God’s Word Translation
Psalms 124:1
1“If the Lord had not been on our side …” (Israel should repeat this.)
Psalms 124:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say;
- New International Version (NIV)If the Lord had not been on our side— let Israel say—
- English Standard Version (ESV)If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say—
- New King James Version (NKJV)“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say—
Context of Psalms 124:1
“If the Lord had not been on our side …” (Israel should repeat this.) 2“If the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, 3then they would have swallowed us alive when their anger exploded against us.
Read all of Psalms 124Psalms 124:1 word by word
לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה שֶׁהָ֣יָה לָ֑נוּ יֹֽאמַר־נָ֝א יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 124:1
- Psalms 120:1When I was in trouble, I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me.
- Psalms 134:1Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, all who stand in the house of the Lord night after night.
- Psalms 27:1The Lord is my light and my salvation. Who is there to fear? The Lord is my life’s fortress. Who is there to be afraid of?
- Psalms 46:7The Lord of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
- Psalms 54:4God is my helper! The Lord is the provider for my life.
- Psalms 56:9Then my enemies will retreat when I call ⌞to you⌟. This I know: God is on my side.
- Psalms 118:6The Lord is on my side. I am not afraid. What can mortals do to me?
- Exodus 15:1Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord. He has won a glorious victory. He has thrown horses and their riders into the sea.
- Isaiah 8:9Be broken, you people. Be terrified. Listen, all you distant parts of the earth. Prepare for battle, but be terrified. Prepare for battle, but be terrified.
- Romans 8:31What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Hebrews 13:5Don’t love money. Be happy with what you have because God has said, “I will never abandon you or leave you.”
- Psalms 129:1“From the time I was young, people have attacked me …” (Israel should repeat this.)
Commentaries on Psalms 124:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1If it had not been the Lord - If God had not, in a very especial manner, supported and defended us, we had all been swallowed up alive, and destroyed by a sudden destruction, so that not one would have been left. This might refer to the plot against the whole nation of the Jews by Haman, in the days of Mordecai and Esther; when by his treacherous schemes the Jews, wheresoever dispersed in the provinces of Babylon, were all to have been put to death in one…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1If it had not been the Lord who was on our side - Unless it was Yahweh who was with us. The idea is, that someone had been with them, and had delivered them, and that such was the nature of the interposition that it could be ascribed to no one but Yahweh. It bore unmistakeable evidence that it was his work. The deliverance was of such a kind that it could have been accomplished by him only. Such things often occur in life, when the intervention in our…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The deliverance of the church. (1-5) Thankfulness for the deliverance. (6-8) Verses 1-5 God suffers the enemies of his people sometimes to prevail very far against them, that his power may be seen the more in their deliverance. Happy the people whose God is Jehovah, a God all-sufficient. Besides applying this to any particular deliverance wrought in our days and the ancient times, we should have in our thoughts the great work of redemption by Jesus…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-2The negative rhetorical questions emphasize the positive idea that the Lord was indeed on their side.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-81-2. on our side--for us (Psa 56:9). now--or, "oh! let Israel"Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 124
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries