Psalm 121 (120):6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Therefore, sing with purpose: if you wish to learn how to firmly set your feet upon the path, so you do not grow weary or stumble: pray with these words, Let not my foot be shaken! Psalm 120:3. By what do the feet move; why was the foot of Him who was in Paradise shaken? Consider first how the feet of the one who associated with angels were disturbed: when his feet faltered, he fell, and from an angel became a devil: pride induced his fall. Hence, nothing moves the feet but pride; nothing leads to a fall except pride. Charity motivates them to walk, to improve, and to ascend; pride causes them to fall. Thus, the psalmist, recognizing how to rise and not stumble, implores God to allow him to benefit from the hardship of affliction and to avoid failing due to swelling pride, in his petition: Let not my feet be moved! And God responds, "Let the one restraining you not slumber. Be present, my beloved ones." It is as if a singular thought is echoed in two phrases; the man, ascending and singing the ascent song, declares, "Let not my foot be shaken." And it seems God replies, "You say, ‘Let not my foot be shaken’; slumber, and your foot shall not falter."

Choose Him who neither sleeps nor slumbers, and your foot shall stand firm. God never slumbers: if you wish to have a guardian who never rests, elect God as your protector. You say, "Do not let my feet be shaken"; rather, He also advises you not to succumb to slumber. Perhaps you were tempted to turn to men for guardianship, questioning, "Whom can I find who will not slumber?" What man remains ever watchful? Where do I seek? To whom shall I return? The Psalmist assures you, "He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" Psalm 120:4. Would you like a guardian who neither slumbers nor sleeps? Behold, He who preserves Israel is ever vigilant, for Christ safeguards Israel. Thus, be Israel. What does Israel signify? It translates to ‘Seeing God.’ And how does one see God? First through faith, then through vision. If you cannot yet behold Him with your eyes, perceive Him through faith.

Who is it that neither sleeps nor slumbers? In your search among men, you are misled; such a one cannot be found. Therefore, do not place your hope in humanity: every person slumbers and sleeps. When does he rest? When he bears the flesh burden. When will he sleep? At death. So, do not trust in man. Mortal beings may slumber, they sleep the sleep of death.

And who, you ask, will assist me if not He who neither sleeps nor slumbers? Hear this: The Lord Himself is your protector Psalm 120:5. Thus, it is not man who dozes, but the Lord who watches over you. In what manner does He guard you? The Lord is your shield at your right hand... I sense a deeper meaning in this: otherwise He would merely state, without addition, that the Lord will keep you, without specifying "at your right hand." For how long? Does God safeguard only our right hand and not our left? Did He not create us in totality? Did the One who fashioned our right hand not also create our left hand? Ultimately, if it pleased Him to mention only the right hand, why did He specify "your right hand," and not discuss the left? Why utter this unless He intended to impart a hidden truth that we could reach by seeking? For He could have simply stated, "The Lord will keep you," without elaboration; or, if He had mentioned "your right hand," he could have said, "the Lord will protect you at your right hand"; or at the very least, by including His hand, He could have said, "The Lord will guard you by His hand, even your right hand, and not merely on the hand of your right hand."

I pose the question: how do you comprehend the Gospel's instruction: let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing? Matthew 6:3. For understanding this will reveal what represents your right hand and your left, and show that God created both hands, left and right; yet, the left should not know the actions of the right hand. The left hand symbolizes all that is temporal; the right hand signifies all that the Lord promises, eternal and unchanging. And if the One who grants eternal life also nourishes our present existence with temporal gifts, then He has created both our right hand and our left.

Let us now consider this line from the Psalm, The Lord is your shield at your right hand, Psalm 120:5. The term "hand" signifies power. How do we demonstrate this? Because divine power is likewise categorized as the hand of God... Of this, John states, "He gave them power to become sons of God" John 1:12. From whom have you received this power? From those, he states, who believe in His Name. Therefore, if you believe, then this power to become children of God is imparted to you. To be among the children of God corresponds to belonging to the right hand. Hence, your faith constitutes the hand of your right hand; that is, the power given to you to belong to the children of God is the hand of your right hand.

May the Lord guard you on the hand of your right hand Psalm 120:6. I assert, and I believe you have recognized this. For if you had not gleaned this knowledge from the Scriptures, you would not articulate your understanding so clearly. Since, therefore, brethren, you grasp what follows; the Lord watches over you on the arm of your right hand, that is, in your faith, in which we have received power to become children of God and to stand at His right hand: why does God safeguard us? Because of offenses. Where do these offenses arise? They arise from both sides, for there are two commandments upon which the entirety of the Law and the Prophets rests: love for God and love for neighbor. Matthew 22:37-40. The Church is cherished for the sake of the neighbor, and God for His own sake. God is symbolically portrayed as the sun, while the Church is likened to the moon. Anyone who mistakenly perceives God in a way that deviates from the truth—who does not believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit share one essence—has been led astray by the deceptions of heretics, primarily the Arians. If he believes less in the Son or the Holy Spirit than in the Father, he has sinned before God; he is scorched by the sun. Who would believe that the Church is confined to one locality, rather than being dispersed throughout the entire world? Who would believe those who say, "Here is Christ," Matthew 24:23, as you recently heard when the Gospel was recited; for He, who has paid such a great price, has redeemed the entire world: He takes offense, as it were, at His neighbor, and is burned by the moon. Hence, whoever is misguided in the very essence of truth is scorched by the sun and endures affliction all day long; for he has erred concerning Wisdom itself...

