1A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.2My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.4Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.5The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.7The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.8The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
What’s happening. One of the “Songs of Ascents” (Psalms 120 to 134), sung by pilgrims walking up to Jerusalem for the festivals. The hills on the road could hide bandits and dangers.
What it means. The pilgrim looks at the hills and asks where help will come from. The answer is the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He never falls asleep on the job. It is a traveller’s psalm about God’s constant, watchful care over all of life’s journeys.