| Psalm 123 | |
| Subtitle: | Unto thee lift I up mine eyes |
| Type: | Song of Ascents |
| Image Upright: | 1.1 |
| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
| Other Name: |
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Psalm 123 is the 123rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. This short psalm is one of fifteen psalms that begin with the words "A song of ascents" (Shir Hama'alot). In Latin, it is known as "Ad te levavi oculos meos",[1] and Baptist writer Charles Spurgeon calls it "the Psalm of the eyes".[2]
In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 122.
It forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[3] [4] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Song of Ascents. Unto Thee I lift up mine eyes, O Thou that art enthroned in the heavens. | ||
| 2 | Behold, as the eyes of servants unto the hand of their master, As the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; So our eyes look unto the LORD our God, Until He be gracious unto us. | ||
| 3 | Be gracious unto us, O LORD, be gracious unto us; For we are full sated with contempt. | ||
| 4 | Our soul is full sated With the scorning of those that are at ease, And with the contempt of the proud oppressors. |
Since the Middle Ages, this psalm was traditionally performed during the office of Sext week, namely from Tuesday until Saturday, according to the Rule of St. Benedict set in 530 AD.[7]
In the Liturgy of Hours today, Psalm 123 is recited or sung at Vespers on the Monday of the third week of the four weekly liturgical cycle,[8] as the psalm that follows. In the liturgy of the Mass, it is read on the third Sunday in Ordinary Time of the year.[9]
Traditionally, Psalm 123 is to be said, privately to oneself, when a deacon sets foot from the navy, where hyms are sung, to the altar, where the Holy Eucharist is consecrated and kept.
It is important to note that this stems from Apostolic Tradition, hence the deacon is not bound by any law to do this, but is left upon his own volition.
Spurgeon points out that Psalm 123 is a rare case of a psalm that rhymes in Hebrew, although he notes Samuel Cox's comment that the rhymes are "purely accidental".
Heinrich Schütz composed a metred paraphrase of Psalm 123 in German, "Wohl dem, der in Gottesfurcht steht", SWV 228, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628.