BIBLIOTHECA SACRA 152 (April-June 1995): 163-81

"THE LORD WATCHES

OVER YOU": A PILGRIMAGE

READING OF PSALM 121

David G. Barker

From ancient times to the modern era, life with God

has been viewed as a pilgrimage. Songs, stories, and poems regu-

larly speak about the trust, courage, and vigilance needed in that

pilgrimage.1

One of the most exquisite of such songs is Psalm 121. As a

psalm of trust, it counsels God's people to trust quietly in Him in

all the vicissitudes of life. Through its careful artistry of an-

tiphonal voices, and its movement through question, affirmation,

and blessing, this psalm speaks of God who is both transcendent

Creator and Keeper of the nation as well as imminent Watcher of

each of His people. The result is that pilgrims of faith can receive

strength and courage in the journey through an alien and hostile

world to their destination in Zion.2

A TRANSLATION

1 A Song of Ascents

I lift up my eyes to the mountains.

From where does my help come?

2 My help comes from Yahweh,

Maker of heaven and earth.

David G. Barker is Professor of Old Testament, Heritage Theological Seminary,

London, Ontario.

1 Of course the classic in Christian literature is John Bunyan's Pilgrim's

Progress.

2 Cf. Hebrews 12:22-24.

164 BIBLIOTHECA SACRA / April-June 1995

3 He will not allow your foot to slip,

Your Keeper will not slumber.

4 Indeed, He will never slumber,

He will never sleep, the Keeper of Israel.

5 Yahweh is your Keeper,

Yahweh is your shade on your right hand.

6 By day the sun will not harm you,

Or the moon by night.

7 Yahweh will keep you from all harm,

He will keep your life.

8 Yahweh will keep your going and your coming,

From now until forever.

BACKGROUND AND SETTING

SONGS OF PILGRIMAGE

The title of Psalm 121 reads tOlfEma.la rywi--"a song of ascents"

(NIV). The psalm is the second in a collection of 15 psalms with es-

sentially the same title.3 Historically, this title has created a

plethora of interpretations and approaches to this collection of

psalms,4 but recent scholarship has come to a general consensus

that the title points to songs of pilgrimage.5 According to this in-

terpretation, these psalms, among others, were sung in the context

of the great pilgrimage feasts in which the nation was called to

Jerusalem three times a year.6 The term hlAfA is apparently related

to the pilgrim's ascent of MountZion to Jerusalem for worship.

However, it may also reflect the processional ascents to the temple

by the pilgrims themselves in the final stage of their pilgrimage,

or by the processional choirs who led the gathered pilgrims in

worship and celebration (cf. 2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Kings 13:33; 2 Kings

23:2; Neh. 12:37; Ps. 42:4; Isa. 26:2; 30:29; Jer. 31:6; Mic. 4:2).7

3 The title of Psalm 121 differs slightly from the other 14 in that it has the prepo-

sition l; before tOlfEma.ha. This seems to be more stylistic than anything, since l; can be

used as a circumlocution for the expression of the genitive (E. Kautsch and A. E.

Cowley, eds., Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar [Oxford: Clarendon, 19101, 419-20, par.

129a-h). Leslie C. Allen suggests that this was the original title for the entire col-

lection (Psalms 101-150, Word Biblical Commentary [Waco, TX: Word, 1983], 219).

4 For a survey of such interpretations, see the presentation in C. C. Keet, A Study

of the Psalms of Ascents (London: Mitre, 1969), 1-17.

5 Cf. A. Weiser, The Psalms: A Commentary, Old Testament Library

(Philadelphia: Westminster, 1962), 745.

6 These feasts were the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the spring, the Feast of

Weeks in the early summer, and the Feast of Ingathering (or Tabernacles) in the

fall (Exod. 23:14-17; Isa. 30:29).

7 Allen, Psalms 101-150, 219-20.

"The Lord Watches over You": A Pilgrimage Reading of Psalm 121 165

Also these songs are likely to have been among those sung by the

returning exiles from Babylon as they ascended the mountains to

Jerusalem and home (Ezra 2:1; 7:7).8

Most of the songs have Jerusalem as a central focus of cele-

bration,9 and the themes of unity, brotherly love, family, and

prosperity of life were natural expressions of a worshiping pil-

grimage community.

FROM COMPOSITION TO COLLECTION

The final form of this collection of pilgrimage psalms is evi-

dently postexilic, since it includes a postexilic psalm (126, per-

haps also 125). Undoubtedly each song had a different context and

purpose in its initial composition. Genres include a song of Zion

(Ps. 122), wisdom psalms (127, 128, 133), a royal psalm (132),

thanksgiving psalms (124, 126), songs of trust (Ps. 121, 125, 131),

a praise liturgy (Ps. 134), and lament psalms (Ps. 120, 123, 129,

130).10 However, as the psalms were collected and sung by the

community in the context of pilgrimage, they took on new func-

tions in the liturgy and eventually were stabilized as an identifi-

able collection celebrating pilgrimage.

