Psalms 121:6 (ASV)

Passage

The sun shall not smite thee by day, Nor the moon by night.

Nearby Context

Psalms 121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.

Psalms 121:5 Jehovah is thy keeper: Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand.

Psalms 121:6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, Nor the moon by night.

Psalms 121:7 Jehovah will keep thee from all evil; He will keep thy soul.

Psalms 121:8 Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in From this time forth and for evermore. Psalm 122 A Song of Ascents; of David.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "smite", "thee", "moon", and "night". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "smite", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Jehovah is thy keeper Jehovah is thy..." into verse 7's "Jehovah will keep thee from all evil...", so "shall" and "smite" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "smite" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.