New Living Translation
Psalms 121:1
1I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there?
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 look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? 2My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! 3He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over 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 120:1I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.
- Jeremiah 3:23Our worship of idols on the hills and our religious orgies on the mountains are a delusion. Only in the Lord our God will Israel ever find salvation.
- Psalms 2:6For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”
- Psalms 68:15The mountains of Bashan are majestic, with many peaks stretching high into the sky.
- Psalms 78:68He chose instead the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion, which he loved.
- Psalms 87:1On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the Lord.
- Psalms 123:1I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven.
- Isaiah 2:3People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out 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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