What does Psalm 121:1 mean?
Psalm 121 is titled "A Song of degrees," one of fifteen songs that pilgrims are thought to have sung as they traveled up to Jerusalem for the festivals. On the journey, the hills could be beautiful but also dangerous, hiding robbers and wild animals, and some hilltops held shrines to false gods. So when the traveler lifts his eyes to the hills and asks, "from whence cometh my help?" it is a real question. The KJV punctuation makes it sound like a statement, but most scholars read it as a question. The answer comes in the next verse, and it is not the hills themselves.
Psalm 121:1 in the World English Bible
I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?
Context
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Psalm 121:1 mean?
Psalm 121 is titled "A Song of degrees," one of fifteen songs that pilgrims are thought to have sung as they traveled up to Jerusalem for the festivals. On the journey, the hills could be beautiful but also dangerous, hiding robbers and wild animals, and some hilltops held shrines to false gods. So when the traveler lifts his eyes to the hills and asks, "from whence cometh my help?" it is a real question. The KJV punctuation makes it sound like a statement, but most scholars read it as a question. The answer comes in the next verse, and it is not the hills themselves.
What does Psalm 121:1 say in the KJV?
Psalm 121:1 (KJV) reads: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”