'Iv nuq ghap

'Iv nuq ghap
(click for podcast version)

jIH DichDaq lift Dung wIj mInDu' Daq the hills.
nuqDaq ta'taH wIj QaH ghoS vo'?
wIj QaH choltaH vo' joH'a',
'Iv chenmoHta' chal je tera'.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills.
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

Psalms 121:1-2

How do you answer the question of this psalm,

nuqDaq ta'taH wIj QaH ghoS vo'? Where does my help come from?


HELP! One short word - it can be a noun, a verb, and - in times of desparate need, it can be a plea. Webster describes it this way:

To aid; to assist; to lend strength or means towards effecting a purpose; as, to help a man in his work; to help another in raising a building; to help one to pay his debts; to help the memory or the understanding.

and

To assist; to succor; to lend means of deliverance; as, to help one in distress; to help one out of prison.

The Klingon word (both as a verb and a noun) for "help" is "QaH," as in "nom QaH yIqem," "get help quickly."

Here in Psalm 121 the Hebrew word, 'azar is what I've translated by the Klingon word, QaH. A form of that Hebrew word is known to many in the proper name "Ebenezer," EBEN - EZER 'stone of help', the name given to the memorial stone set up by Samuel to commemorate the divine assistance to Israel in their great battle against the Philistines.

As it is posed here, I think the question comes down to "'Iv nuq ghap?" "WHO or WHAT?" That is, what is our source of help: someTHING or someONE? Does my help come "from the hills" - from nature, from things... or does it some from someone greater than things. Someone who, with care and attention, is there to support me in my time of need.

This last week I returned from a business trip, and as my plane landed I saw some odd questions pop up on my cell phone - "are you alright?" I was puzzled - why wouldn't I be? - until, I called home and learned that a short time ago, just as my flight began, a major bridge in my community has completly collapsed into the Mississippi River. It was a startling tragedy that immediately mobilized many near and far ... to help.

In fact, in story after story, the focus has been on people - especially how they were galvanized to give assistance to the survivors. The story isn't about the things that helped, the ambulances or the rescue boats. The story is on WHO helped.

And that's the story here in Psalm 121. Whatever good we find in creation - and there IS wonderful bounty to be found - we don't look to nature, to mountains or rivers to help us, rather we turn to the one greater than all the cosmos - the one who made it, who put it into motion:

wIj QaH choltaH vo' joH'a',
'Iv chenmoHta' chal je tera'.

My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

Amen!