Psalms 121:6 (YLT)

Passage

By day the sun doth not smite thee, Nor the moon by night.

Nearby Context

Psalms 121:4 Lo, He slumbereth not, nor sleepeth, He who is preserving Israel.

Psalms 121:5 Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> thy preserver, Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> thy shade on thy right hand,

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

Psalms 121:7 Jehovah preserveth thee from all evil, He doth preserve thy soul.

Psalms 121:8 Jehovah preserveth thy going out and thy coming in, From henceforth even unto the age!

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Jehovah FI is Fi thy preserver Jehovah..." into verse 7's "Jehovah preserveth thee from all evil He...", so "doth" 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 "doth" and "smite" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.