Discover all the teachings that awaits Psalm 121 of the Bible and understand its meaning thanks to this new commentary of Your Bible Online. Don’t miss it!
Psalm 121 King James Version
In this article we will talk about Psalm 121 of the Catholic Bible and its great protective character towards all Christians.
This psalm is very popular among pilgrims and travelers, as it gives the one who recites it a special confidence in unfamiliar surroundings, although often also in places we frequent more often. So much so that the well-known David Livingstone, who mapped much of Africa and fought against slavery in his missions, recited this precious psalm before setting out on his travels.
Without beating around the bush, let’s look at and analyze Psalm 121 to realize the great power of its verses and thus understand why pilgrims recite it so much on their pilgrimages.
First, you will be able to listen to Psalm 121 on audio, as it is a great way to have a first contact with the text if you have never tried it before. Then you will be able to read it to get a closer look at the details and finally we will analyze all the verses and their meaning.
Psalm 121 complete in English and large print
Below, you can read the complete text of Psalm 121 in English and large print from the King James Version (KJV).
Let yourself be carried away by the strength of his words and feel the protection that God offers us through this psalm. It would be ideal that you read it in a quiet place where you can keep your concentration so that later on you can perfectly understand the comments we will make on each one of the verses.
1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
Where will my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made the heavens and the earth.
3 Shall not give your foot to the slippery slope,
Nor will the one who guards you fall asleep.
4 Behold, he shall neither slumber nor sleep
He who guards Israel.
5 Jehovah is your keeper;
Jehovah is your shadow at your right hand.
6 The sun will not weary you in the daytime,
Nor the moon at night.
7 Jehovah will keep you from all evil;
He will guard your soul.
8 The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in.
From now on and forever.
Explanation and meaning of Psalm 121 verse by verse
After reading and listening to Psalm 121 you are probably thinking that it is a good idea to recite it and pray with it before a trip. The main idea of the text is the protection that God gives us at all times, even if we are far from places of worship.
The Lord accompanies us in every step we take, taking care of us so that we do not fall and that when we do, we have the strength to get up.
As you probably know, psalms like this one are found in the Old Testament Book of Psalms of the Catholic Bible. All of them are poetic compositions originally written in Hebrew and later translated that describe situations that can make us reflect.
Although there is some discussion as to who wrote Psalm 121, it is generally attributed to King David who wrote most of the psalms in the book.
Now, we proceed to analyze the meaning of the eight verses of Psalm 121 so that you can fully understand the message contained in its words. We will do it verse by verse so as not to miss any detail and we will end with a final conclusion that will encompass everything we have said.
- Verse 1
The first verse of the psalm puts us in situation.
The author finds himself in a place that seems unfamiliar, far from the safety and comfort of his home and God’s house. The expression “I will raise my eyes to the mountains” perfectly describes that feeling we all have when we are on the road, looking at the horizon and thinking how long it will be until we reach our destination and can rest.
Even so, the author presents us with a beautiful idea in the face of this fear of immensity: God will be with us both during the journey and at the destination, giving us his protection.
- Verse 2
In this second verse we can calm that fear we mentioned by remembering that Our Lord is the creator of all that surrounds us and that, even if we are far from any temple, we are still surrounded by his presence. God is in everything that He Himself has created and that is why He will never abandon us.
We must desire to be inside the temples together with our faithful brothers and sisters, but we must not forget that, when we are far from them, we are not alone.
- Verses 3 and 4
Here the author instills great confidence in us when he tells us that the Lord is always attentive to us and that he will not let anything bad happen to us. He will guide us on the right path and we need fear nothing, for God will always be at our side.
It is important to highlight how the author does not mention the word fear at any time, since thanks to the protection that the Lord gives us, there is no room to think about fear.
- Verse 5
In verse 5 the author plays with a double meaning for the words to describe how strong God’s love for us is.
On the one hand, it shows us God as our shadow. As we know, when our shadow is projected on the ground, it will always walk close to us and will never separate. On the other hand, the message of giving shade is a great relief for the people of Israel in their flight from Egypt, under a scorching sun.
- Verse 6
Here, the double meaning is again played with. The literal message may refer to the lack of knowledge that people had at that time about the Sun and the Moon, which often caused them to fear. The author invites them to stop seeing these stars as a danger and see them as a lighthouse that guides them on the way thanks to God’s help.
The metaphorical and most important meaning for us is that God protects us day and night. Nothing will ever harm us because the Lord is at our side, ever vigilant.
- Verse 7
In this penultimate verse of Psalm 121 the author again stresses the message that nothing bad will happen to us because God is at our side.
This does not mean that we will not have problems throughout our lives, but that these problems will be prior to a higher good.
- Verse 8
In the last verse we see again the word “keep” which is used six times in this psalm to emphasize this message of protection that we have already mentioned.
The part about protecting our entry and exit is dedicated above all to our movements and travels, since, as we have said, it is a psalm especially dedicated to pilgrims. The second part of the verse is quite clear and leaves no room for doubt: God will never abandon us.
More information on Psalm 121
We leave you a beautiful song about Psalm 121:
Remember to use this psalm when you are afraid or insecure on a journey. For our part this is all, continue your reading with Psalm 30 or Psalm 23 or if you prefer to discover other Psalms keep reading another article.