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Psalm 124 Bible study: If it had not been the LORD
Psalm 124 is an if and three thens. "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side" comes twice (124:1-2), then three verses of what would have happened, each opening in Hebrew with a word the Hebrew Bible has nowhere else. None of it happened: "The snare is broken, and we have escaped" (124:7), and the psalm ends, "Our help is in the LORD’s name" (124:8).
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“Our help is in the LORD’s name, who made heaven and earth.”
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“Psalm 124 says the men who rose up would have swallowed us up alive.”
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What's really going on
If it had not been the LORD
The psalm's title is "A Song of Ascents. By David" (124:1), one of fifteen psalms in a row titled "A Song of Ascents", from Psalm 120 to Psalm 134. It speaks as us, and it begins with a line it says twice: "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, let Israel now say, if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us" (124:1-2) (tap if it had not been). Between the two comes a call, "let Israel now say" (124:1): the psalm doesn't only say the line, it asks Israel to say it too. It calls those who rose up only "men" (124:2), and doesn't say who they were.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 124
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 124 is waiting in Favor
- Then, then, then
- The snare is broken
- Our help is in the LORD's name
- "Unless" elsewhere
- Psalm 69's waters
- 8 questions as you read
- 10 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 124 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
לוּלֵאlule'say loo-LAY
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "if not, unless". "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side" (124:1, 124:2): in Hebrew the WEB's if it had not been is this one word, here spelled lulei, the other spelling Strong's gives for it. The Hebrew Bible has it 14 times, six of them in the Psalms, twice here. "Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence" (Psalm 94:17), where help is another word, ezrah; and "Unless your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction" (Psalm 119:92).
For your group
Psalm 124 Bible study questions
- 1"If it had not been the LORD who was on our side" (124:1). Looking back, where could you say that about your own life?
- 2"let Israel now say" (124:1). The psalm asks people to say out loud what the LORD has done. Who could you tell this week about a time God helped you?
- 3"Our help is in the LORD’s name, who made heaven and earth" (124:8). Where are you looking for help right now, and what would it mean to look there first?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 124 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Can I read Psalm 124 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 124 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
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No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home