A song of ascents, 2 by David.
124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –
let Israel say this! –
124:2 if the Lord had not been on our side,
when men attacked us, 3
124:3 they would have swallowed us alive,
when their anger raged against us.
124:8 Our deliverer is the Lord, 4
the Creator 5 of heaven and earth.
1 sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.
2 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
3 tn Heb “rose up against us.”
4 tn Heb “our help [is] in the name of the
5 tn Or “Maker.”