Psalm 121 (120):5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Therefore, sing this: If you wish to know how to securely place your feet upon the ascent, avoiding weariness and avoiding stumbling, pray with these words, Let not my foot be shaken! Psalm 120:3. By what means do the feet step; why was the foot of the one in Paradise unsteady? But first, consider the one among the angels whose feet faltered: he moved, fell, and transformed from an angel into a devil. His fall was a consequence of pride. Hence, nothing causes the feet to falter except pride; charity propels them to walk, improve, and ascend, while pride causes them to trip.

The psalmist wisely, aware of the need to rise without falling, prays to God to learn from the hardships of suffering rather than succumb to the dangers of pride, saying, Let not my feet be moved! And God replies, ‘Let him who holds you fast not slumber. Acknowledge my beloved ones.’ It is akin to two thoughts echoing the same sentiment; the rising individual singing the song of ascent expresses, ‘May my foot remain steadfast,’ to which it is as if God responds, ‘You plead, “Let not my foot falter;” rest assured, your foot shall remain firm.’

Select Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps, and your foot shall remain unshaken. The Lord never sleeps: if you seek a guardian who never rests, choose God as your protector. You express, ‘Let not my feet be unsettled,’ very well; yet He also implores you, ‘Do not allow it to lull you into slumber.’ Perhaps you consider turning to men for protection, wondering, ‘Who can guard me without dozing off? Which man remains vigilant? Whom can I trust? Where should I seek? To whom shall I return?’ The psalmist assures, ‘He that keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps’ Psalm 120:4. Do you desire a protector who never rests? Behold, He who watches over Israel—the same Christ who safeguards Israel. Therefore, be a part of Israel. What does Israel signify? It translates as ‘Seeing God.’ How does one truly see God? Initially by faith, and later through vision. If you cannot yet behold Him with your eyes, perceive Him by faith.

Who is it that neither slumbers nor sleeps? When you look among humanity, you will be misled; that vigilant presence will forever be elusive. Do not place your trust in man: every mortal slumbers and sleeps. When does he fall into slumber? When clothed in flesh and frailty. When will he sleep? At the time of his death. Hence, place no trust in mortals.

And who, you wonder, will assist me except the one who neither slumbers nor sleeps? Listen to this declaration: The Lord Himself is your protector Psalm 120:5. It is not man who dozes, but the Lord watches over you. In what manner does He guard you? The Lord is your shield at your right hand. This phrase seems to carry deeper significance; otherwise, He could have simply stated the Lord will keep you without additional details about the right hand. For how long? Does God only guard our right hand and not our left? Did He not create us entirely? Did not the Creator of our right side also form our left? If it were His will to focus solely on the right hand, why would He specify, ‘of your right hand,’ rather than just ‘of your hand’?

We look for understanding in this; either He would have simply said, ‘The Lord will keep you,’ or stated, ‘The Lord will safeguard you on your right side,’ or at the very least, affirming, ‘The Lord will protect you on the hand of your right side.’

What do you make of the Gospel’s proclamation: let your left hand not be aware of what your right hand is doing? Matthew 6:3. If you grasp this, you will come to understand both hands, how God fashioned both the left and right; however, the left hand must not comprehend the actions of the right. The left hand represents all that is temporary; the right hand symbolizes all that the Lord promises—unchanging and eternal. If He who grants eternal life also provides for our temporal existence, then both hands are indeed His creation.

Now, let us return to this verse of the Psalm: The Lord is your protector at your right hand, Psalm 120:5. By hand, He refers to power. How can we affirm this? Because the might of God is often termed the hand of God. John points out, ‘He gave them power to become children of God,’ John 1:12. From whom have you received this power? From those who believe in His Name. If you possess belief, then this very ability to be numbered among the children of God has been bestowed upon you. But being among the children of God signifies being at His right hand. Therefore, your faith acts as the hand of your right hand; that is, the empowerment granted to you to be among God’s children is your right hand.

May the Lord safeguard you at the hand of your right hand Psalm 120:6. I believe this is evident, and I trust you recognize it. For had you not learned this from the Scriptures, you would not convey your understanding with your voices. Now, since you have comprehended what is stated, the Lord shields you upon the arm of your right hand, meaning your faith, through which we have received the power to become children of God and to stand at His right hand. Why does God protect us? Due to the presence of offenses. From whence do offenses arise? Offenses should be approached carefully, for two commandments underlie the whole of the Law and the Prophets: loving God and loving one’s neighbor. Matthew 22:37-40. The Church is cherished for the sake of the neighbor, and God for His own sake. God is likened to the sun, while the Church is likened to the moon. Anyone misled to believe otherwise—a person who does not hold that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are of one essence—has fallen prey to heretical deception, particularly that of the Arians. Should one place lesser faith in the Son or the Holy Spirit than in the Father, they have wronged God and are scorched by the sun.

