Bible Strands
Psalms 121:3
He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist declares confidence in the LORD (v. 2) within a Song of Ascents, likely spoken at a moment of vulnerability or upon arrival in Jerusalem. The speaker addresses God directly, asserting what God will and will not do.
The words — שֹֽׁמֶר (shomer, H8104) is a specific noun for a watchman or guard, not a generic "keeper"; it recurs in v. 4 as "Protector of Israel." יָנ֗וּם (yanum, H5123) means to doze or slumber, a lighter loss of alertness than full sleep, sharpening the image of a guard who never even half-closes his eyes.
The thread — The "foot" imagery appears in Proverbs 3:23 (foot will not stumble) and 3:26 (foot kept from the snare); the guarding of one's steps is echoed in 1 Samuel 2:9 (He guards the steps of His faithful ones).
Why it lands — It removes the burden of self-vigilance from the reader: safety is not a matter of staying awake but of trusting the one who does not slumber.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 3:26 for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from the snare.
- Proverbs 3:23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.
- 1 Samuel 2:9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
- Psalms 91:12 They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
- Psalms 66:9 He preserves our lives and keeps our feet from slipping.
- Psalms 127:1 A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.
- Isaiah 27:3 I, the LORD, am its keeper; I water it continually. I guard it night and day so no one can disturb it;
- 1 Peter 1:5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
- Psalms 41:2 The LORD will protect and preserve him; He will bless him in the land and refuse to give him over to the will of his foes.
- Proverbs 2:8 to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints.