Psalm 121 is the 121st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

and Latin

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 120. In Latin, it is known as Levavi oculos meos in montes. It is one of 15 psalms categorized as

Song of Ascents Song of Ascents is a title given to fifteen of the Psalms, 120–134 (119–133 in the Septuagint and the Vulgate), each starting with the superscription Shir Hama'aloth ( ''šîr ha-ma‘ălōṯ'', meaning "Song of the Ascents"), or, in the ca ...

(''Shir Hama'alot''), although unlike the others, it begins, ''Shir LaMa'alot'' (A song ''to'' the ascents). The psalm is structured as a dialogue, with its opening question, ''From whence comes my help?'' being answered, possibly in a temple setting, by the

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

.Rodd, C. S., ''18. Psalms'', in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001)
The Oxford Bible Commentary
p. 399 The psalm forms a regular part of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music in several languages. Felix Mendelssohn used it for ''

Hebe deine Augen auf ''Elijah'' (german: Elias), Op. 70, MWV A 25, is an oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn depicting events in the life of the Prophet Elijah as told in the books 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Old Testament. It premiered on 26 August 1846. Music and its s ...

'', a trio of his 1846 oratorio ''

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...

''. Leonard Bernstein used the psalm in his ''

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

''.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 121:

King James Version

# I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. # My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. # He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. # Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. # The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. # The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. # The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. # The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Uses

Original usage

As a

song of ascent Song of Ascents is a title given to fifteen of the Psalms, 120–134 (119–133 in the Septuagint and the Vulgate), each starting with the superscription Shir Hama'aloth ( ''šîr ha-ma‘ălōṯ'', meaning "Song of the Ascents"), or, in the ca ...

, this

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

may have been sung by the

Levites Levites (or Levi) (, he, ''Lǝvīyyīm'') are Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from the Tribe of Levi. The Tribe of Levi descended from Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. The surname ''Halevi'', which consists of the Hebrew de ...

at the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...

. It is also possible that it was sung by

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

s on their way to Jerusalem. At the beginning of the pilgrimage, in the mountainous region of the

Judean Hills The Judaean Mountains, or Judaean Hills ( he, הרי יהודה, translit=Harei Yehuda) or the Hebron Mountains ( ar, تلال الخليل, translit=Tilal al-Khalīl, links=, lit=Hebron Mountains), is a mountain range in Palestine and Israel wh ...

, the pilgrim recognizes that the Lord is the one who can give him the help he needs. The one who trusts in the Lord is certain that He will bring him protection day and night. The psalm's dialogue moves from the first to the second person in verse 3, and even takes the form of a

blessing In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will. Etymology and Germanic paganism The modern English language term ''bless'' likely ...

in verses 7 and 8. This will conclude the prayer of different singers by the prospect of change.

Judaism

*Is recited following

Mincha Mincha ( he, מִנחַה, pronounced as ; sometimes spelled ''Minchah'' or ''Minḥa'') is the afternoon prayer service in Judaism. Etymology The name ''Mincha'', meaning "present", is derived from the meal offering that accompanied each sacri ...

between Sukkot and

Shabbat Hagadol Special Shabbatot are Jewish Shabbat days on which special events are commemorated. Variations in the liturgy and special customs differentiate them from the regular Sabbaths and each one is referred to by a special name; many communities also ad ...

. *Verse 4 is part of the prayers of the

Bedtime Shema ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewis ...

. *Verse 7 is part of the blessing given by the

kohein Kohen ( he, , ''kōhēn'', , "priest", pl. , ''kōhănīm'', , "priests") is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. Levitical priests or ''kohanim'' are traditionally b ...

at a pidyon haben ceremony. *Verse 8 is part of the prayers of the

Protestant Christianity

Psalm 121 has the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

incipit, ''Levavi oculus''. In the Anglican

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

, it is prescribed for use on day 27 of each month, at Morning Prayer. The first verse is frequently quoted on monuments and memorials commemorating those inspired by mountains or hills. A well known example is a stained glass window in

Church of St Olaf, Wasdale St Olaf's Church in Wasdale Head, Cumbria, is England's smallest parish church. The earliest record of the church is from 1550, though it probably predates this, and it is likely that there was an earlier church on this site. History The chu ...

in the English Lake District National Park, which quotes Psalm 121 as a memorial to members of the

Fell & Rock Climbing Club The Fell & Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District (in everyday usage the Fell and Rock Club or FRCC) is the senior climbing club covering the English Lake District. It was founded in 1906–1907 and, amongst its other activities, publ ...

who were killed in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Charles Spurgeon Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He wa ...

called it ''a soldier's song as well as a traveller's hymn''.

