Psalm 121:2 kjv
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2 nkjv
My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2 niv
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2 esv
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2 nlt
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth!
Psalm 121 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 121:1 | I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? | Context: Question answered by verse 2. |
| Psa 46:1 | God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. | God as an ever-present help. |
| Psa 115:9-11 | O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. | The Lord as the reliable Helper for His people. |
| Psa 146:5-6 | Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth... | Identifies help with God the Creator. |
| Psa 33:6-9 | By the word of the Lord the heavens were made... He spoke, and it came to be... | God's creative power and sovereignty. |
| Psa 8:3-4 | When I look at your heavens... what is man that you are mindful of him? | Acknowledges God's cosmic majesty. |
| Isa 40:28 | Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. | Emphasizes God's eternal nature and creatorship. |
| Isa 41:10 | Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you... | God promises personal help and strength. |
| Jer 10:10-12 | But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King... It is he who made the earth by his power... | God as the true, living Creator King. |
| Gen 1:1 | In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. | Foundation of God's Creatorship. |
| Neh 9:6 | You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host... | God as the sole Creator and Sustainer. |
| Zech 12:1 | The Lord, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth... | God as the supreme fashioner of creation. |
| Job 38-41 | Chapters detailing God's power revealed in creation. | Extensive witness to God's creative omnipotence. |
| Acts 14:15 | ...to turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. | Call to worship the Creator God. |
| Acts 17:24-25 | The God who made the world and everything in it... He himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. | God as the life-giver and Sustainer through creation. |
| Col 1:16 | For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth... | Affirmation of Christ's role in creation. |
| Heb 11:3 | By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God... | God's power through His Word in creation. |
| Rom 8:31 | What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? | God's absolute power implies ultimate help. |
| Deut 33:29 | Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help... | The Lord as Israel's unique helper and shield. |
| Psa 134:3 | May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth! | Creator's blessing invoked. |
Psalm 121 verses
Psalm 121 2 Meaning
Psalm 121:2 declares that the source of the speaker's help originates solely and completely from the Lord, Yahweh, the sovereign covenant God of Israel. This divine aid is further underscored and assured by His supreme identity as the omnipotent Creator of the entire universe, both the heavens and the earth, signifying His boundless power and unwavering capability to provide all necessary support and protection.
Psalm 121 2 Context
Psalm 121 is one of the "Songs of Ascents" (Psalms 120-134), sung by Jewish pilgrims journeying up to Jerusalem for the three annual festivals. These psalms often express themes of reliance, protection, and trust in God amidst the dangers and challenges of the journey. Verse 1 poses a rhetorical question: "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?" The "hills" could signify actual physical dangers on the travel route, military strongholds (of enemies), or, importantly, pagan high places where false gods were worshipped. Verse 2 immediately answers this question with profound theological clarity, directing the pilgrim's hope not to human-made fortifications or false idols but to the Lord, the Creator of everything. This declaration directly counters any contemporary pagan belief that divine power was limited to specific locales or associated with earthly formations or idols.
Psalm 121 2 Word analysis
- My help: The Hebrew word is עֶזְרִי (
ezrî), which isezra(help) with the first common singular possessive suffix ("my"). This indicates a personal, direct, and immediate reliance on God for assistance. It highlights a relationship where the individual personally receives aid from the divine. It implies sufficiency; if the help is "my help," it is specifically for the psalmist's need. - comes from: This phrase conveys the source and origin of assistance. It is not derived or earned but flows directly and solely from the specified entity. It denotes dependence and recognition that help is not self-generated nor found in worldly provisions but provided.
- the Lord: The Hebrew term is יְהוָה (YHWH), the sacred and personal covenant name of God, often rendered "Yahweh" or "Jehovah" in English, and typically translated "Lord" (in all caps) in many English Bibles. This name signifies God's eternal, self-existent nature (Ex 3:14-15) and His unwavering faithfulness to His promises. The help provided is thus not from a generic deity but from the specific God who reveals Himself and enters into covenant with His people.
- who made: The Hebrew word is עָשָׂה (
'asah), meaning "made," "fashioned," "created," or "appointed." It implies active involvement, shaping, and purposeful creation, rather than just abstract origination. It conveys God's power in bringing something into existence through His will and work. - heaven and earth: The Hebrew phrase is שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ (
shamayim wa'eretz). This is a merism, a figure of speech where two contrasting parts stand for the whole. "Heaven and earth" encompass the totality of the created order, the entire cosmos. By declaring God as the maker of heaven and earth, the psalmist emphasizes God's absolute sovereignty, omnipotence, and transcendence over all creation. There is nothing beyond His power or control; therefore, He is uniquely capable of providing help in any circumstance. - My help comes from the Lord: This phrase declares a resolute trust and establishes an exclusive source of salvation and deliverance. It immediately refutes any reliance on human strength, natural elements, or pagan deities often associated with geographical features like hills. The aid is not conditional on circumstances but flows from God's character.
- the Lord, who made heaven and earth: This is the theological basis for the pilgrim's trust. The Creator God possesses infinite power and dominion over all things. His creative act demonstrates His unlimited ability to act and His intimate knowledge of all His creation. Therefore, the one who sustains the cosmos can certainly sustain an individual life. This also implicitly refutes polytheism and any limited concept of a deity.
Psalm 121 2 Bonus section
The Hebrew word 'ezrah' (help) used here, while common, also has strong military and protective connotations in the Old Testament, suggesting God is a strong defender and succour. This verse powerfully stands as a direct polemic against the polytheism and nature worship prevalent in the Ancient Near East. While verse 1 might cause some to look to mountains for help, implying a reliance on fortified strongholds or even local deities, verse 2 immediately clarifies that the only true, universal power comes from Yahweh, the God who created all mountains and everything beyond them. The security promised in the entire psalm hinges on this absolute and undeniable truth of God's identity as the Creator.
Psalm 121 2 Commentary
Psalm 121:2 offers a concise yet profoundly comprehensive declaration of divine sufficiency. It serves as the powerful answer to the question posed in verse 1. The pilgrim, perhaps vulnerable on their journey, looks to the daunting "hills" but redirects their gaze and expectation. The help does not emanate from human power, the pagan shrines on the hilltops, or even the formidable physical landscape itself. Instead, true, dependable, and inexhaustible assistance comes "from the Lord," a personal and covenantal God. The phrase "who made heaven and earth" establishes the foundational basis for this trust. It grounds God's capacity to help in His inherent nature as the Almighty Creator. The same power that brought the cosmos into being, orchestrating every atom and celestial body, is available to His people. This eliminates any doubt about His ability to deliver, protect, and provide, no matter the obstacle or threat. This verse assures the believer that the help of God is comprehensive, universal, and unwavering, as immense as His creative power, making Him the only reliable source of aid in every aspect of life's journey.