God-Talk for a Disillusioned Pilgrim in Psalm 121

Abstract

In Psalm 121, a post-exilic Psalm of Ascent, a shift is observable from “I”-forms to “you”-forms that refer to the pilgrim. This transition is best explained by (1) interpreting the ‘mountains’ in verse 1 as symbols of threat, (2) construing verse 2 as an expression of traditional faith that has became obsolete, and (3) reading verses 3-8 as Gold-talk by someone else to help the disillusioned pilgrim to cope with the fragility of human life.