what does psalms 121:7 mean

IV. F26; and so one that, wherever he comes "He that keepeth thee will not slumber." Genesis This expression is evidently borrowed from the blessing on obedience given in Deuteronomy 28:6, "Blessed shall thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shall thou be when thou goest out." What does it mean that my help comes from the Lord (Psalm 121:2)? But the man does not know the peril of his physical condition. Yahweh will protect you from all evil; he will protect your life. But the very reverse was the truth. These were the chief dangers of travelers, whether pilgrims or others. The phrase is an equivalent of "The Lord shall preserve thee in all thy ways" (Psalms 91:11). Slang to arrest. We do not see that the sense is obscured in this instance, but we think the emphasis and force are lessened. So, verse 1 begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first verse is a call to God in deep sorrow, from out of the depths or out of the deep, as it is translated in the King James Version of the Bible and the Coverdale translation (used in the Book of Common Prayer) respectively. What a holy power upon us the mountains have! THE PROMISE MAY BE TRUE TO THE HEART WHEN ITS FULFILLMENT IS NOT APPARENT TO THE EYE. III. Popularity relative to other verses in Psalm chapter 121 using average monthly Google searches. blessing him, coming in and going out, ( Deuteronomy Look up, and grow strong. The official youth channel for pursueGOD.org. Rather, all four of its other occurrences employ it figuratively for someone who is (or anticipated being) overcome by divine judgment (Deuteronomy 32:35), personal sin or weakness (Psalm 38:16[17]), or enemy oppression (Psalm 66:9; 94:18). He is always there to give slip ~ not stand in a safe way, as on ice or wet ground. The theme of Psalm 121 is God's care of His people. Many calamitous, or what appear calamitous, events to us are not evils in the sight of tied, but, under his control, issue in our eternal good.S. Not the universal, but the general rule. 13 tr to perform a face-lift on. preserve, but prosper in all, ( Psalms 1:3 ) ; the Lord If we could just lift up our eyes to hills and to the heavens beyond, we would catch a glimpse of the powerful God who created all of this vast universe. The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. v2 My help comes from nor the moon at night. travelling; in all affairs, civil and religious; and not only hills. And if we truly desire it, the Lord will keep our going out and our coming in, in this sense also. Along with ensuring our perseverance (verse 3a), the Lord The psalmist is not promising the absence of pain or even failure. The opening two verses form a poetic question and answer: I lift up my Looking up, you find nothing of man'sit is all of God up above. Words in brackets, ( ), are The last clause, read as a question, is answered. It is not that he expects help from the mountainshis hope is fixed on him who made the mountains. called also Gradual Psalm, Pilgrim Psalm, Psalm of Ascents. If he were but free from the answering of his moral evil, nothing that could happen would be a real calamity.R.T. This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The one duty of the watchman is to keep ever, through his watching-time, awake and alert. V. GOD'S ETERNAL CARE IS TO KEEP THE SOUL FROM EVILFROM ALL REAL EVIL. upon princes and great men? Psalm 25 is an alphabet psalm, like Psalms 9 and 10. Informal to make dishonest use of (another persons idea, writing, etc. v3 He will not let The Targum is. "me", "my" or "I". But we need not miss the important fact that God's soul-keeping runs along with, and works through, our own soul-keeping. "But"so ask not a few"is all that true? If our life is thus within the constant Divine inspection, we may put away all fears, and simply "seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness."R.T. (Psalms 121:1-8) The Guardian of Gods People (Psalms 121:1-8) God the Help of Those Who Seek Him (Psalms 121:1-8) The 3. In transacting all the business of life, in going in and out The greater includes the less. We will not do that, but we will reply, I. And the peace of and your minds in Christ Jesus. There is a very simple message here: God never sleeps, slumbers or naps. Sorrow has its snares, and so has joy. In Psalm 121:3b-4 we are told, [God] who keeps you will not slumber. Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. I was surprised to find that the word combination depicting the stumbling step in verse 3 is never used in Scripture of physical falling. Our real self is not harmed, the Lord is our Keeper, as he said. In this "God's thoughts are not as our thoughts." The Lord's promise to be with us forever keeps us from covetousness and fear (Hebrews 13:56). (Psalms 121:2.) For Israel was a people that had known what it was to go out to drear and dreadful exile, and that more than once. The Lord keep thee from all evil; the Lord keep thy soul. It never ceases but it is replenished every dawn (Lamentations 3:2223). THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE IS THE PROVIDENCE OF THIS WORLD. : any one of 15 psalms in the series Ps 120 to 134 sung by Hebrew pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem or possibly while ascending Mount Zion or the steps of the Temple. Psalm 121:7 (RHE) The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. That is, when a theme or message jumps out at you repeatedly. 6-8. A man may be overpowered with sleep, and be physically unable to resist its advances. The "holy hills," that stand round about Jerusalem, are intended (Psalms 87:1; Psalms 125:2). The general conduct and occupation of a man in his varied affairs are what is meant in all these passages. Psalms 121:7 At first glance, Psalm 121:7 offers tremendous assurance. This is the second of the series of psalms which are titled A Song of Ascents. And he *guards you when you come in. The spiritually awakened man sees evil as God sees it; and, therefore, when he prays to be kept from all evil, he means kept from himselffrom the evil that is in him. Yahweh will keep you from all evil. He *guards "Man goeth forth to his work and to his labor until the evening;" then he cometh in for rest. We need to be kept of God. One thing about them is suggested by our textthey make us look up. