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Time after Pentecost · Proper 12 · Year A

Psalm 125

The Lord Surrounds His People

July 26, 2026

Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives at Sunrise, Gustav Bauernfeind
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives at Sunrise, Gustav Bauernfeind, c. 1902Private collection
A German orientalist who settled in Jerusalem and died there. He painted the city from the east with the accuracy of someone who walked the ground daily.Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God: Psalm 48 is a psalm about looking at Jerusalem, and this is the standard view.Gustav BauernfeindA German architect turned painter who settled in Jerusalem and painted it with an architect's precision.Private collectionIn private hands, which is why it is seen in reproduction far more often than in the flesh.Private collection
LSB Three-Year Lectionary
GospelMatt. 13:44-52Mt 13:44-52
EpistleRom. 8:28-39Rom 8:28-39
Old TestamentDeut. 7:6-9Dt 7:6-9
PsalterPs. 125Ps 125

Overview & Insights

"As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore." (Psalm 125:2)

A Song of Ascents affirming that those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion, because God encircles and protects his people.

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Take it further: Psalm 125

Commentary

Enduring Word: Psalm 125Enduring Word: Ps 125 Enduring Word · David Guzik

David Guzik's verse-by-verse evangelical notes on this song of ascents.

BibleHub: Commentaries on Psalm 125:1BibleHub: Commentaries on Ps 125:1 BibleHub

Parallel classic commentaries on those who trust in the Lord being like Mount Zion.

Background & Word Study

Sefaria: Psalms 125 (Hebrew)Sefaria: Ps 125 (Hebrew) Sefaria

Hebrew text with English and Jewish commentary on the psalm.

BibleHub: Psalm 125 InterlinearBibleHub: Ps 125 Interlinear BibleHub

Hebrew-English interlinear for word-level study of the psalm.

The Church Fathers

Catena: Psalm 125Catena: Ps 125 Catena

Patristic comments gathered verse by verse on Psalm 125.

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