What is the history of Psalm 121?

Answer 1

Psalm 121 was either composed by David or another writer at some time, possibly when Israel was under military threat or prior to a journey. Hence, it is often referred to as the Soldier's Psalm or the Traveler's Psalm. It was written sometime prior to 430BC.

Answer 2

This psalm was written anonymously, but no doubt during or after the Babylonian Exile. What led to this psalm and specifically what caused the psalmist to look to the mountains is not known, but the implication of his looking for help is that he may have been in a state of anxiety or distress. Verse 6, "the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night", is no doubt a reference to the sun god and the moon god, from whom the Lord will protect you. This may be a guide to when the psalm was composed, as the sun and moon gods are unlikely to have been part of Jewish belief later than the early years of the Persian period.

Answer 3

According to tradition, King David gave us the Book of Psalms. Seventy-three of the 150 bear his name, and tradition states that the unattributed ones are also from him (Talmud, Berakhot 9b).

Concerning those Psalms that have the names of other authors, tradition teaches that we may thank David for them too (Talmud, Bava Bathra 14b). This is because it was he who recorded them in their permanent form and in a single book. If not for King David, those Psalms would have gone lost.

See also:

Psalm 23

The purpose of the Psalms