Christian Standard Bible
Psalms 121:1
1I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?
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 lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector 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 distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.
- Jeremiah 3:23Surely, falsehood comes from the hills, commotion from the mountains, but the salvation of Israel is only in the Lord our God.
- Psalms 2:6“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
- Psalms 68:15Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain; Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.
- Psalms 78:68He chose instead the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved.
- Psalms 87:1The city he founded is on the holy mountains.
- Psalms 123:1I lift my eyes to you, the one enthroned in heaven.
- Isaiah 2:3and many peoples will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so that we may walk in his paths.” For instruction will go out of 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
Christian Standard Bible — © 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Commentaries