Psalms 124 (GNV)

Chapter Text

124:1 A song of degrees, or Psalme of David. If the Lord had not bene on our side, (may Israel now say)

124:2 If the Lord had not bene on our side, when men rose vp against vs,

124:3 They had then swallowed vs vp quicke, when their wrath was kindled against vs.

124:4 Then the waters had drowned vs, and the streame had gone ouer our soule:

124:5 Then had the swelling waters gone ouer our soule.

124:6 Praysed be the Lord, which hath not giuen vs as a praye vnto their teeth.

124:7 Our soule is escaped, euen as a bird out of the snare of the foulers: the snare is broken, and we are deliuered.

124:8 Our helpe is in the Name of the Lord, which hath made heauen and earth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "song", "degrees", "psalme", "david", "lord", "bene", "side", and "israel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "song" and "degrees", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local GNV text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "song" and "degrees" carries the first interpretive weight. 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 "song" and "degrees" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.