118:6 The Lord is on my side, 1 I am not afraid!
What can people do to me? 2
A song of ascents, 4 by David.
124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –
let Israel say this! –
1 tn Heb “for me.”
2 tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential. See Ps 56:11.
3 sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.
4 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.