Psalms — Chapter 124

Loading ESV text...

1A song of ascents. Of David. If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel now declare—

2if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us,

3when their anger flared against us, then they would have swallowed us alive,

4then the floods would have engulfed us, then the torrent would have overwhelmed us,

5then the raging waters would have swept us away.

6Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth.

7We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have slipped away.

8Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

1If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;

2If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:

3Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:

4Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:

5Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

6Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.

7Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.

8Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

1If it had not been Jehovah who was on our side, Let Israel now say,

2If it had not been Jehovah who was on our side, When men rose up against us;

3Then they had swallowed us up alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;

4Then the waters had overwhelmed us, The stream had gone over our soul;

5Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

6Blessed be Jehovah, Who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.

7Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: The snare is broken, and we are escaped.

8Our help is in the name of Jehovah, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 125 A Song of Ascents.

1A song of ascents; by David. “If the Lord had not been on our side”— let Israel say this.—

2if the Lord had not been on our side, when men attacked us,

3they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger raged against us.

4The water would have overpowered us; the current would have overwhelmed us.

5The raging water would have overwhelmed us.

6The Lord deserves praise, for he did not hand us over as prey to their teeth.

7We escaped with our lives, like a bird from a hunter’s snare. The snare broke, and we escaped.

8Our deliverer is the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth.

1If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, let Israel now say,

2if it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, when men rose up against us;

3then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;

4then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul;

5then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.

6Blessed be Yahweh, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.

7Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

8Our help is in Yahweh’s name, who made heaven and earth.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A Song of Ascents in which Israel reflects on what would have happened had the LORD not been on their side when enemies rose against them - they would have been swallowed alive and overwhelmed like a flood (vv. 1-5). The psalmist blesses the LORD for not letting them be torn apart, comparing their rescue to a bird escaping a broken snare (vv. 6-7). The psalm closes by affirming that their help is in the name of the LORD, maker of heaven and earth (v. 8).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Song of Ascents / Communal Thanksgiving
Attributed Author: David (superscription: "A Song of degrees of David")
Key Themes: What would have happened without God, divine rescue from overwhelming enemies, escape like a bird from a snare, help in the name of the LORD
Historical Context: Psalm 124 is the fifth Song of Ascents — a corporate thanksgiving that uses vivid "what if" imagery. The psalm asks Israel to imagine what would have happened if God had not been on their side: they would have been swallowed alive, drowned by flood waters, torn by wild beasts. But God did intervene — and the soul has escaped like a bird from the fowler's snare. The final verse is one of the great confessions of faith: "Our help is in the name of the LORD."
If It Had Not Been the LORD Who Was on Our Side (vv.1-5): If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say. The psalm is built on a condition it never completes in the ordinary way, and it repeats the opening clause so the congregation can say it after the leader. What follows is what did not happen, told as though it had, then they had swallowed us up quick, where quick means alive. The second picture is water and it rises through three verses, then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul, then the proud waters had gone over our soul. The whole strength of the psalm is in describing a disaster that was avoided.
As a Bird out of the Snare of the Fowlers (vv.6-7): Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. The teeth belong to the swallowing of verse 3, so the psalm keeps its own images in order. Then the change of scale, from flood and beast to something small, our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Escaped is said twice, and the second time the reason is given: the trap was destroyed rather than merely survived.
Our Help Is in the Name of the LORD (v.8): Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. The same credential Psalm 121:2 uses, and it closes this psalm as a formula rather than an argument. The Church has used the verse as the opening versicle of daily prayer for centuries, which is a reasonable use of a line built to be said by a group.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalms 120-124 | The Journey Out of Exile | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 124 - Thanking God for the Help Only He Can Bring
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Imagining Life Without the Lord's Rescue (vv.1-5) — The psalmist asks Israel to picture what would have happened if God had not been on their side when enemies rose against them. Can you trace a moment in your own life where, looking back, only God's intervention kept you from being overwhelmed?
  • Escaped Like a Bird From the Snare (vv.6-7) — He praises God for breaking the trap that once held them, using the image of a bird suddenly freed. What snare — a habit, a relationship, a fear — has God broken you free from that you shouldn't wander back toward?
  • Help in the Name of the Lord (v.8) — The psalm closes by grounding all hope not in human strength or cleverness but in who God is. When you need help today, are you looking to your own resources first, or to the name and character of the Lord?