Why read Psalm 124?
Psalm 124 encourages steadfast faith and prayer for peace. Its comparison with Mount Zion and its image of God surrounding His people express trust and a desire for integrity.
You can read this psalm when its themes speak to your circumstances, or as part of your regular reading of the Psalter. This explanation draws on the text itself; the psalm is not reserved for one particular need.
In the 18th Kathisma of the Psalter, Psalm 124 awaits its reader with 5 verses of prayer arising from a real experience. It begins with «Those who trust in the Lord...» — and from there onwards, everything is a dialogue between the human being and God.
The text of Psalm 124
1. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion; the one who dwells in Jerusalem will never be shaken.
2. Mountains surround him, and the Lord surrounds His people, from now and for ever.
3. For the Lord will not leave the sceptre of sinners over the lot of the righteous, so that the righteous do not stretch out their hands to lawlessness.
4. Do good, Lord, to the good and to those who are upright in heart;
5. But those who turn aside onto unjust paths, the Lord will lead away with those who practise lawlessness. Peace upon Israel!
When Psalm 124 is read
- It belongs to the 18th Kathisma and is read in the order of the Psalter during services; believers read it during fasting periods and in times of need.
- At the end of each psalm, tradition adds: «Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.».
Adjacent psalms
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
