Psalm 121
Psalm 121 is a short song of trust in God as keeper. It opens "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help," answers that help comes "from the LORD, which made heaven and earth," and promises that the LORD, who never sleeps, will preserve thy going out and thy coming in for evermore.
Psalm 121 (KJV)
My help cometh from the LORD v. 1-2
1I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
He that keepeth thee will not slumber v. 3-4
3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is thy shade v. 5-6
5The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
Thy going out and thy coming in v. 7-8
7The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
What Psalm 121 means
The psalm begins with a traveller looking at the hills. Verse 1 can be read as a question, where does my help come from, and the hills may have been a comfort (Jerusalem stood among them) or a threat (they hid robbers, and pagan shrines stood on high places). Verse 2 gives the answer: help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth, including the hills.
From verse 3 another voice speaks to the traveller as thee. God will not let his foot be moved, and his keeper does not doze off. Verse 4 makes it bigger: "he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." The one who guards the whole nation also guards one person on one road.
Verses 5-6 picture the LORD as shade on the right hand. On a hot road the sun can strike a traveller down, and the night can bring its own dangers. Neither the sun by day nor the moon by night shall smite him.
Verses 7-8 widen the promise. The LORD shall preserve from all evil and preserve the soul, and the last line covers every journey: going out and coming in, from this time forth, and even for evermore. The word keep or preserve appears again and again, which is why this psalm is often called the traveller's psalm.
Background and context
The KJV title is A Song of degrees. It is one of fifteen psalms with that title (Psalms 120-134). Many readers understand them as songs sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for the feasts, though the Bible does not explain the title.
No writer is named. Some of the Songs of degrees are titled for David or Solomon, but Psalm 121 is not.
Key verses
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Psalm 121:1 · KJV
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2 · KJV
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Psalm 121:8 · KJV
Cross references
- Psalm 124:8 Another Song of degrees: our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
- Jeremiah 3:23 Salvation hoped for from the hills is in vain; it is in the LORD.Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
- Isaiah 40:28 The everlasting God fainteth not, neither is weary.Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
- Deuteronomy 28:6 Blessed when thou comest in, and blessed when thou goest out.Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
- Isaiah 25:4 God as a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat.For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
- John 17:15 Jesus prays that the Father would keep his disciples from the evil.I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
How well do you know Psalm 121?
7 questions, every answer checked against the King James text. Play it here, then try a full book quiz.
Want more? Play the full Psalms Bible quiz.
Common questions
What does Psalm 121 mean?
That God is the keeper of his people. Help does not come from the hills or anything else in creation, but from the LORD who made them, and he never sleeps on the job.
Who wrote Psalm 121?
The writer is not named. Its title is A Song of degrees, one of fifteen such psalms (120-134) traditionally linked with pilgrims going up to Jerusalem.
What is a Song of degrees?
A title given to Psalms 120-134. The word means ascents or steps, and many readers take them as songs for the journey up to Jerusalem, though the Bible does not explain the title.
Why is Psalm 121 called the traveller's psalm?
Because it speaks of feet on the road, heat by day and danger by night, and ends with a promise over every going out and coming in. Many people read it before a journey.
Large Print Bible Word Search
100 Large Print Scripture Puzzles for Adults & Seniors
Psalm 121 is a favourite to memorise and share, and the Large Print Bible Word Search builds 100 puzzles from well-loved verses like it.
See the book →