A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
Parallel translations
- WEB A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?
- KJV I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
- NKJV I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help?
- NASB I will raise my eyes to the mountains; From where will my help come?
- NLT I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The psalmist lifts his eyes to the hills and asks where his help comes from. He looks beyond the dangers around him to find his source of help.
Overview
In this beloved Song of Ascents, the pilgrim looks up to the 'hills,' which surrounded Jerusalem but could also harbor dangers and false sanctuaries. His question prompts the confident answer of the next verse. The verse models the believer's instinct to lift the eyes from earthly threats toward God, our true help in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 120:1A song of ascents. In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me.
- Ps 123:1A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
- Jer 3:23Surely deception comes from the hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.
- Isa 2:3And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
- Ps 2:6“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”
- Ps 87:1A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A song. He has founded His city on the holy mountains.
- Ps 68:15–16A mountain of God is Mount Bashan; a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.
- Ps 78:68But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 121:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.