Bible HebrewPsalm 121 Psalm 121:1–8
A pilgrim's song. The verb שׁמר, “keep, guard”, comes six times.
Psalm 121:1
שִׁיר לַמַּעֲלוֹת אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֶל־הֶהָרִים מֵאַיִן יָבֹא עֶזְרִי
Shīr lammaʿălōth ʾeśśā ʿēnay ʾel-hehārīm mēʾayin yāvō ʿezrī
“A song of the ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains. From where will my help come?”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| שִׁיר | shīr | a song |
| לַמַּעֲלוֹת | lammaʿălōth | of the ascents |
| אֶשָּׂא | ʾeśśā | I lift |
| עֵינַי | ʿēnay | my eyes |
| אֶל | ʾel | to |
| הֶהָרִים | hehārīm | the mountains |
| מֵאַיִן | mēʾayin | from where |
| יָבֹא | yāvō | will come |
| עֶזְרִי | ʿezrī | my help |
- שִׁיר: “Song of the ascents” heads Psalms 120–134. Here it is שִׁיר לַמַּעֲלוֹת, with לְ; the others have שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת. The “ascents” are often understood as the pilgrims' going up to Jerusalem; there are other explanations.
- אֶשָּׂא: Imperfect with the prefix א for “I”: “I lift”, or “I will lift”.
- עֵינַי: עֵינַיִם, “eyes”, is a dual, a word for a pair. With ־ַי “my” it becomes עֵינַי.
- מֵאַיִן: מֵאַיִן, “from where?”, the question the sailors asked in Jonah 1:8. Verse 2 answers it.
Psalm 121:2
עֶזְרִי מֵעִם יְהוָה עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ
ʿEzrī mēʿim yəḥawwe ʿōśē shāmayim wāʾāreṣ
“My help comes from yəḥawwe, maker of heaven and earth.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| עֶזְרִי | ʿezrī | my help |
| מֵעִם | mēʿim | (is) from |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| עֹשֵׂה | ʿōśē | maker of |
| שָׁמַיִם | shāmayim | heaven |
| וָאָרֶץ | wāʾāreṣ | and earth |
- עֶזְרִי: The line picks up the last word of verse 1, עֶזְרִי. This psalm often repeats a word from the line before.
- מֵעִם: מֵעִם, מִן + עִם, “from with”: “from (the presence of)”.
- עֹשֵׂה: עֹשֵׂה, a participle in the construct, “maker of”: “the one who makes heaven and earth”.
Psalm 121:3
אַל־יִתֵּן לַמּוֹט רַגְלֶךָ אַל־יָנוּם שֹׁמְרֶךָ
ʾAl-yittēn lammōṭ raghlekhā ʾal-yānūm shōmərekhā
“May he not let your foot slip; may your keeper not slumber.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| אַל | ʾal | may not |
| יִתֵּן | yittēn | he let |
| לַמּוֹט | lammōṭ | slip |
| רַגְלֶךָ | raghlekhā | your foot |
| אַל | ʾal | may not |
| יָנוּם | yānūm | slumber |
| שֹׁמְרֶךָ | shōmərekhā | your keeper |
- Whole verse: From here on the psalm speaks to “you” instead of “I”: a second voice answers the first.
- אַל: אַל with a jussive expresses a wish: “may he not…”. Some read it as a firm promise, “he will not…”, like לֹא in verse 4.
- יִתֵּן: נָתַן לַמּוֹט, “give to slipping”: “let (your foot) slip”.
- שֹׁמְרֶךָ: A participle with ־ְךָ “your”: שֹׁמֵר, “one who keeps”, becomes שֹׁמְרֶךָ, “your keeper”. שׁמר, “keep, guard”, comes six times in this psalm.
Psalm 121:4
הִנֵּה לֹא־יָנוּם וְלֹא יִישָׁן שׁוֹמֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל
Hinnē lō-yānūm wəlō yīshān shōmēr yiśrāʾēl
“Look, the keeper of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| הִנֵּה | hinnē | look |
| לֹא | lō | not |
| יָנוּם | yānūm | slumbers |
| וְלֹא | wəlō | and not |
| יִישָׁן | yīshān | sleeps |
| שׁוֹמֵר | shōmēr | the keeper of |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל | yiśrāʾēl | Israel |
- לֹא: Now לֹא, not אַל: a plain statement. “He will not slumber” answers the wish of verse 3.
