Psalm 124 (World English Bible)
1 If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, let Israel now say,
2 if it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, when men rose up against us;
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;
4 then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul;
5 then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.
6 Blessed be Yahweh, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in Yahweh’s name, who made heaven and earth.
What Psalm 124 means
"If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, let Israel now say." That second line is a cue. A leader sings the first line, and the whole crowd answers. This is a song of a people remembering together.
The images pile up. Enemies who would have swallowed us alive. A flood that would have swept us away. Raging waters up to our necks. A bird caught in a fowler's trap. And then: "The snare is broken, and we have escaped."
The psalm ends with the confession: "Our help is in Yahweh's name, who made heaven and earth." For centuries Christians have opened worship services with this exact line.
Where it fits in the Songs of Ascent
Having arrived, the pilgrims look back and ask how they got here. Psalm 124 answers first with deliverance. Its last line repeats the confession of Psalm 121:2. This is worship as response: praise that grows out of remembering what God rescued us from.
A question to sit with
Finish the sentence: If it had not been the Lord, I would...
A prayer you can pray
Lord, if You had not been on my side, I would have been swept away. Thank You for every snare You have broken and every flood You have held back. My help is in Your name, Maker of heaven and earth. In Jesus' name, amen.
Go deeper
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain).
