Psalm 121:1 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 121:1-8

This psalm teaches us, I. To stay ourselves upon God as a God of power and a God all-sufficient for us. David did so and found the benefit of it. 1. We must not rely upon creatures, upon men and means, instruments and second causes, nor make flesh our arm: ?Shall I lift up my eyes to the hills???so some read it. ?Does my help come thence? Shall I depend upon the powers of the earth, upon the strength of the hills, upon princes and great men, who, like hills, fill the earth, and hold up their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 121:1

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills ,.... Not to the hills and mountains in Judea, looking about to see if the inhabitants of them, or any bodies of men, appeared upon them to his help in distress; rather to the hills of Moriah and Zion, where the ark of God, the symbol of his presence, was, and to whom he looked for assistance and deliverance: or to heaven, the holy hill of the Lord, and to him that dwelleth there; see Psalm 3:2 . The lifting up of the eyes is a prayer gesture, John... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 121:1

Unto 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 more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 121:1

Verse 1 lI will lift up my eyes to the mountains. The inspired writer, whoever he was, seems, in the opening of the Psalm, to speak in the person of an unbelieving man. As God prevents his believing people with his blessings, and meets them of his own accord, so they, on their part, immediately east their eyes directly upon him. What then is the meaning of this unsettled looking of the Prophet, who casts his eyes now on this side and now on that, as if faith directed him not to God? I answer,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills . The "holy hills," that stand round about Jerusalem, are intended ( Psalms 87:1 ; Psalms 125:2 ). There God had "promised his blessing, even life forevermore" ( Psalms 133:3 ). From whence cometh my help. Most modern critics regard this clause as interrogative, and translate, "Whence is it that my help shall come?" But "the question is only asked to give more effect to the answer" (Cheyne). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-2

Looking up. "Shall I lift up mine eyes unto the hills? Whence should my help come?" The precise associations of the psalm cannot be fixed with any certainty. Perhaps it is best regarded as a psalm of the Exile. It might have been written by a Daniel, as he sat at his open window, and looked away over the broad, fiat plains of Babylon toward the distant mountain-land of Israel. The writer is oppressed with the burdens and sorrows of exile; he remembers Zion, and he sings his soul to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-2

Not mountains, but God. "From whence shall my help come?" This psalm is best taken as expressing the pious confidence of an individual believer, who addresses his inner self in words of comfort which are framed as if proceeding from another person. The psalmist is, as it were, holding a colloquy with himself. It is not that he expects help from the mountains—his hope is fixed on him who made the mountains. This comes out plainly in Perowne's rendering, "Whence should my help come? My... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-8

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-8

God our Guide: a New Year's psalm. In whatever special circumstances, or for whatever particular occasion, this psalm may have been written, it is certain that it is admirably suited to suggest New Year's thoughts to our minds. We shall best appreciate it if we consider— I. THE GREATNESS OF OUR NEED . We have sometimes to face the future, and then we confront: 1. Certainties ; duties, difficulties, vexations, trials, temptations, opportunities. 2. Uncertainties ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-8

Kept from all evil. This is what the writer of this precious psalm looks for from God (see the first two verses), and this is what the psalm promises, and that with the utmost particularity. There shall not be even a slip of the foot, a thing so common in mountainous lands, and often so perilous, and the keeping shall be night and day alike, and close at hand ( Psalms 121:5 ). The Lord himself shall see to if, whether during the heat of the day or the chill of the night, it matters not.... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 121:1-8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 121:1

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 121:1

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 121:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-2

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-2

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 121:1-8

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