Psalm 121 Emotional
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Psalm 121/Emotional
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Israel's Guardian
Psalm 121
Please note: Resources for Psalm 121 are in the process of being reformatted for visual consistency and improved functionality.
Emotional Analysis
This layer explores the emotional dimension of the biblical text and seeks to uncover the clues within the text itself that are part of the communicative intent of its author. The goal of this analysis is to chart the basic emotional tone and/or progression of the psalm.
For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Emotional Analysis Creator Guidelines.
Emotional Analysis Chart
If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.
| Emendations/Revocalizations legend | |
|---|---|
| *Emended text* | Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation. |
| *Revocalized text* | Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization. |
| Verse | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) | The Psalmist Feels | Emotional Analysis Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | שִׁ֗יר לַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת | Song of the Ascents | ||
| אֶשָּׂ֣א עֵ֭ינַי אֶל־הֶהָרִ֑ים | I lift my eyes toward the mountains. | • Confidence in YHWH, the one who made heaven and earth and the one who guards Israel | The phrase "lift one's eyes" implies confidence. SDBH: "literally: to lift up (one's) eyes (to); hence: = action by which humans turn to a deity or place with the confidence that they will find help and support there." On the one hand, the confidence implied by the phrase "lift my eyes" is only pretended, since the psalmist is not actually placing confidence in the divine beings in the mountains (https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/The_Mountains_in_Ps_121:1). On the other hand, the psalmist truly is confident, except his confidence is not in the "mountains" but in YHWH, the one who made heaven and earth. | |
| מֵ֝אַ֗יִן יָבֹ֥א עֶזְרִֽי׃ | Where will my help come from? | Some argue that the question in v. 1 implies anxiety (e.g., Fokkelman 2000, 271, Maré 2006). It is more likely, however, that the question is rhetorical, setting up the confident profession in v. 2. See https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/The_Mountains_in_Ps_121:1. | ||
| 2 | עֶ֭זְרִי מֵעִ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃ | My help is from YHWH, the one who made heaven and earth. | ||
| 3 | אַל־יִתֵּ֣ן לַמּ֣וֹט רַגְלֶ֑ךָ | May he not let your foot slip! | ||
| אַל־יָ֝נ֗וּם שֹֽׁמְרֶֽךָ׃ | May the one who guards you not doze off! | |||
| 4 | הִנֵּ֣ה לֹֽא־יָ֭נוּם וְלֹ֣א יִישָׁ֑ן שׁ֝וֹמֵ֗ר יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | Indeed, the one who guards Israel will not doze off and will not fall asleep. | ||
| 5 | יְהוָ֥ה שֹׁמְרֶ֑ךָ | YHWH is the one who guards you. | ||
| יְהוָ֥ה צִ֝לְּךָ֗ עַל־יַ֥ד יְמִינֶֽךָ׃ | YHWH is your shade over your right hand. | |||
| 6 | יוֹמָ֗ם הַשֶּׁ֥מֶשׁ לֹֽא־יַכֶּ֗כָּה | During the day, the sun will not strike you, | ||
| וְיָרֵ֥חַ בַּלָּֽיְלָה׃ | nor the moon at night. | |||
| 7 | יְֽהוָ֗ה יִשְׁמָרְךָ֥ מִכָּל־רָ֑ע | YHWH will guard you from all harm. | ||
| יִ֝שְׁמֹ֗ר אֶת־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ | He will guard your life. | |||
| 8 | יְֽהוָ֗ה יִשְׁמָר־צֵאתְךָ֥ וּבוֹאֶ֑ךָ מֵֽ֝עַתָּ֗ה וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃ | YHWH will guard your going out and your coming in from now until forever. |
Summary Visual
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