Psalms — Chapter 125

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1A song of ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides forever.

2As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.

3For the scepter of the wicked will not rest upon the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous will not put forth their hands to injustice.

4Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to the upright in heart.

5But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.

1They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.

2As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.

3For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.

4Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.

5As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

1They that trust in Jehovah Are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever.

2As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, So Jehovah is round about his people From this time forth and for evermore.

3For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; That the righteous put not forth their hands unto iniquity.

4Do good, O Jehovah, unto those that are good, And to them that are upright in their hearts.

5But as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, Jehovah will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel. Psalm 126 A Song of Ascents.

1A song of ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved and will endure forever.

2As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, now and forevermore.

3Indeed, the scepter of a wicked king will not settle upon the allotted land of the godly. Otherwise the godly might do what is wrong.

4Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, to the morally upright.

5As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, may the Lord remove them, along with those who behave wickedly. May Israel experience peace.

1Those who trust in Yahweh are as Mount Zion, which can’t be moved, but remains forever.

2As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so Yahweh surrounds his people from this time forward and forever more.

3For the scepter of wickedness won’t remain over the allotment of the righteous; so that the righteous won’t use their hands to do evil.

4Do good, Yahweh, to those who are good, to those who are upright in their hearts.

5But as for those who turn away to their crooked ways, Yahweh will lead them away with the workers of iniquity. Peace be on Israel.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A Song of Ascents comparing those who trust in the LORD to Mount Zion, immovable and enduring forever, just as the mountains surround Jerusalem (vv. 1-2). The psalmist affirms that the LORD surrounds his people the same way, and that the rule of the wicked will not remain over the land of the righteous, lest the righteous themselves be tempted toward evil (v. 3). He asks God to do good to the upright, while those who turn to crooked ways will be led away with evildoers, and closes with a blessing of peace upon Israel (vv. 4-5).

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 / Psalm of Trust
Attributed Author: Anonymous (superscription: "A Song of degrees")
Key Themes: The immovability of those who trust God, God surrounding His people like mountains, the scepter of wickedness will not remain, peace upon Israel
Historical Context: Psalm 125 is the sixth Song of Ascents — a psalm of quiet confidence. Its central image is geographical: Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains, and God surrounds His people just as those mountains surround the city. For a pilgrim who has walked through the hills to reach Jerusalem, this imagery is viscerally real — they can see the mountains encircling the city and understand the metaphor with their eyes. The psalm also addresses a danger: if wickedness rules too long, even the righteous might be tempted to do wrong (v.3). But God will not allow it.
As Mount Zion, Which Cannot Be Removed (v.1): They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. The comparison is to a hill rather than to a fortress, so what is claimed is permanence and not strength. Trust is the only condition named.
As the Mountains Are Round About Jerusalem (v.2): As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever. The psalm looks at the actual geography of the city, which sits in a bowl with higher ground on most sides, and reads the ring of hills as a picture of protection. Verse 1 made the people a mountain; this verse puts the mountains around them, and the two figures are not consistent, which is normal in Hebrew poetry and not a fault.
The Rod of the Wicked Shall Not Rest (v.3): For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous. The promise is about duration, not absence: the rod is real and what is denied is its permanence. And the reason given is the most psychologically honest line in the Songs of Ascents, lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity, which says plainly that oppression prolonged past a certain point corrupts the people it falls on. God is said to shorten it for their sake rather than to spare their feelings.
Peace Shall Be upon Israel (vv.4-5): Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. The prayer is frankly discriminating and the psalm makes no apology for it. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, so those who leave the road are counted with the people they resemble rather than with the people they came from. Then the last three words, which belong to the pilgrimage rather than to the argument, but peace shall be upon Israel.

Map & Geography

  • Zion (v.1): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.
  • Jerusalem (v.2): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

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

Psalm 125 - As the Mountains Surround Jerusalem
David Guzik

Psalms 125-129 | God's Righteous Kingdom | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalms of Ascent: Psalms 125-129 | Podcast
Spoken Gospel

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

  • Trust That Cannot Be Shaken (v.1) — Those who trust in the Lord are compared to Mount Zion, which cannot be moved and endures forever. Is your sense of stability rooted in your circumstances, or in a trust in God that would hold steady even if everything around you changed?
  • Surrounded on Every Side (v.2) — Just as mountains encircle Jerusalem without a gap, the Lord surrounds His people completely, now and forever. Where in your life do you need to believe there's no opening for the enemy to get through, because God has you surrounded?
  • A Limit on Wickedness's Reach (v.3) — God promises that the power of the wicked will not be allowed to rest permanently over the righteous, so they aren't tempted to compromise to survive. When you're under pressure from an unjust situation, are you tempted to compromise, or do you trust God to limit how long it lasts?
  • A Prayer for the Upright, a Warning for the Crooked (vv.4-5) — The psalm closes praying good for those who are honest in heart while warning that those who turn to crooked ways will be swept away with evildoers. Which direction is your own heart bending toward right now — integrity or compromise?