Therefore, God created one sun, which rises over both the righteous and the wicked; this sun is perceived by both the virtuous and the evil; yet, this Sun is another, uncreated and unbegotten, through whom all things were formed; where the essence of Immutable Truth resides: thus, the wicked declare, “The Sun has not risen upon us.” He who is not deluded concerning Wisdom itself will not be scorched by the sun. He who remains unblemished in the Church, in the Body of the Lord, and in the creation that is temporal, is not burned by the moon. Yet every person, even if he believes in Christ, is mistaken in one respect or another, unless that for which we pray becomes realized within him: “The Lord is your defense on the hand of your right hand.” He continues, “Lest the sun scorch you by day and the moon by night” Psalm 120:6. Thus, your defense is found on your right hand, to mitigate the scorching of the sun by day and the moon by night. Now, understand, brethren, this is presented figuratively. Indeed, when we consider the visible sun, we note that it burns by day; but does the moon burn by night? What causes the burn? Sin. Pay heed to the Apostle's words: Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is led astray, and I am not aflame? 2 Corinthians 11:29.

For the Lord will guard you from all harm Psalm 120:7. From the offenses of the sun, from the offenses of the moon, from all evil, He will protect you, for He is your shield at the arm of your right hand—He who will neither slumber nor sleep. And for what purpose? Because we find ourselves amidst trials: the Lord will keep you from all evil. The Lord will preserve your soul, your very being. The Lord will safeguard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore Psalm 120:8. Not your body; for the martyrs endured suffering in their bodies, yet the Lord preserved their souls; the martyrs did not relinquish their souls. The oppressors hardened their hearts against Crispina, whose feast day we commemorate today; they raged against the affluent and noble woman, yet she stood firm, for the Lord was her protector at the arm of her right hand. He was her Guard. Is there anyone in Africa, my brothers, who does not know her? For she was highly esteemed, noble in lineage, wealthy, yet all these attributes lay in her left hand, beneath her head. When the enemy advanced to strike her on the head, her left hand, which rested under her head, was raised to defend her. Her head was lifted, her right hand enveloped her from above.

The expression "will not burn" signifies that the sun and moon will not bring you harm. The Divine Maximus expresses that when the sun of righteousness rises within us through good deeds, our nature, which is currently fleeting and mutable like the moon, will attain an enduring form. Nyssa mentions the sun in the second song of ascents, referencing the temptations posed by the adversary. He speaks of the blessing of divine assistance, indicating that one is not scorched by the sun during the day. Thus, this sun becomes detrimental when its fiery rays are not tempered by the protective cloud of the Spirit that the Lord spreads over His chosen ones. The moon is also depicted as a malevolent force, possessing a false light rather than its own. Not being God, Satan has masqueraded as the deity of this world, transforming himself into an angel of light. Origen asserts that since the sun not only illuminates but also can scorch, we can interpret this in relation to God, who serves as light for the righteous and fire for the wicked. The sun of righteousness brings illumination to those favored by God while burning those subjected to His wrath. Similarly, the holy Church, in alignment with Him, may either offer favor or express displeasure. As God generously provides aid, these reflections highlight that His Providence not only rescues from disasters but also protects human weaknesses from being exposed to them. Theodoret notes that, experiencing His care both day and night, you will suffer no harm.

The terms “cover,” “sun,” “moon,” “day,” and “night” represent the grace of God, which defends the traveler during both joyful and challenging times. In the journey of life, a day of prosperity can be as dangerous as a night of hardship.

This divine assistance is obtained through persistent prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." The foot represents the aspirations of the human heart, which the Compassionate God steers towards righteousness, preventing it from straying into sin.

Consider wisely: if Christ, though omnipotent, sought refuge in Egypt to escape Herod, the reckless should exercise caution and not foolishly seek temptation, for it is written: do not let your feet stumble; and the angel assigned to you will remain vigilant. All actions should align with God's goodness and the salvation of the soul, so that God’s name may be hallowed and His will fulfilled. God's unwavering vigilance symbolizes His ceaseless care for the salvation of the believer, ensuring that none of His children perish. The right hand signifies the land of the righteous, to which the faithful come, safeguarded by God from the malevolence of spirits beneath the heavens.

The sun and day represent a time of blessings, a moment to remember the wealthy man from the Gospel, now tormented in Gehenna. The moon and night denote trials and tribulations, during which we recall Lazarus the beggar, whose suffering transformed into eternal solace. The Entry signifies Christ's Incarnation through the Most Pure Virgin; the Exodus represents His birth, which remains revered, unfathomable, and ineffable for all time. The prophet rejoices with delight in the devotion of the people of Israel, who from surrounding nations journeyed to Jerusalem for worship. The holy city, known for its magnificent architecture and the harmony of its citizens, embodies the piety and grandeur of the throne of the king, justice, and righteousness, reflecting the faithfulness of Christ's followers who cherish the brilliance of the holy church—a structure built by divine grace and sanctified by the priceless blood of Christ the Redeemer, leading the faithful to ascend to their heavenly homeland after this life.

Through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, the prophet rejoices, proclaiming Christ the Redeemer as the gateway for the faithful into the abode of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Old Testament Church upheld the Law of Moses. Jesus Christ delivered Adam from hell, resulting in the voiding of hell. He established the Church of the New Testament, wherein the Holy Spirit embraces the faithful.