Liebreich argues convincingly that the 15 psalms in this sub-

collection were chosen to accord with the 15 words of the priestly

blessing in Numbers 6:24-26. Further, he observes that the four

key words used in the blessing (j~k;r,bAy;, j~r,m;w;yiv;, j~n,.Huyvi, and MOlwA) occur

throughout these psalms, which in fact were commentaries on

these words.11

Several interpreters have linked these psalms with King

Hezekiah and the 10 "degrees" the shadow receded in the court-

yard (2 Kings 20:10).12 The central psalm (Ps. 127) is attributed to

8 To define the songs as referring only to this event (i.e., "Songs of the Repatri-

ated") is too limiting. Further, some of the titles (e.g., 122:1; 124:1; 127:1; 131:1; 133:1)

contradict this notion.

9 Only Psalms 120, 127, and 130 do not have some kind of reference to Zion.

10 Bernhard W. Anderson, Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today

(Philadelphia: Westminster, 1983), 242.

11 Leon J. Liebreich, "The Songs of Ascents and Priestly Blessing," Journal of Bib-

lical Literature 74 (1955): 33-36. Such intrabiblical development is becoming in-

creasingly recognized as a significant factor in the composition of the Scrip-

tures.Three of the psalms-124, 126, and 131--do not contain one of the key words.

Liebreich suggests that the original collection had only 12 psalms and that these

three were added to bring the number to 15 to accord with the number of words in

the blessing. Cf. Danna Nolan Fewell, ed., Reading between the Texts: Intertextual-

ity and the Hebrew Bible, Literary Currents in Biblical Interpretation (Louisville:

Westminster/John Knox, 1992); and Udo J. Hebel, Intertextuality, Allusion, and

Quotation: An International Bibliography of Critical Studies (New York: Green-

wood, 1989).

12 The term tOlfEma occurs in 2 Kings 20:8-11 (cf. Isa. 38:8), which may connect these

psalms to this text and event.

166 BIBLIOTHECA SACRA / April- June 1995

Solomon, and on both sides of it the flanking seven psalms con-

tain two by David and five anonymous ones, which would have

been reappropriated or composed by Hezekiah (Isa. 38:20).13 This,

in turn, may be related to the 15 steps to the temple and the Jewish

tradition of the levitical practice of singing each song as they as-

cended the steps. 14

The collection evidently has been carefully structured so as to

create a progression. These psalms begin with a prayer of dis-

tress from one who is far from home (Ps. 120) and concludes with

a call to praise in the sanctuary of Zion (Ps. 134).15

PSALM 121 AS A PILGRIM PSALM

Psalm 121 speaks specifically of pilgrimage.16 It celebrates

Yahweh as the One who is the "help" (rz,f,) of the pilgrim on the

journey to home and Yahweh. Yahweh does not sleep. He protects

and guards along the way and watches over the pilgrim's life.

Further, with the prominence of the Exodus motif in the theology

of Israel, this psalm may well reflect the care and protection of

Yahweh in the wilderness journey to the Promised Land.17

Since the psalm can readily be seen as addressing the pil-

grimage of Israelites from their homes in the hills to Jerusalem,

it was included in the collection of pilgrim psalms. Further, the

pilgrims would readily identify with their forefathers in the

journey to the Promised Land, the place of the Lord's dwelling.

LITERARY OBSERVATIONS

STRUCTURE OF THE PSALM

The most significant and readily apparent observation re-

garding the structure of the psalm is the change of speaker be-

tween verses 1-2 and verses 3-8.18 Whether the psalm is a

13 See Keet's discussion of this view (A Study of the Psalms of Ascents, 10).

14 Middot 2:5; Sukka 5:4.

15 Other suggestions have been posited over the years. For surveys of these sug-

gestions see Keet, A Study of the Psalms of Ascents, 1-17, and Allen, Psalms 101-

150, 219-21.

16 Anthony R. Ceresko makes an interesting suggestion that the psalm was origi-

nally a prayer of a warrior (probably the king) who looked to God for help in his

battles in the hills ("Psalm 121: Prayer of a Warrior?" Biblica 70 [19891: 501-10).

17 The Exodus and the Conquest are prominent themes in the Old Testament, in-

cluding the hymnic material. Cf. Eugene H. Merrill, "Pilgrimage and Procession:

Motifs of Israel's Return," in Israel's Apostasy and Restoration, ed. Avraham

Gileadi (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), 261-72; and Erik Haglund, Historical Motifs

in the Psalms (Lund: Gleerup, 1984).