- יָנוּם: Two verbs for sleep: נוּם, “slumber, drowse”, and יָשֵׁן, “sleep”. The second is stronger.
- שׁוֹמֵר: The keeper is now “of Israel”, not only “yours”.
Psalm 121:5
יְהוָה שֹׁמְרֶךָ יְהוָה צִלְּךָ עַל־יַד יְמִינֶךָ
Yəḥawwe shōmərekhā yəḥawwe ṣilləkhā ʿal-yadh yəmīnekhā
“Yəḥawwe is your keeper; yəḥawwe is your shade at your right hand.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| שֹׁמְרֶךָ | shōmərekhā | (is) your keeper |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| צִלְּךָ | ṣilləkhā | (is) your shade |
| עַל | ʿal | at |
| יַד | yadh | the hand of |
| יְמִינֶךָ | yəmīnekhā | your right |
- יְהוָה: Two sentences without a verb: “yəḥawwe, your keeper; yəḥawwe, your shade”.
- צִלְּךָ: צֵל, “shade”, with ־ְךָ “your”: the ל is doubled (צִלְּךָ) because the root is צלל.
- יְמִינֶךָ: עַל־יַד יְמִינֶךָ, “at the hand of your right”: beside your right hand, at your side.
Psalm 121:6
יוֹמָם הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לֹא־יַכֶּכָּה וְיָרֵחַ בַּלָּיְלָה
Yōmām hashshemesh lō-yakkekkā wəyārēaḥ ballāylā
“By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| יוֹמָם | yōmām | by day |
| הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ | hashshemesh | the sun |
| לֹא | lō | not |
| יַכֶּכָּה | yakkekkā | will strike you |
| וְיָרֵחַ | wəyārēaḥ | and the moon |
| בַּלָּיְלָה | ballāylā | by night |
- יוֹמָם: יוֹמָם … בַּלָּיְלָה, “by day … by night”: together they mean “at all times”.
- יַכֶּכָּה: יַכֶּכָּה is the Hiphil of נכה, “strike”, with ־ֶכָּה, a longer form of ־ְךָ “you”. In Jonah 4:8 the same verb is used of the sun striking Jonah.
- וְיָרֵחַ: The second line leaves out the verb: “and the moon (will not strike you) by night”.
Psalm 121:7
יְהוָה יִשְׁמָרְךָ מִכָּל־רָע יִשְׁמֹר אֶת־נַפְשֶׁךָ
Yəḥawwe yishmorkhā mikkol-rāʿ yishmōr ʾeth-nafshekhā
“Yəḥawwe will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| יִשְׁמָרְךָ | yishmorkhā | will keep you |
| מִכָּל | mikkol | from all |
| רָע | rāʿ | evil |
| יִשְׁמֹר | yishmōr | he will keep |
| אֶת | ʾeth | (object marker) |
| נַפְשֶׁךָ | nafshekhā | your life |
- יִשְׁמָרְךָ: Imperfect + ־ְךָ “you”: יִשְׁמָרְךָ, “he will keep you”. The same verb without an ending, יִשְׁמֹר, follows.
- רָע: רָע, “evil, harm”, covers both wrongdoing and misfortune.
- נַפְשֶׁךָ: נֶפֶשׁ, “life, self”: “he will keep your life”, or “he will keep you yourself”.
Psalm 121:8
יְהוָה יִשְׁמָר־צֵאתְךָ וּבוֹאֶךָ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עוֹלָם
Yəḥawwe yishmār-ṣēthkhā ūvōʾekhā mēʿattā wəʿadh-ʿōlām
“Yəḥawwe will keep your going out and your coming in, from now and forever.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| יִשְׁמָר | yishmār | will keep |
| צֵאתְךָ | ṣēthkhā | your going out |
| וּבוֹאֶךָ | ūvōʾekhā | and your coming in |
| מֵעַתָּה | mēʿattā | from now |
| וְעַד | wəʿadh | and until |
| עוֹלָם | ʿōlām | forever |
- צֵאתְךָ: Two infinitives with “your”: צֵאת, “going out”, and בּוֹא, “coming in”. Together they mean all of one's comings and goings.
- מֵעַתָּה: מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עוֹלָם, “from now and until forever”, is a set phrase found several times in the Psalms.
- עוֹלָם: עוֹלָם is a very long time, past or future: “forever”, or “long ago”.
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