Psalm 121:1 kjv
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Psalm 121:1 nkjv
A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills? From whence comes my help?
Psalm 121:1 niv
A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains? where does my help come from?
Psalm 121:1 esv
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
Psalm 121:1 nlt
I look up to the mountains ?
does my help come from there?
Psalm 121 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 121:2 | My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. | Immediate answer to v1. |
| Ps 46:1 | God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. | God is the source of help. |
| Ps 146:5-6 | Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob... who made heaven and earth... | Emphasizes God as Creator and Helper. |
| Ps 34:17 | When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them... | God's attentiveness to cries for help. |
| Ps 124:8 | Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. | Reiterates God as Creator and help source. |
| Ps 3:8 | Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! | God is the ultimate source of salvation/help. |
| Ps 5:3 | My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; I will direct my prayer to | Lifting eyes to God in prayer. |
| Ps 25:15 | My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for He will pluck my feet out of the net. | Constant gaze upon God for deliverance. |
| Heb 12:2 | looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith... | New Testament parallel of fixing eyes on God. |
| Isa 41:10 | Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will | Divine promise of help and strength. |
| Isa 2:2-3 | Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the | God's mountain as the source of truth/law. |
| Jer 3:23 | Surely in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the | Direct polemic against trusting pagan hills. |
| Ps 20:7 | Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the | Contrast relying on human vs. divine strength. |
| Hos 14:3 | Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride on horses...for in You the | Dependence solely on God. |
| Gen 1:1 | In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. | God as the ultimate Creator. |
| Neh 9:6 | You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens... | Acknowledgment of God as the sole Creator. |
| Acts 17:24 | The God who made the world and everything in it...is Lord of heaven and | God's universal sovereignty as Creator. |
| 1 Chr 12:18 | ...“Yours are we, David, and with you, son of Jesse! Peace, peace to | Example of God empowering human agents. |
| 2 Chr 20:12 | ...we have no power against this great multitude...but our eyes are upon | Judah’s prayer, looking to God for help. |
| Zec 4:6 | ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of Hosts. | God's help through His Spirit, not human means. |
| Eph 6:13 | Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to | Relying on God's provisions for strength. |
| Phil 4:13 | I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. | New Covenant parallel of God as strengthener. |
Psalm 121 verses
Psalm 121 1 Meaning
Psalm 121:1 opens with a profound, almost rhetorical question from a traveler's perspective, typical of a pilgrim's journey to Jerusalem. The psalmist expresses the act of seeking guidance and security, looking towards the "hills" or "mountains," which can symbolize both potential threats and sources of strength, or even places of idolatrous worship. The question, "From whence comes my help?" sets the stage for the crucial answer provided immediately in the subsequent verse, establishing that true assistance originates not from geographical features or human constructs, but from the Almighty Creator.
Psalm 121 1 Context
Psalm 121 is the second of the "Songs of Ascents" (Pss 120-134), psalms sung by pilgrims journeying uphill to Jerusalem for the three annual feasts (Passover, Weeks, Booths). These journeys were often arduous and dangerous, involving travel through rugged terrain susceptible to bandits and wild animals. The hills surrounding Jerusalem, while sometimes seen as protective, also posed threats or, for some, were locations of pagan altars. This verse encapsulates the pilgrim's contemplation of these immediate surroundings and their deeper need for safety, leading to the pivotal question about the source of true help amidst potential dangers or temptations. It sets up the thematic contrast between earthly reliance and divine Providence, immediately answered by the psalmist’s confession of faith in the Creator.
Psalm 121 1 Word analysis
- I will lift up (אֶשָּׂא,
essa): From the verbnasa(to lift, carry, raise). This is a strong, intentional act, suggesting deliberate seeking, earnest desire, and focus. It is not a casual glance but an attentive gaze. - my eyes (עֵינַי,
einay): A direct, personal action. It signifies mental and spiritual focus as much as physical sight. The eyes are often portals for expectation or concern. - to the hills/mountains (אֶל־הֶהָרִים,
el-heharim):Heharim(mountains/hills) in this context represents the immediate physical environment of the pilgrim journey. They could be formidable barriers, sources of danger (e.g., bandits hiding in mountains), or natural challenges.- Historically, "high places" on mountains were also sites for pagan worship, posing a spiritual challenge to the monotheistic pilgrim. This raises a polemic against the futility of seeking help from false gods associated with such places.
- Alternatively, mountains can represent stability, strength, or places of God's revelation (like Mount Sinai or Zion). The tension of the verse lies in clarifying which "hills" the help comes from.
- from whence (מֵאַיִן,
me'ayin): A direct interrogative, literally "from where?" It is not necessarily an expression of doubt, but can be a rhetorical question leading to the profound answer in the next verse. It directs the seeker’s mind to consider the true source. - comes (יָבֹא,
yavo): Future or present tense. The help is anticipated or currently sought. - my help (עֶזְרִי,
ezri):Ezrameans "help," "succor," "assistance." The possessive suffix "my" emphasizes the deeply personal and immediate need of the psalmist for divine intervention and protection.
Words-group analysis:
- "I will lift up my eyes to the hills": This phrase portrays an action of deliberate looking, either out of apprehension or anticipation, towards significant geographical features on a journey. It evokes the natural human tendency to assess one's surroundings for danger or security, but hints at something beyond the merely physical.
- "from whence comes my help?": This rhetorical question immediately challenges the assumed source of help. By questioning where help comes from the hills, the psalmist is setting the stage to reveal that it does not come from the hills themselves (whether literal dangers or idolatrous high places), but over them, from the Maker of them. This underscores humanity's limitations and dependency.
Psalm 121 1 Bonus section
The structure of Psalm 121:1, beginning with an introspective question ("I lift up my eyes...") and being immediately answered in Psalm 121:2 ("My help comes from the Lord..."), reflects a common biblical literary pattern of tension and resolution. This question and answer dynamic not only reinforces the psalmist's faith but also serves as a confessional statement for the community of pilgrims. The "mountains" or "hills" (הֶהָרִים, heharim) could also conceptually allude to the mountains of covenant or salvation like Mount Zion itself, implying that the help comes through God’s presence on Mount Zion. Thus, the very act of ascending to Jerusalem brings one closer to the source of help. This duality reinforces the need for discernment, distinguishing between the physical appearance and the divine reality it points to.
Psalm 121 1 Commentary
Psalm 121:1 establishes a poignant moment of seeking and inquiry within the context of a challenging journey. The "lifting of eyes" is an act of focused contemplation, acknowledging dependence. The "hills" are central to this inquiry, symbolizing the complex reality of human experience – both physical obstacles and spiritual pitfalls (pagan altars). The crucial question "from whence comes my help?" is not born of skepticism but is a rhetorical device to contrast earthly sources of aid (which are futile or limited) with the ultimate, transcendent help. It points away from human efforts or false deities towards the divine, omnipotent source of true help, which the subsequent verse promptly reveals to be the LORD, the Creator of all things. This verse sets the foundational understanding that genuine succor comes not from humanly perceived strength or danger points, but solely from God.