18 Most commentators observe this feature, including A. Kirkpatrick, The Book of

Psalms, Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge: Cambridge Univer-

"The Lord Watches over You": A Pilgrimage Reading of Psalm 121 167

"dialogue" within the pilgrim's inner self, or an antiphonal song

between pilgrims, or between a pilgrim and someone giving

blessing,19 there is clearly a shift from the first person to the third

person at verse 3. In various analyses, this observation is a con-

stant. Some differences of opinion, however, occur concerning

further structural refinements in verses 3-8.

Allen observes a three-stanza structure: an introductory stro-

phe of two lines (vv. 1-2) followed by two strophes of three lines

each (vv. 3-5 and 6-8). His observations revolve around (a) the

threefold occurrence of the participle of rmawA (vv. 3, 5) balanced by

the threefold occurrence of the imperfect of rmawA(vv. 7-8), (b) the oc-

currence of the divine name at or near the end of each strophe, (c)

the fivefold occurrence of the second masculine singular suffix

(j~, hKA) in both of the three-line strophes, and (d) the relationship of

positive and negative lines.20 Some have suggested a two-stanza

structure based on a cultic liturgy in which verses 1-4 present the

question and supplication of the congregation and verses 5-8

record the response of the priestly choir.21

VanGemeren observes a four-stanza structure moving in a

"stairlike" parallelism in the following fashion:

A. Yahweh is the Creator (vv. 1-2)

B. Yahweh is the Guardian of Israel (vv. 3-4)

C. Yahweh is "Your" Guardian (vv. 5-6)

D. Blessing (vv. 7-8).22

However, a two-stanza structure with identifiable subunits

seems to capture the literary structure of the psalm best. Coupled

with the change in speaker between verses 2 and 3 is the promi-

nence of second masculine pronominal suffixes in verses 3-8 (10

occurrences) compared with their complete absence in verses 1-2.

sity Press, 1906), 736; and Claus Westermann, The Living Psalms, trans. J. R. Porter

(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984), 290. Weiser suggests that in verse 2 theyriz;f,

is due to the "carelessness" of the copyist in repeating the word from the end of the

first line. Therefore the change in speakers takes place at verse 2, "Help comes

from Yahweh ..." (The Psalms, 744, 747). There is no textual support for this emen-

dation, and it makes good sense to retain this confident affirmation in verse 2 as

that of the pilgrim.

19 See discussion below, on pages 169-70.

20 Allen, Psalms 101-150, 153.

21 Weiser correctly observes that this interpretation fails because of the personal

character of the psalm, "which does not admit of a collective, cultic interpretation"

(The Psalms. 746).

22 Willem A. VanGemeren, "Psalms," in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, 12

vols. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991), 5:772.

168 BIBLIOTHECA SACRA / April-June 1995

Both these observations point to a definitive rhetorical shift be-

tween verses 2 and 3, which shift serves as the primary organiz-

ing factor in the psalm, yielding a basic two-stanza structure.

In further defining the structure of the second stanza, the six

occurrences of related terms built on the root rmw are significant.

As already noted, the first three are participles and the last three

are imperfects. However, the three imperfects are grouped in the

last two verses. This points to verses 7-8 as a final blessing for the

pilgrim in the future ("he will keep you/your life/your goings and

comings").

Positive and negative statements have also been carefully

used in crafting the second stanza. Verses 3-4 include two nega-

tive statements, verses 5-6 have one positive and one negative

statement, and verses 7-8 (the blessing) contain two positive

statements. The psalmist apparently moved progressively from a

negative statement through a transitional stanza to a final cli-

mactic and positive blessing.

While the psalm falls into a two-stanza structure, each of the

four two-line pairings have been tightly woven together through

anadiplosis, or staircase parallelism.23 In each case the last word

or phrase of one line is repeated or echoed at the beginning of the

next line:yriz;f,/yriz;f, (vv. 1-2),MUnyA-lxa/MUnyA-xlo (vv. 3-4), j~n,ymiy;/MmAOy

(vv. 5-6),j~w,p;na-tx, rmow;yi/j~x,ObU j~t;xce-yrmAw;yi hvAhy;(vv. 7-8).24 Thus the

entire song is carefully bound together internally.25

Superimposed over the entire psalm is an encompassing A-B-

A pattern. An inclusio is formed between verses 1-2 and verses 7-

8 with the use of related forms of xBA and Nmi. This inclusio focuses

on a centerpoint for the entire psalm in verse 5a: j~r,m;wo hvAhy;

("Yahweh is your Keeper").26 Ceresko observes that 58 syllables

precede this phrase and 58 follow it.27 These two words in fact

convey the dominant theme of the psalm as evidenced by the five-

23 E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (1898; reprint, Grand

Rapids: Baker, 1968), 251.

