Psalms 124:2
in Psalms 124if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
If it had not been Jehovah who was on our side, When men rose up against us;
KJV
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
⋯
This verse in Psalms 124
Commentary
9 notes on this verseIf it had not been the Lord who was on our side,.... This he repeats both for the confirmation of it, and to excite the attention of the Israelites to it; as well as to observe that it was not once only, but again and again, many times the Lord appeared to be on their side. The Targum renders it, "the Word of the Lord;'' the essential Word, the Son of God; and so in Psa 123:1, in the king's Bible; when men rose up against us; wicked men; though no hard epithet is given in the text, however just.
This site's exposition
let Israel now declare
on Psalms 124:1-2
The condition is stated twice: the LORD was on Israel's side when men attacked. Matthew Henry marks where the danger came from, men of their own kind. Israel is called to declare it aloud.
This site's exposition
when men attacked us
John Calvin gives the reason Israel must declare it twice. Once the men who attacked are gone, the rescued shrink the danger in memory and lose sight of the LORD on their side. The repetition keeps that grace in view.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
The holy martyrs, you see, did not rely on themselves but asked for relief from Christ. That is why they were also victorious. Listen to the voices of those who do not rely on themselves; it is the voice of the holy martyrs: "Unless the Lord were among us, let Israel now say; unless the Lord were among us when people rose up against us, they would perhaps have swallowed us alive." The martyrs say, "Unless the Lord were among us," unless he had helped us, unless he had strengthened our hearts with faith, unless he had endowed us with patience, unless he had provided us with power as we fought, "they would perhaps have swallowed us alive."
"If the Lord Himself had not been in us, now may Israel say" [Psalm 124:1]...When? "When men rose up against us" [Psalm 124:2]. Marvel not: they have been subdued: for they were men; but the Lord was in us, man was not in us: for men rose up against us. Nevertheless men would crush other men, unless in those men who could not be crushed, there were not man, but the Lord. For what could men do to you, while you rejoiced, and sang, and securely held everlasting bliss? What could men do to you when they rose against you, if the Lord had not been on your side? What could they do?
The Reformation1 voice
But for Jehovah who was on our side. It is not without cause that he twice repeats the same sentence. So long as we are in danger our fear is immoderate; but no sooner are we delivered than we lessen the greatness of our calamity, and Satan, deceiving us by this artifice, leads us to obscure the grace of God.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us. When all men combined, and the whole race of men seemed set upon stamping out the house of Israel, what must have happened if the covenant Lord had not interposed? When they stirred themselves, and combined to make an assault upon our quietude and safety, what should we have done in their rising if the Lord had not also risen?
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us. When all men combined, and the whole race of men seemed set upon stamping out the house of Israel, what must have happened if the covenant Lord had not interposed? When they stirred themselves, and combined to make an assault upon our quietude and safety, what should we have done in their rising if the Lord had not also risen? No one who could or would help was near, but the bare arm of the Lord sufficed to preserve his own against all the leagued hosts of adversaries. There is no doubt as to our deliverer, we cannot ascribe our salvation to any second cause, for it would not have been equal to the emergency; nothing less than omnipotence and omniscience could have wrought our rescue. We set every other claimant on one side, and rejoice because the Lord was on our side.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side - Repeating the idea, since the mind was full of it, and carrying the thought forward. This is one of the instances of an ascent of thought in these psalms, from which it has been supposed that the title “Songs of Degrees” was given to this collection. See, however, Introduction to Psa 120:1-7. When men rose up against us - When we were assailed by our enemies. On what occasion this occurred, it is now impossible to determine.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לוּלֵ֣י | lulei | if not | H3884 → | 14 times |
| יְ֭הוָה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| שֶׁהָ֣יָה | shehayah | who <he> was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לָ֑נוּ | lanu | for us | ||
| בְּק֖וּם | bekum | when rose up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| עָלֵ֣ינוּ | ʾaleinu | on us | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אָדָֽם׃ | ʾadam | anyone | H120 → | 551 times |
לוּלֵ֣יif not
luleiH3884 →14 times
יְ֭הוָהYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
שֶׁהָ֣יָהwho <he> was
shehayahH1961 →3559 times
לָ֑נוּfor us
lanu
בְּק֖וּםwhen rose up
bekumH6965 →628 times
עָלֵ֣ינוּon us
ʾaleinuH5921 →5755 times
אָדָֽם׃anyone
ʾadamH120 →551 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 22:16For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
it leads to
- John 19:37
And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.”
- Zechariah 12:10
Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They…
- Matthew 27:35
When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.
- John 20:25
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put…
- John 19:23
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
- John 19:37
Through
Psalms 3:1O LORD, how my foes have increased! How many rise up against me!
it leads to
- Psalms 17:7
Show the wonders of Your loving devotion, You who save by Your right hand those who seek refuge from their foes.
- 2 Samuel 17:11–13
Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, and that you yourself lead them into battle.
- 2 Samuel 16:15
Then Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him.
- Psalms 17:7
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 335F.2; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 124; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 6; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.