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. When I thought, My foot slips, your steadfast love, O Yahweh, held me up.. Plead for his sustaining grace. We cannot think o, any place, however remote, or obscure, or humble, where he will not be with his defending, delivering hand. God's seeing includes what is by man seeable and by man unseeable; it includes what is and what is to be. Now, in this beautiful psalm we have a notable instance of such different rendering. He will watch over your life. Commentary, explanation and study verse by verse. 39:23 ) . you help. The influence of the world begets a downward look, a sort of set of the eyes and heart downwards. In quite an instinctive way men in all ages and in every land have inclined to build their altars on high hills, as if thus they did get nearer God. My help cometh from the Lord; literally, my help is from the Lord. the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. Perhaps it is best regarded as a psalm of the Exile. 8. thy going out, &c.--all thy ways ( Deuteronomy 28:19 , Psalms 104:23 ). From whence cometh my help. "He shall keep thy soul." Warren Wiersbe describes the Valley of Baca as any difficult and painful place in life, where everything seems hopeless and you feel helpless, like the pit of despair. God has made our journeyings safe by means of what we call the inventions of science and the resources of civilization. v2 My help comes from the *LORD. By his wise upholdings: "Will not suffer thy foot to be moved." So let mountains stand for the supreme self-efforts a man may make in his times of distress; he must be brought to the assured conviction that they cannot bring him safety. Psalm 121:7 (NCV) My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. The LORD will keep you from every kind of harm. He will watch over your life. First, as a continuation of Gods grace in bringing the people back from captivity. vocabulary) on Psalm 121. The LORD will protect you from all evil; God will protect your very life. What is the context of Psalms 121:7? good or prosperous foot. and goes, things prosper with him, and with those that are in Psalm 130 is the 130th psalm of the Book of Psalms, one of the Penitential psalms. He declares the nature of Gods guarding role in verse 34: He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He made the *heaven and the earth. One important distinction may be Pointed out here. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul. After personally celebrating Yahwehs guardianship in verses 12, the psalmist turns to give assurance to others in verses 38. The LORD guards you from every evil. (Students). Praise to God for His gracious acts. Thou shalt not be hurt, neither by the open assaults, nor by the secret attempts of thine enemies. "which is omnipotent.". The LORD will keep you from every kind of harm. Psalms 121:3. 30:30); and such a foot Joseph had wherever he went, ( Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1]. If we dont have a plan for when, where, and how we will read the Bible, our devotions will probably fall before the demands of the day. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. Looking up, you see how earth-clouds are glorified. The Lord The same verb is used throughout. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul ( Psalms 121:6-7 ). Moses was sent to feel the inspirations of Sinai. What does the psalmist mean when he says, I lift my eyes to the hills (Psalm 121:1). Coup de soleil was feared by day, and the deleterious influence of the moon's rays by night. KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT. Psalm 121 was sung by the ancient Israelites as they made the long journey to Jerusalem. v8 The *LORD *guards This is more necessary in a watchman than keeping awake; he must be quick to observe, attentive, noticing everything. Lament Psalms. It is this down-looking that makes us so weak. It has been proved, beyond a doubt, that the moon smites as well as the sun, causing blindness for a time, and even the distortion of the features. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.. "All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." you" means "stop somebody hurting you". Covenanters and others found safety in the rocks and mountains in days of religious persecution; but their God was their real defense. Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. 6. Through peaks and valleys, joy and tears, he elevates his relationship to God, his being close to the living God, as truly what life is. He *guards you from dangers that you know about. Who do you turn to in times of crisis? The sun strikes openly, and is especially perilous when it strikes on the lower part of the back of the head. made the *heaven (the sky and the stars) and the earth. Deu 28:6; 1 Samuel 29:6; Dishonesty found out is evil. A Psalm 121:7 (GNTA) foot", (See Gill on Genesis Psalm 121 The God Who Keeps and Helps. Or, we must lift up our eyes above the hills; we must look to God who makes all earthly things to us what they are. THE GENERAL RULE OF GOD'S PROVIDENTIAL CARE IS AS HERE SET FORTH. Proud member 2. THE INSUFFICIENCY OF HUMAN HELP. