The LORD on Our Side
Psalm 124 summary: what it means
Psalm 124 is a thanksgiving for a narrow escape. It asks Israel to say it aloud: if the LORD had not been on our side when people rose up against us, we would have been swallowed alive. The psalm then piles up pictures of what would have happened: floods overwhelming them, a stream going over their soul, proud waters closing over them. Everything is framed as what nearly happened.
At verse 6 the psalm turns to blessing the LORD, who did not hand them over as prey to their enemies' teeth. The escape is pictured as a bird getting out of a fowler's snare: the snare is broken and they are free. It ends with a short confession: our help is in the LORD's name, who made heaven and earth.
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Psalm 124: The LORD on Our Side
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-124
Psalm 124 commentary: explained verse by verse
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,let Israel now say,
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;
The psalm begins with a condition: if it had not been the LORD who was on our side. Israel is invited to say it out loud. The whole community speaks, not one person.
Also read Psalm 118:6-7, Psalm 120:1, Psalm 126:1, Hebrews 13:5-6
if it had not been the LORD who was on our side,when men rose up against us,
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
The same line is repeated, and the danger is named: men rose up against us. The repetition slows the reader down. It fixes attention on the LORD's help before the danger is described.
Also read Psalm 3:1, Psalm 21:1-2, Numbers 16:2-3, Psalm 37:32
then they would have swallowed us up alive,when their wrath was kindled against us,
Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
Without the LORD, the enemies would have swallowed them up alive when their anger was kindled. The image is of being devoured. It describes what did not happen.
Also read Esther 3:6, Psalm 35:25, Psalm 83:4, Proverbs 1:12
then the waters would have overwhelmed us,the stream would have gone over our soul.
Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
The picture shifts to water. The waters would have overwhelmed them and the stream would have gone over their soul. The danger is pictured as drowning.
Also read Psalm 69:2, Jeremiah 46:7-8, Revelation 17:1, Psalm 32:6
Then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.
Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
The proud waters would have gone over their soul. Calling the waters proud links the flood back to the enemies of verse 2. The verse is short and final, like a wave closing.
Also read Job 38:11, Jeremiah 5:22, Psalm 93:3-4
Blessed be the LORD,who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.
Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
The mood turns to blessing. The LORD is blessed for not giving them as prey to their teeth. The image of being eaten from verse 3 returns, now as something avoided.
Also read Isaiah 10:14-19, Psalm 145:5-6, Judges 5:30-31, Psalm 17:9
Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare.The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
The escape is compared to a bird getting out of a fowler's snare. The snare is broken and they have escaped. The verse does not say how it broke, and the focus stays on the escape.
Also read 2 Samuel 17:2, 2 Timothy 2:26, Proverbs 6:5, Psalm 25:15
Our help is in the LORD’s name,who made heaven and earth.
Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
The psalm ends with a short confession: our help is in the LORD's name, who made heaven and earth. The one who helps is the maker of everything. It sums up the whole psalm in one line.
Also read Genesis 1:1, Psalm 146:5-6, Isaiah 37:16-20, Acts 4:24
A prayer from Psalm 124
LORD, if you had not been on our side when people rose up against us, they would have swallowed us alive. The waters would have overwhelmed us. The stream would have gone over our soul. Blessed are you, LORD, for you have not given us as prey to their teeth. Like a bird out of the fowler's snare, we have escaped. The snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in your name, LORD, who made heaven and earth. Thank you. Amen.
Psalm 124 Bible study questions
- In verses 1 and 2, what phrase is repeated, and who is asked to say it?
- In verses 3 to 7, what three pictures does the psalm use for the danger the people faced?
- Looking back on your own life, is there a time you would describe with the words of verse 7, the snare is broken?
- Why might it matter that the psalm invites a whole people to say these words together rather than one person alone?
- Psalm 121:2 and Psalm 124:8 both speak of help from the LORD who made heaven and earth. What does each psalm add to that phrase?
