Psalm 121

The headstone of the English botanist, Joan Margaret Legge in the Valley of Flowers in the Himalaya, quoting the first verse of Psalm 121

Psalm 121 (Greek numbering: Psalm 120) is the 121st psalm from the Book of Psalms. It is one of 15 psalms that begins with the words "A song of ascents" (Shir Hama'alot).

Uses

Judaism

• Is recited following Mincha between Sukkot and Shabbat Hagadol.^[1]
• Verse 4 is part of the prayers of the Bedtime Shema.^[2]
• Verse 7 is part of the blessing given by the kohein at a pidyon haben ceremony.^[3]
• Verse 8 is part of the prayers of the Bedtime Shema.^[4]

Christianity

Psalm 121 has the Latin incipit, Levavi oculus. In the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, it is prescribed for use on day 27 of each month, at Morning Prayer.^[5] The first verse is frequently quoted on monuments and memorials commemorating those inspired by mountains or hills. A well known example is a stained glass window in Church of St Olaf, Wasdale in the English Lake District National Park, which quotes Psalm 121 as a memorial to members of the Fell & Rock Climbing Club who were killed in the First World War.^[6]

Text

Musical settings

Musical settings for the Latin text have been composed by Orlando di Lasso, Hans Leo Hassler and Herbert Howells amongst others. Settings composed for the English text include John Clarke-Whitfeld, Charles Villiers Stanford and Henry Walford Davies.^[8] A setting by William McKie was sung at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002.^[9]

External links

• Traditional Jewish tunes for the first two verses of the psalm

References