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121 answers this question for us. The Lord is thy Keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. Which made heaven and earth; i.e. whom the Lord blessed, as he says, "since my coming", or at "my He not only sees things, but sees the significance of things. He fled to the mountains; but God preserved him, not the mountain. Clearly it is but a poetical way of saying, that the defense and guidance and benediction of Jehovah shall rest on the godly man in all the actions and relations of his everyday life. THE preceding psalm is one of complaint; the present, one of comfort and consolation. His gracious power will overshadow us at every step we take. But because of his ever-sustaining mercy, your faith will remain. Elijah was calmed, and made himself again, by the soothing influences of Horeb, the mount of God. 28:6 ) ; and such, with the poet F24, are said to go with a I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowlers snare and from the deadly pestilence. Psalm 121:7 (GNT) My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:7 (NRS) The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in. I. Whence should my help come?" Meat, when exposed to the moonbeams, becomes quickly tainted. How powerfully we are all drawn by world-interests! Domestic woman is world-absorbed. With him is all power. Whereas verse 3 suggests your Guardian will not slumber now, verse 4 stresses Israels Guardian will never slumber nor sleep. v3 He will not let your foot *slide. Absolute security of defense lies in God, and we may fully trust in him. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. And their experience reminds us of some important truths. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. This psalm teaches us to comfort ourselves in the Lord, when difficulties and dangers are greatest. It is in the form of a dialogue.. Ver. And this assurance carried with it the confidence that God's defense and blessing were still upon the restored nation. I. WORLD-DRAWN, WE LOOK DOWN, AND SO ARE WEAK. His salvation is not so limited, lie saves the whole man, and bears as real a relation to man's temporal as to his spiritual needs. Too often we are just shortsighted. Where will my help come from? IV. The writer is oppressed with the burdens and sorrows of exile; he remembers Zion, and he sings his soul to quietness and peace by looking away from present cares to the high hills of God, and cheers his drooping spirit by remembering how, amid all the earth-changes, the everlasting hills abide. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Psalms 121. A Song of degrees. 1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (verse 2). It is a protection for life. The translated Bible text has yet to go through Advanced The story of Psalm 121 is in the note on Psalm 120. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul. What does it mean that God has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)? But there was someone to send help: the *LORD! Psalm 121 opens with the confident assertion that God will be his helper: I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Tucker explains mountains has been interpreted negatively, as the Psalm 121 is a treasure of promise for the suffering believer, whose help comes from the Lord (verse 2). He will keep your soul. No doubt our translators did their best to find synonymswords, that is, which though, different in sound, have the same sensestill the senses so given are only similar, and may not be seen by ordinary readers to be so similar as it was thought they were. The Lord will protect you from all dangers; he will guard your life. And the shadow of God's curse on sin resting everywhere. All rights reserved. I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from? What does Psalm chapter 121 mean? As we contemplate the awful number of victims to such causes as we have named, and the yet worse ruin which comes from moral causes, it is not to be wondered at that some regard this psalm as rather a pious imagination than the declaration of actual fact. Psalm 121:7-8 The Lord will keep you from all harm he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. you when you go out. Look up; your brow will soon lose those wreathings of anxiety and care. Use the scale on the left to tell how often the verses below are googled compared to each other. God always sees in events that happen persons acting; and in their motives and moods and wills he sees evil or good. TO OUR EXPERIENCES OF SORROW AND OF GLADNESS. 4. not in the *Hebrew Bible. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Psalm 121:7 (WYC) Where is God when life gets hard? The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. (120-7) The Lord keepeth thee from all evil: may the Lord keep thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.. He made the *heaven and the earth. Read it Man is profoundly interested in what happens, and is wont to stop there, and miss the meaning of what happens. 2. Now, even in this literal sense, the promise was no mean one. GOD-DRAWN, WE LOOK UP, AND SO GROW STRONG. - We must not rely upon men and means, instruments and second causes. Arama interprets it of a man's going out into the People that robbed you hid in the I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. Why are there different names for Jesus? Those who trust and worship God may expect to pass through the valley of weeping. Every Christian faces challenges. Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant. For them. The Psalms offer an important message to those who long for sleep in the midst of lifes anxious times. See Psalm 121:7 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; Estimates the importance of what he sees. This page last updated: December 13, 2022. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. Wait! We ask the question: who is 'the LORD'? This psalm teaches us to comfort ourselves in the Lord, when difficulties and dangers are greatest. He will preserve the soul, that it be not defiled by sin, and disturbed by affliction; he will preserve it from perishing eternally. The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life. The Lord will keep us from all harm! We think so much of the keeping of the body, and of a man's outward circumstances. He does not faint or grow weary (Isaiah 40:28). It seems to be the one universal power that this sin-smitten world possesses over its creaturesit bends their shoulders, it bows their heads, it gives, it keeps, the downward look. