Psalm 124
BSB
Our Help Is in the Name of the LORD
A song of ascents. Of David.
1If 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.
Introduction
Psalms 124
David penned this psalm (we suppose) upon occasion of some great deliverance which God wrought for him and his people from some very threatening danger, which was likely to have involved them all in ruin, whether by foreign invasion, or intestine insurrection, is not certain; whatever it was he seems to have been himself much affected, and very desirous to affect others, with the goodness of God, in making a way for them to escape. To him he is careful to give all the glory, and takes none to himself as conquerors usually do. I. He here magnifies the greatness of the danger they were in, and of the ruin they were at the brink of (Psa 124:1-5). II. He gives God the glory of their escape (Psa 124:6, Psa 124:7 compared with Psa 124:1, Psa 124:2). III. He takes encouragement thence to trust in God (Psa 124:8). In singing this psalm, besides the application of it to any particular deliverance wrought for us and our people, in our days and the days of our fathers, we may have in our thoughts the great work of our redemption by Jesus Christ, by which we were rescued from the powers of darkness.
A song of degrees of David.
Cross-references: Ps 124:1 · Ps 124:6 · Ps 124:7 · Ps 124:2 · Ps 124:8