
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