Psalms 121:1–8

Its words in the original

• שִׁירshir· song

  Song, singing.

• מַּעֲלוֹתmaalot· step; ascent

  Step, stair; going up.

• אֶשָּׂאesa· lift, carry, bear

  Lift up, carry, bear. "Bear sin" is to suffer its consequences; said of God, "taking away" sin is forgiving it. "Lift up the eyes" is to look.

• עֵינַena· eye

  Eye. "In someone's eyes" means "in his opinion"; "find favor in the eyes of" is to please him. Also a spring of water.

• הָרִיםharim· mountain, hill country

  Mountain, hill; hill country.

• אַיִןayin· where from?

  Where from? From what place?

• יָבֹאyavo· come, go in, bring

  Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.

• עֶזְרִezri· helper, help

  Help, aid; one who helps. It does not imply inferiority: the same word is often used for God as the helper of his people (Psalm 33:20; 121:1-2).

• יְהוָהyehva· YHWH

  The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

• עֹשֵׂהose· do, make

  Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.

• שָׁמַיִםshamayim· heavens, sky

  The heavens: what is above, where the clouds, the sun and the stars are seen; also the dwelling of God. In Hebrew it is always plural. With birds, "the sky".

• אָרֶץarets· earth, land

  The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").

• יִתֵּןyiten· give, put, set

  Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.

• מּוֹטmot· carrying pole, yoke bar

  A pole or frame for carrying something on the shoulders. Also the bar of a yoke.

• רַגְלֶragle· foot

  Foot; the foot of an animal; also a step.

• יָנוּםyanum· slumber

  To slumber, to doze off from weariness.

• שֹׁמְרֶshomre· keep, guard

  Keep: watch over, guard, protect; also keep a command or a covenant, observe.

• יִישָׁןyishan· sleep

  Sleep. Of a disease or a thing, grow old, become chronic.

• יִשְׂרָאֵלyisrael· Israel

  Israel, the new name Jacob received from God, explained as "you have striven with God" (Genesis 32:28); then the name of the people that came from him and, after the division, of the northern kingdom.

• צִלְּtsil· shade, shadow

  Shade, shadow. Figuratively, protection.

• יַדyad· hand, power

  Hand. Figuratively, power or control ("into the hand of" = into the power of); also side, part, or share. Also a projecting piece, such as a tenon.

• יְמִינֶyemine· right hand, south

  Right, right hand. Facing the east, the right is the south. It is also the side of honor and of strength.

• יוֹמָםyomam· by day

  By day, in the daytime.

• שֶּׁמֶשׁshemesh· sun

  Sun.

• יַכֶּyake· strike

  Strike, hit, wound; often, kill; also strike down, defeat.

• יָרֵחַyareach· moon

  Moon.

• לָּיְלָהlayla· night

  Night.

• רָעra· evil, bad, harm

  Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.

• נַפְשֶׁnafshe· soul, living being, life

  A breathing being, a living being. It is translated "living being" (people and animals), "life" (when living or dying is at stake), "person" (in counts and laws), "soul" (the person at the innermost: desires, joy, anguish) or "myself". In the Old Testament it names the whole living being, not only a part of it.

• צֵאתְtset· go out, bring out

  Go out, come out. In the causative form, "make go out", "bring out", "lead out", "produce".

• עוֹלָםolam· forever, eternal

  A very long time whose end cannot be seen: looking forward, "forever"; looking back, "of old", "ancient".