Psalms Chapter 121 Summary - Key Points & Themes

Read Psalms Chapter 121 Summary

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. The LORD shall preserve your going out and coming in forevermore.

Original

Characters in This Chapter

David

Primary author of the Psalms, writing about half of the collection

Asaph

Levitical musician who wrote twelve psalms about suffering and God's justice

Moses

Author of Psalm 90, reflecting on God's eternity and human frailty

Places in This Chapter

Jerusalem

City of God, site of the temple, focus of pilgrimage psalms

The Temple

Center of worship where many psalms were sung in liturgy

Position in Book

Book IChapters 1-41

Book IIChapters 42-72

Book IIIChapters 73-89

Book IVChapters 90-106

Book VChapters 107-150

Mixed collection including psalms of ascent, Davidic psalms, and the Hallel psalms of praise.

Bible Bites

'The apple of my eye' comes from the Bible

The everyday phrase 'the apple of my eye', meaning someone deeply cherished, comes straight from Scripture: 'Keep me as the apple of your eye' (Psalm 17:8). Many common English sayings, from 'a drop in the bucket' to 'the writing on the wall,' were born in the Bible.

Psalm 17:8

The Longest Book by Chapter Count

With 150 chapters (psalms), the book of Psalms contains more chapters than any other book in the Bible. These ancient songs range from the shortest chapter in Scripture (Psalm 117 with just 2 verses) to the longest (Psalm 119 with 176 verses).

Psalms

Nobody knows what 'Selah' means

The little word 'Selah' appears about 74 times in the Psalms, and its exact meaning has been lost. It may signal a musical pause, a swelling of the instruments, or a moment to stop and reflect. After thousands of years, it remains one of the Bible's small unsolved mysteries.

Psalms