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Psalm 124:1

A Song of Ascents. By David. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, let Israel now say,

1A Song of Ascents. By David. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, let Israel now say,
2if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us,
3then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us,
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Psalm 124:2 →
Notice

“If it had not been” turns Israel’s memory toward what could have happened, making gratitude a shared confession of dependence on YHWH.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What changes when you consider a past danger through the words “If it had not been”?

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Who could join you in thanking God for help you received together?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

8 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Romans 8:31What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?Both passages ask God’s people to speak from the conviction that God is for them in the face of opposition.
Psalm 127:1A Song of Ascents. By Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, they who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman guards it …Both songs make dependence on the LORD explicit: Israel needs his help, and builders and watchmen depend on his work.
Psalm 56:9Then my enemies shall turn back in the day that I call. I know this: that God is for me.Both psalms confess that God is on the speaker’s side amid threats, with Israel speaking together here and an individual in Psalm 56.
Psalm 54:4Behold, God is my helper. The Lord is the one who sustains my soul.Both psalms credit God with sustaining help, expressed through Israel’s shared confession here and a single speaker’s testimony in Psalm 54.
Psalm 120:1A Song of Ascents. In my distress, I cried to the LORD. He answered me.Both Songs of Ascents acknowledge the LORD’s help in distress, though Psalm 120 names a cry and an answer.
Hebrews 13:5–6Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”Both texts express God’s commitment to his people: Israel recalls his help, while Hebrews quotes his promise never to forsake them.
Isaiah 8:9–10Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be …The shared thread is hostile threat: the psalm’s setting includes attackers, while Isaiah warns peoples preparing for battle that they will be shattered.
Exodus 15:1Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse …Both songs draw Israel into shared acknowledgment of the LORD’s help, with Exodus naming his triumph over horse and rider.
Where this verse fits

Gratitude. praise and worship. fear for the future.

What the Bible says about gratitude →What the Bible says about worship →What the Bible says about fear →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Tell a trusted friend about a time God helped you

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Encouragement

Israel’s song remembers real danger and credits YHWH with survival. Their shared testimony rests on his help: without him, the outcome would have been different.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 124:1. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 124 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).