ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Psalms 121

Book: Psalms · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"1. A Song of Ascents. I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: From whence shall my help come? 2. My help cometh from Jehovah, Who made heaven and earth. 3. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4. Behold, he that keepeth Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. 5. Jehovah is thy keeper: Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6. The sun shall not smite thee by day, Nor the moon by night. 7. Jehovah will keep thee from all evil; He will keep thy soul. 8. Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in From this time forth and for evermore." (Psalms 121:1-8, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? 2. My help comes from Yahweh, who made heaven and earth. 3. He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. 4. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5. Yahweh is your keeper. Yahweh is your shade on your right hand. 6. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7. Yahweh will keep you from all evil. He will keep your soul. 8. Yahweh will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more." (Psalms 121:1-8, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. I will: or, Shall I lift up mine eyes to the hills? whence should my help come? 2. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore." (Psalms 121:1-8, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. A Song of the Ascents. I lift up mine eyes unto the hills, Whence doth my help come? 2. My help [is] from Jehovah, maker of heaven and earth, 3. He suffereth not thy foot to be moved, Thy preserver slumbereth not. 4. Lo, He slumbereth not, nor sleepeth, He who is preserving Israel. 5. Jehovah [is] thy preserver, Jehovah [is] thy shade on thy right hand, 6. By day the sun doth not smite thee, Nor the moon by night. 7. Jehovah preserveth thee from all evil, He doth preserve thy soul. 8. Jehovah preserveth thy going out and thy coming in, From henceforth even unto the age!" (Psalms 121:1-8, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: various (David majority; Asaph, Korah, Moses, Solomon, anonymous)
  • Audience: worshipping Israel (corporate + individual devotion)
  • Location: Israel, various periods
  • Time period: composition spans c. 1400 BC (Moses, Ps 90), c. 400 BC; principal Davidic composition c. 1000 BC

Theological reading

Key words

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.