Questions about Psalm 124
What is the meaning of Psalm 124?
It is a community thanksgiving for escape from enemies. It says that if the LORD had not been on their side they would have been destroyed, and it ends by saying their help is in the LORD's name.
Who wrote Psalm 124?
The heading attributes it to David and calls it a Song of Ascents, one of Psalms 120 to 134.
What does Psalm 124:1 mean?
It opens with a condition, if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, and invites Israel to say it aloud. The whole psalm follows from that line.
What does Psalm 124:7 mean?
It compares the people's escape to a bird getting out of a fowler's snare. The snare is broken and they are free.
What does Psalm 124:8 mean?
It says that the people's help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. The one who rescues them is the maker of everything.
What does Psalm 124:8 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads: "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth."
Psalm 124 KJV: the King James Version
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;1
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:2
Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:3
Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:4
Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.5
Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.6
Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.7
Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.8
Psalm 124 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת לְדָ֫וִ֥ד לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה שֶׁהָ֣יָה לָ֑נוּ יֹֽאמַר־נָ֝א יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
2 לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה שֶׁהָ֣יָה לָ֑נוּ בְּק֖וּם עָלֵ֣ינוּ אָדָֽם׃
3 אֲ֭זַי חַיִּ֣ים בְּלָע֑וּנוּ בַּחֲר֖וֹת אַפָּ֣ם בָּֽנוּ׃
4 אֲ֭זַי הַמַּ֣יִם שְׁטָפ֑וּנוּ נַ֗֜חְלָה עָבַ֥ר עַל־נַפְשֵֽׁנוּ׃
5 אֲ֭זַי עָבַ֣ר עַל־נַפְשֵׁ֑נוּ הַ֝מַּ֗יִם הַזֵּֽידוֹנִֽים׃
6 בָּר֥וּךְ יְהוָ֑ה שֶׁלֹּ֥א נְתָנָ֥נוּ טֶ֝֗רֶף לְשִׁנֵּיהֶֽם׃
7 נַפְשֵׁ֗נוּ כְּצִפּ֥וֹר נִמְלְטָה֮ מִפַּ֪ח י֫וֹקְשִׁ֥ים הַפַּ֥ח נִשְׁבָּ֗ר וַאֲנַ֥חְנוּ נִמְלָֽטְנוּ׃
8 עֶ֭זְרֵנוּ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃
Psalm 124 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 123 there.
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1 If it had not been that the Lord was with us, let Israel now say:
2 If it had not been that the Lord was with us, When men rose up against us,
3 Perhaps they had swallowed us up alive. When their fury was enkindled against us,
4 Perhaps the waters had swallowed us up.
5 Our soul hath passed through a torrent: perhaps our soul had passed through a water insupportable.
6 Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us to be a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul hath been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the followers. The snare is broken, and we are delivered.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 123.
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1 Canticum graduum. Nisi quia Dominus erat in nobis, dicat nunc Israël,
2 nisi quia Dominus erat in nobis: cum exsurgerent homines in nos,
3 forte vivos deglutissent nos; cum irasceretur furor eorum in nos,
4 forsitan aqua absorbuisset nos;
5 torrentem pertransivit anima nostra; forsitan pertransisset anima nostra aquam intolerabilem.
6 Benedictus Dominus, qui non dedit nos in captionem dentibus eorum.
7 Anima nostra sicut passer erepta est de laqueo venantium; laqueus contritus est, et nos liberati sumus.
8 Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini, qui fecit cælum et terram.
Printable Psalm 124: free, large print and PDF
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Psalm 124 at a glance
| Verses | 8 |
| Heading in the text | A Song of Ascents. By David. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David and calls it a Song of Ascents. |
| Type | Song of Ascents and Thanksgiving |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 123 |
Read Psalm 124 when you are facing
deliveranceprotectionenemiespraise
Psalm 124 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 124 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 124 belongs
Songs of AscentsPsalms of DavidBook 5 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source