Psalm 124 is the 124th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of 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 ...

: "If it had not been the who was on our side, now may Israel say". The Book of Psalms is part of the

third section The Third Section of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery (russian: Tretiye Otdeleniye, or ''III otdeleniye sobstvennoy E.I.V. kantselyarii'' - in full: Третье отделение Собственной Его Императорского � ...

of the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Christian Old Testament. In

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 ...

it is known as "Nisi quia Dominus". It is one of fifteen psalms that begin with the words "A song of ascents" (Shir Hama'alot). Using "conventional

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

s", it recalls the dangers faced by

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

from which the nation has been rescued. 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 the

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 us ...

, this psalm is Psalm 123. 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.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

set the psalm in the 1690s as ''Nisi quia Dominus erat'', H. 217, for soloists, chorus and continuo, and it was paraphrased in two psalm songs by Protestant Reformers which were set as chorale cantatas by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

text of Psalm 124:

King James Version

# If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; # If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: # Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: # Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: # Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. # Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. # Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. # Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Uses

Judaism

The psalm 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 ...

Lutheranism

In 1524, the psalm was paraphrased in German by the

Protestant reformer Protestant Reformers were those theologians whose careers, works and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. In the context of the Reformation, Martin Luther was the first reformer (sharing his views publicly in 15 ...

Justus Jonas Justus Jonas, the Elder (5 June 1493 – 9 October 1555), or simply Justus Jonas, was a German Lutheran theologian and reformer. He was a Jurist, Professor and Hymn writer. He is best known for his translations of the writings of Martin Luther ...

and

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

. Jonas wrote "

Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält "" (, original: ) is a Lutheran hymn by Justus Jonas, a paraphrase of Psalm 124 in eight stanzas. It was first published in 1524 in the Erfurt ''Enchiridion''. The theme of the psalm is the need of help against raging enemies. It has been transla ...

", Luther "

Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit "" (; "Were God not with us at this time") is a Lutheran hymn, with words written by Martin Luther based on the Psalm 124. The hymn in three stanzas of seven lines each was first published in 1524. It was translated to English and has appeared i ...

Catholic Church

According to the Rule of St Benedict around 530AD, this psalm was traditionally performed for the office of

sext Sext, or Sixth Hour, is a canonical hour of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of psalms and is held around noon. Its name comes from Latin and refers to the sixth hour of the day after dawn. ...

from Tuesday to Saturday. In the Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 124 is currently recited at the

Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , meanin ...

of the Monday of the third week.The main cycle of liturgical prayers takes place over four weeks. It also is the source of the ubiquitous

versicle In Christian liturgical worship, preces ( ; ), also known in the Anglican prayer book tradition as the suffrages, are short petitions that are said or sung as versicles and responses by the officiant and congregation respectively. It is one of th ...

''℣: Our help is in the name of the Lord ℟: who created Heaven and Earth'', especially used for introductions of any sort, which is the psalm's verse 8.

Music

In 1694,

Michel-Richard de Lalande Michel Richard Delalande e Lalande'' (; 15 December 1657 – 18 June 1726) was a French Baroque composer and organist who was in the service of King Louis XIV. He was one of the most important composers of grands motets. He also wrote orch ...

composed a motet with regard to Psalm 124 (S. 42), for the services of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

, in the royal chapel of the Chateau of Versailles.

set in 1690s one "''Nisi quia Dominus'' ''erat'' in nobis" H.217, for soloists, chorus and continuo. Johann Sebastian Bach created chorale cantatas from two paraphrases of the psalm by reformers, , first performed on 30 July 1724, and , first performed on 30 January 1735. Many composers wrote chorale preludes for the two hymns. A setting of the psalm is part of the album '' Ascents'', a collection of setting of Psalms 120-131 written and performed by

Dennis Culp Dennis Culp (born April 23, 1970) is an American trombonist and singer-songwriter best known for his work with the bands Brave Saint Saturn and Five Iron Frenzy. Career Culp has released one solo album, '' Ascents'', under the name Dennis Bayne ...

in the 1990s, and released in 2000. Psalm 124 is titled "My Help". A setting of the psalm is part of the album ''

Fractures Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...

'', a collection of psalms settings (16, 60, 68, 134, 34 and 124) by Sons of Korah, and released in 2017. The concluding Psalm 124 is titled "Out of the Snare".

Inscriptions

The grave of Florence St John Cadell, Dean Cemetery

The gravestone of the artist

Florence St John Cadell Florence St John Cadell (14 August 1877, Cheltenham – 30 January 1966, Edinburgh) was a Scottish artist and patriot, involved in the early days of the Scottish National Party with her friend Wendy Wood. Her artworks are usually signed S ...

bears a line from Psalm 124: "even as a bird out of the fowler's snare".

References

External links

* * * Text of Psalm 124 according to th
1928 Psalter

text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
A song of ascents. Of David. Had not the LORD been with us, let Israel say.
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
Psalm 124 – Thanking God for the Help Only He Can Bring
enduringword.com
Psalm 124 / Refrain: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

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 Britai ...

Psalm 124
at biblegateway.com
Hymns for Psalm 124
hymnary.org {{Psalms 124 Works attributed to David