Who can still hold that the Church is confined to one area, let alone those claiming, ‘Christ is here or there,’ Matthew 24:23, as you heard in the reading of the Gospel? For the One who paid such a great price has redeemed the entire world: He takes offense at His neighbor and is burnt by the moon, as it were. Thus, anyone deceived regarding the essence of truth is scorched by the sun, suffering throughout the day; for they are misguided in the very essence of Wisdom.

God created a single sun, which rises over both the just and the unjust; that sun visible to both good and evil, yet this is another, unmade, unbegotten Sun through whom all things were brought forth; His is the mind of Immutable Truth. The wicked declare, ‘The Sun has not risen upon us.’ He who correctly understands Wisdom itself is not burned by the sun. He who does not transgress the Church, nor in the Flesh of the Lord, nor in that which is temporal is not scorched by the moon. Yet all people, even those who profess belief in Christ, often harbor misconceptions at one level or another unless this prayer is fulfilled within them: ‘The Lord is your defensive shield at your right hand.’

He further asserts, ‘Lest the sun scorch you by day and the moon by night’ Psalm 120:6. Thus, your defense rests upon your right side, to prevent the sun from burning you during the day and the moon by night. Understand, brethren, that this is figurative language. Indeed, when considering the visible sun, it burns by day; but does the moon also burn by night? Yet what truly burns? Sin. Heed the words of the Apostle: Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I am not inflamed? 2 Corinthians 11:29.

For the Lord will guard you from all evil Psalm 120:7. He will protect you from offense at the sun, from hurt from the moon, and from all evil; He who is your shield at the arm of your right hand refuses to sleep or slumber. Why does He protect you? Because we exist in a world marked by temptation; the Lord will keep you from all harm. The Lord will preserve your soul—your very essence. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from now until eternity, Psalm 120:8. Not just your body, for martyrs endured suffering through their bodies; yet the Lord will safeguard your soul, as they never relinquished their spirits. The persecutors hardened their hearts against Crispina, whose feast we commemorate today; they raged against the wealthy and gentle woman. Yet she stood strong, for the Lord was her shield at the arm of her right hand. He was her Guardian. Is there anyone in Africa, my brothers, who does not know her? For she was most illustrious, noble in her heritage, affluent—but all these attributes lay in her left hand, resting beneath her head. When the enemy approached to strike her, she raised her left hand, which rested there. Her head was lifted, while her right hand was embraced from above.

The terms “cover,” “sun,” “moon,” “day,” and “night” symbolize the grace of God, which safeguards the traveler through both joyful and challenging times. In this journey of life, the brightness of prosperity can be as perilous as the darkness of adversity.

The foot represents the innate desires of the human heart, which the Compassionate God guides towards righteousness, steering it away from sin. Exercise caution in your judgments: if Christ, though omnipotent, sought refuge in Egypt from Herod, let the audacious refrain from recklessly embracing temptation, for it is declared: do not let your feet stumble, and the angel assigned to you will remain vigilant. All actions must be directed towards the glory of God and the salvation of souls so that God's name may be honored and His will fulfilled. God's vigilance signifies His unwavering care for the salvation of the devoted, ensuring that they do not perish. The right hand symbolizes the land allotted to the righteous, to which the faithful, under God's protection from malevolent forces, will come whole. The sun and day represent a time of prosperity, during which one should recall the rich man in the Gospel, who suffers in Gehenna. The moon and night remind us of trials and pain, where we are to remember Lazarus the beggar, whose afflictions were transformed into everlasting comfort. The Entry signifies the Incarnation of Christ through the Most Pure Virgin; the Exodus refers to His birth, which remains sacred, unfathomable, and forever ineffable. The prophet expresses joy at the piety of Israel’s people during that era, who journeyed from surrounding lands to Jerusalem for worship at the Divine's house. The holy city, with its exquisite structures and harmonious citizens, reflects the righteousness and judgment of the King, embodying the piety of faithful Christians who cherish the splendor of the holy church, graced by divine mercy and adorned with the precious blood of Christ the Redeemer, through which the faithful ascend to their heavenly homeland after this life. By the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the prophet rejoices, proclaiming Christ the Redeemer as the entrance for believers into the home of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Old Testament Church was established under the Law of Moses, and through Christ God liberated Adam from hell, rendering it empty. Christ inaugurated the New Testament Church, and through the Holy Spirit, the faithful are adopted as children of God.