I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there?
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.
- BSB A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
- 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?
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 Yahweh. He answered me.
- Ps 123:1A Song of Ascents. To you I do lift up my eyes, you who sit in the heavens.
- Jer 3:23Truly in vain is help from the hills, the tumult on the mountains. Truly the salvation of Israel is in Yahweh our God.
- Isa 2:3Many peoples shall go and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go out, and Yahweh’s word from Jerusalem.
- Ps 2:6“Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.”
- Ps 87:1A Psalm by the sons of Korah; a Song. His foundation is in the holy mountains.
- Ps 68:15–16The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains. The mountains of Bashan are rugged.
- Ps 78:68But 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.