Amplified Bible
Psalms 121:1
1I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]— From where shall my help come?
Psalms 121:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
- New International Version (NIV)I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?
- English Standard Version (ESV)I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
- New King James Version (NKJV)I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help?
Context of Psalms 121:1
I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]— From where shall my help come? 2My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Read all of Psalms 121Psalms 121:1 word by word
אֶשָּׂ֣א עֵ֭ינַי אֶל־הֶהָרִ֑ים מֵ֝אַ֗יִן יָבֹ֥א עֶזְרִֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 121:1
- Psalms 120:1In my trouble I cried to the Lord, And He answered me.
- Jeremiah 3:23Truly, [the hope of salvation from] the hill [where idols are worshiped] is a deception, A tumult and noisy multitude on the mountains; Truly in the Lord our God Is the salvation of Israel.
- Psalms 2:6“Yet as for Me, I have anointed and firmly installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
- Psalms 68:15A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; A [high] mountain of many summits is Mount Bashan [rising east of the Jordan].
- Psalms 78:68But He chose the tribe of Judah [as Israel’s leader], Mount Zion, which He loved [to replace Shiloh as His capital].
- Psalms 87:1His foundation is on the holy mountain.
- Psalms 123:1Unto you I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens!
- Isaiah 2:3And many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house (temple) of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go out from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Commentaries on Psalms 121:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Unto the hills - Jerusalem was built upon a mountain; and Judea was a mountainous country; and the Jews, in their several dispersions, turned towards Jerusalem when they offered up their prayers to God.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1I will lift up mine eyes - Margin, “Shall I lift up mine eyes to the hills? Whence should my help come?” The expression would properly denote a condition where there was danger; when no help or aid was visible; and when the eyes were turned to the quarter from which help might be expected to come. What the danger was cannot now be ascertained. Unto the hills - Hebrew, the mountains. To the quarter from where I look for assistance. This (as has been shown…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The safety of the godly. --We must not rely upon men and means, instruments and second causes. Shall I depend upon the strength of the hills? upon princes and great men? No; my confidence is in God only. 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. We must see all our help in God; from him we must expect it, in his own way and time. This psalm teaches us to comfort ourselves in the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1The mountains were known for idol worship (Deuteronomy 12:2), and Israel was drawn to the hilltop shrines (Hosea 4:13). This verse can be seen as a rhetorical question expecting a "no" answer: The gods of the hilltop shrines cannot save anyone. Others understand the mountains to be a symbol of the Lord’s strength (Psalm 95:4). In that case, the question would be taken literally (From where does my help come?), with the answer in the next verse.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-81. I will lift up mine eyes--expresses desire (compare Psa 25:1), mingled with expectation. The last clause, read as a question, is answered,Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 121:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 121
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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