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...

read the Psalm with his family at the dockside on his leaving for

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. In

The Living Bible The Living Bible (TLB or LB) is a personal paraphrase, not a translation, of the Bible in English by Kenneth N. Taylor and first published in 1971. Taylor used the American Standard Version of 1901 as his base text. Origin In a 1979 interview ...

, writer

Kenneth N. Taylor Kenneth Nathaniel Taylor (May 8, 1917 – June 10, 2005) was an American publisher and author, better known as the creator of ''The Living Bible'' and the founder of Tyndale House, a Christian publishing company, and Living Bibles Internat ...

reads the opening verse in a slightly different many from most translations: ''Shall I look to the mountain gods for help? ² No! My help is from Jehovah who made the mountains!

Catholic Church

Around 530, St. Benedict of Nursia chose this Psalm for the third office during the week, specifically from Tuesday until Saturday between

Psalm 120 Psalm 120 is the 120th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: "In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vu ...

(119) and

Psalm 122 Psalm 122 is the 122nd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I was glad" and in Latin entitled Laetatus sum. It is attributed to King David and one of the fifteen psalms described as A song of ascents (Sh ...

(121). Allocating

Psalm 119 Psalm 119 is the 119th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord". The Book of Psalms is in the third section of the Hebrew Bible, the ' ...

(118), which is longer, to the services on Sunday and Monday, he structured offices of the week with the following nine psalms. In the Liturgy of Hours today, Psalm 121 is recited Vespers Friday of the second week. In the liturgy of the Word, it took the 29th Sunday in

Ordinary Time Ordinary Time ( la, Tempus per annum) is the part of the liturgical year in the liturgy of the Roman Rite, which falls outside the two great seasons of Christmastide and Eastertide, or their respective preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent. O ...

, year C. It is during this period that the Church prays for refugees.

Musical settings

Musical settings for the Latin text have been composed by

Orlando di Lasso Orlande de Lassus ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Pales ...

Hans Leo Hassler Hans Leo Hassler (in German, Hans Leo Haßler) (baptized 26 October 1564 – 8 June 1612) was a German composer and organist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras, elder brother of less known composer Jakob Hassler. He was born in Nür ...

, and

Herbert Howells Herbert Norman Howells (17 October 1892 – 23 February 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music. Life Background and early education Howells was born in Lydney, Gloucest ...

amongst others. Settings composed for the English text include

John Clarke-Whitfeld John Clarke-Whitfeld (13 December 1770 – 22 February 1836) was an English organist and composer. Life He was born John Clarke at Gloucester, and educated at Oxford under Dr Philip Hayes. In 1789 he was appointed organist of the parish ...

Charles Villiers Stanford Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (30 September 1852 – 29 March 1924) was an Anglo-Irish composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Romantic era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was educated at the ...

Henry Walford Davies Sir Henry Walford Davies (6 September 1869 – 11 March 1941) was an English composer, organist, and educator who held the title Master of the King's Music from 1934 until 1941. He served with the Royal Air Force during the First World War, du ...

, and

Imant Raminsh Imant Karlis Raminsh ( Latvian: Imants Kārlis Ramiņš, born 18 September 1943) is a Canadian composer of Latvian descent, best known for his choral compositions. He resides in Coldstream, British Columbia. Early life and education Born ...

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

created a version for four voices and basso continuo (SWV 31). Felix Mendelssohn composed the famous "

" as a trio of his oratorio ''

'', Op. 70, in 1846. Antonín Dvořák set verses 1–4 in Czech to music in his ''

Biblical Songs ''Biblical Songs'' ( cs, Biblické písně) is a song cycle which consists of musical settings by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák of ten texts, selected by him, from the Book of Psalms. It was originally composed for low voice and piano (1894, Op ...