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. We come in to rest, enjoy; we come in to home relationships and quiet occupations; and we seldom suspect that there is a possible exaggerating of self in our times of passivity, as truly as in our times of activity. stars". There can come no difficulty, no entanglement, from which he cannot deliver us; there can come no sorrow in which he will not be able to support us. Informal to take unlawfully or dishonourably; steal. Psalm 121:7 (MSG) God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. Psalm 121:7 (CEB) And he wants to help you through lifes most difficult circumstances. Yet even in respect of these we need the assurance of an outside and Divine protection. This is the same Hashem shall preserve thee from kol rah; He shall preserve thy nefesh. Beyond them he must look. 2 My help cometh from the LORD : who hath made heaven and earth. The right hand is the working hand; let them but turn to their duty, and they shall find God ready to give them success. dangerous places. Looking up, you feel how pure God's snow is, and think how much is in the promise, "They shall walk with me in white.". God's care for us will not suffer him to sleep or become indifferent to us. "thy defense." are called Namphanians, as Austin observes F25; who 2. Commentary, explanation and study verse by verse. It is almighty wisdom that contrives, and almighty power that works the safety of those that put themselves under God's protection. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. word list at the end explains all the words that have a *star by them. 1. "Thy shade" means "thy protection." So strange is the frailty of human nature, that men are over-mastered by the very things they know well, are warned against, and even think themselves strong to resist. ", II. The moon may very well be taken as the type of the secret, subtle, insidious perils of the godly life; and these are chiefly to be dreaded. He alone has both the power and the will to assist me. Psalm 121:7 (CEBA) GOD SEES WHAT MAN MISSES. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.. This is true in the physical sphere. God helps every Christian in tough times. 4. This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words). "*Protect you" means "stop people God will keep him then. *covenant is when two or more people agree together. An EasyEnglish Translation with Notes (about 1200 word But "the question is only asked to give more effect to the answer" (Cheyne). How "the cares of this world" need to be guarded against, and "the deceitfulness of riches" also! Psalm 121:7 (BBE) Psalm 121:7-8 The Lord will keep you from all harm he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. The Lord himself shall see to if, whether during the heat of the day or the chill of the night, it matters not. Deu 28:6; 1 Samuel 29:6; 2 Samuel 3:25; 1 Kings 3:7; 2 Kings 19:27). Psalm 121:5-6. Psalm 121:7 (GW) Uncertainties; possibly some very great joy, or some overwhelming sorrow, or some very sore perplexity, or even the last experience of death. 2 My help cometh from the LORD : who hath made heaven and earth.What does the Bible say about God never sleeping? heaven ~ here it means "the sky and all the But God does not call calamity evil. Men know this, and are duly warned to take all precautions. Certainties; duties, difficulties, vexations, trials, temptations, opportunities. God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. "Shall I lift up mine eyes unto the hills? Their provision and protection came only from the Lord. I. Psalm 121:7 (RSV) It is only as man's spiritual nature is quickened that moral evil, as distinct from moral calamity, is apprehended. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. fall". I. It is only an agency for securing evil or good. But the very force he puts into life may unduly magnify self; and it is much more to say that God will keep him from ensnaring self. The sun strikes the man who is in a physical condition to receive the stroke. one that *guards you from all danger. Psalms 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. The time is fast approaching when today's door of grace will be shut fast and God will take us to be with Himself before He begins to pour out His wrath on a Christ-rejecting, sinful and rebellious generation. Its important to realize that every person will face challenges in their lives, especially Christians. Checking. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. Psalm 121:7 (LEB) I. It Psalms 121:2. THE EVER-WATCHFUL WATCHMAN HELPS. Indeed, the Hebrew word for "slumber" is the stronger term of the two. And then there are brought forward the long array of facts which seem to make against the truth of this word. Psalm 122. Coming to the House of the LORD and the City of God. Psalm 122 carries the title A Song of Ascents. Of David. It is one of the four Songs of Ascents that is specifically attributed to King David. He wrote it both for what Jerusalem was in his day, and for what it would become under his son and their successors. The LORD will protect you from all evil; God will protect your very life. Psalms 121:1. It might have been written by a Daniel, as he sat at his open window, and looked away over the broad, fiat plains of Babylon toward the distant mountain-land of Israel. And I will execute great vengeance upon them, love the Lord your God with all your heart, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God, Properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e., guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc, Properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense), Properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental). They do not remain with us; parents die; brothers and sisters are scattered far and wide; friends become estranged. Illustrations may be taken from the wilderness-journey of Israel.