24 W. G. E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to Its Techniques

(Sheffield: JSOT, 1986), 208-13. Also Ceresko ("Psalm 121: Prayer of a Warrior?" 497)

and VanGemeren ("Psalms," 772) make this helpful observation.

25 Allen observes this feature but uses it to support a three-stanza structure in

that each stanza includes such parallelism (Psalms 101-150, 153).

26 A similar superimposing structure is in Psalm 113. The word "hallelujah"

brackets the psalm as an inclusio and verse 5 is the centerpoint of the psalm. But

the psalm follows the typical hymnic pattern of a call to praise (vv. 1-4), reasons for

praise (vv. 5-9a), and conclusion to praise (v. 9b).

27 Ceresko, "Psalm 121: Prayer of a Warrior?" 499. A similar device is found in

Ruth 1:1-5 and 4:13-17, in which units of 71 words bracket the book.
"The Lord Watches over You": A Pilgrimage Reading of Psalm 121 169

fold repetition of hvAhy; (vv. 2, 5 [twice], 7, 8), the sixfold repetition of

forms of rmawA (vv. 3, 4, 5, 7 [twice], 8), and the tenfold repetition of

j~/hKA(vv. 3 [twice], 5 [thrice], 6, 7 [twice], 8 [twice]).

Thus the psalm seems to be built on a basic two-stanza struc-

ture, with the second stanza crafted into two significant move-

ments. The first of these movements revolves around the particip-

ial form of rmawAand speaks of assurance, and the second revolves

around the imperfect form of rmawAand speaks of blessing. The su-

perimposed inclusio and centerpoint structure helps set the theme

of the psalm.

THE SPEAKERS IN THE PSALM

The rhetorical break between verses 2 and 3 has given rise to

several understandings of who is speaking in the psalm. Mor-

genstern28 and others suggest that the dialogue is within the pil-

grim himself, and a single voice is being heard.29 Appeal is often

made to Psalms 42 and 43 for such a self-address. However, since

"my soul" (ywip;na) does not occur in Psalm 121, it is difficult to estab-

lish the parallel.

More commonly the psalm is interpreted as having two

speakers, that of the pilgrim in verses 1-2, and a second voice in

verses 3-8. This second voice is usually viewed as being that of a

priest or elder confirming or assuring the pilgrim in his opening

affirmation of faith.30 Understanding verses 7-8 as a concluding

blessing to the psalm, it seems that the psalm was a farewell

benediction either as the pilgrim left his village to make his

journey to Jerusalem, or perhaps as he left the temple to return to

his home and his daily routines.31 A variant of the two-speaker

understanding is to view the psalm as an antiphonal expression

of pilgrims traveling together in their caravans calling to one

28 Julian Morgenstern, "Psalm 121," Journal of Biblical Literature 58 (1939): 323-

71.

29 Ceresko, "Psalm 121: Prayer of a Warrior?" 498.

30 Cf. A. A. Anderson, The Book of Psalms, New Century Bible (Greenwood, SC:

Attic, 1972), 851; A. Cohen, The Psalms, Soncino Books of the Bible (London: Son-

cino, 1945), 420; Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity,

1975), 431; Leopold Sabourin, The Psalms: Their Origin and Meaning (Staten Is-

land, NY: Alba, 1969), 108; and Weiser, The Psalms, 746.

31 Kraus argues that the psalm is a farewell cultic liturgy by a priest giving a

benediction to the departing pilgrims (Hans-Joachim Kraus, Theologie des

Psalmen, Biblischer Kommentar Altes Testament [Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirch-

ener Verlag, 19791, 1012). Others suggest that it may be an entrance liturgy between

priest and pilgrim (e.g., J. W. Rogerson and J. W. MacKay, Psalms 101-150, Cam-

bridge Bible for Schools and Colleges [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,

19771, 115).

170 BIBLIOTHECA SACRA / April-June 1995

another with opening affirmations of faith and responses of con-

firmation and assurance.32

Whatever the original structure of speakers, apparently the

psalm came to be used in various settings and ways in the life

and faith of the worshiping Israelites. Certainly it could well

have been sung as a dialogue with oneself. Or it is not difficult to

imagine an elder in the village or a priest at the templepronounc-

ing a benediction on the pilgrim as he was about to depart. And

one can readily see how the song could have been sung an-

tiphonally by pilgrims traveling to and from Jerusalem, includ-

ing pilgrims on their return from exile in Babylon.

EXPOSITION

MESSAGE

The message of Psalm 121 may be summarized in this way:

The pilgrim on his journey to the dwelling place of God can have

great confidence that Yahweh, the Keeper of Israel, will be his