'', published in 1894.

Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (; hu, Kodály Zoltán, ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music edu ...

composed his Geneva Ps CXXI for mixed chorus a cappella), setting the psalm in Hungarian. The setting by William McKie was sung at the wedding of Princess Margaret in 1960 and at the

funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother On 30 March 2002, at 15:15 GMT, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (née Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon), widow to King George VI and mother to Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 101 at Royal Lodge, Windsor. The death of the Queen Mother set in motion ...

in 2002.

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American- Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) a ...

set the psalm in 1967 for his cantata ''I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes''. Leonard Bernstein used the psalm in his ''

'' in the second movement in 1971. Israeli Hasidic singer-songwriter

Yosef Karduner Yosef Karduner ( he, יוסף קרדונר, born 1969) is an Israeli Hasidic singer, songwriter, and composer. His biggest hit, ''Shir LaMaalot'' (Psalm 121), appeared on his debut album, ''Road Marks'' (2000). Biography Born Gilad Kardunos, he ...

composed a popular Hebrew version of Psalm 121, ''Shir LaMa'alot'' (2000), which has been covered by many Israeli artists, including

Omer Adam Omer Adam ( he, עומר אדם; born October 22, 1993) is an Israeli singer whose music fuses elements of eastern Mizrahi music (Oriental-Middle Eastern) and Western Pop instrumentation. In 2009, he participated in the seventh season of ''Kokha ...

Ninet Tayeb Nati Ninet Tayeb ( he, נינט טייב; born October 21, 1983), commonly known as Ninet, is an Israeli musician, singer-songwriter, composer, DJ, model, actress, and a reality television program judge in '' Rising Star: Israel''. She is conside ...

Mosh Ben-Ari Moshe "Mosh" Ben Ari ( he, מוש בן ארי; born 21 September 1970) is an Israeli musician, lyricist, and composer. Biography Ben Ari was born in Afula, Israel, to a family of Mizrahi Jewish background. He first discovered music as a child t ...

, the

Shalva Band The Shalva Band () is an Israeli band consisting of eight disabled musicians. The group was formed in 2005 at the SHALVA organization, which supports and empowers individuals with disabilities and their families in Israel. The band has performed ...

, among others. It is a staple amongst synagogue youth groups in Israel and Canada.

Influence

The motto of

The University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

, "''Mo shùile togam suas''" ( Scots Gaelic; in English: "''I will lift up my eyes''"), is derived from Psalm 121. In his

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

-era “Close Ranks” editorial,

W.E.B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up i ...

wrote, “We make no ordinary sacrifice, but we make it gladly and willingly with our eyes lifted to the hills.” Du Bois, W. E. Burghardt, ''

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...

'', vol. 16, no.3 (July 1918), p. 111 Several contemporary Israeli poets, such as

Leah Goldberg Leah Goldberg or Lea Goldberg ( he, לאה גולדברג; May 29, 1911, Königsberg – January 15, 1970, Jerusalem) was a prolific Hebrew-language poet, author, playwright, literary translator, and comparative literary researcher. Her writ ...

and

Haim Gouri Haim Gouri ( he, חיים גורי; Gurfinkel; 9 October 1923 – 31 January 2018) was an Israeli poet, novelist, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. Widely regarded as one of the country's greatest poets, he was awarded the Israel Prize ...

, wrote poems named after the psalm's first words ("I will lift my eyes to the mountains") or a variation of them.

Yarra Valley Grammar , motto_translation = I lift up my eyes , city = Ringwood , state = Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Independent, co-e ...

co-educational grammar school, located in Ringwood, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia uses the motto ''Levavi Oculos''

References

External links

* * * Text of Psalm 121 according to th
1928 Psalter

text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
A song of ascents. / I raise my eyes toward the mountains. / From whence shall come my help?
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
Psalm 121 – The God Who Keeps and Helps
enduringword.com
Psalm 121 / Refrain: The Lord shall keep you from all evil.

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Psalm 121
at biblegateway.com
Hymns for Psalm 121
hymnary.org
Traditional Jewish tunes for the first two verses of the psalm
{{Psalms 121