Psalms — Chapter 120

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1A song of ascents. In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me.

2Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.

3What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?

4Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!

5Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!

6Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace.

7I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.

1In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

2Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.

3What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?

4Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

5Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!

6My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.

7I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.

1In my distress I cried unto Jehovah, And he answered me.

2Deliver my soul, O Jehovah, from lying lips, [And] from a deceitful tongue.

3What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee, Thou deceitful tongue?

4Sharp arrows of the mighty, With coals of juniper.

5Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

6My soul hath long had her dwelling With him that hateth peace.

7I am [for] peace: But when I speak, they are for war. Psalm 121 A Song of Ascents.

1A song of ascents. In my distress I cried out to the Lord and he answered me.

2I said, “O Lord, rescue me from those who lie with their lips and those who deceive with their tongues.”

3How will he severely punish you, you deceptive talker?

4Here’s how! With the sharp arrows of warriors, with arrowheads forged over the hot coals.

5How miserable I am. For I have lived temporarily in Meshech; I have resided among the tents of Kedar.

6For too long I have had to reside with those who hate peace.

7I am committed to peace, but when I speak, they want to make war.

1In my distress, I cried to Yahweh. He answered me.

2Deliver my soul, Yahweh, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.

3What will be given to you, and what will be done more to you, you deceitful tongue?

4Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

5Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

6My soul has had her dwelling too long with him who hates peace.

7I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A Song of Ascents in which the psalmist recalls crying out to the LORD in distress and being heard, then asks for deliverance from lying lips and a deceitful tongue (vv. 1-2). He warns that the false tongue will be repaid with a warrior's sharp arrows and burning coals (vv. 3-4). He laments living among hostile foreigners in Meshech and Kedar, surrounded by people who hate peace, and grieves that whenever he speaks of peace, they want war (vv. 5-7).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Song of Ascents / Individual Lament
Attributed Author: Anonymous (superscription: "A Song of degrees/ascents")
Key Themes: Deceitful speech, longing for peace among warlike people, the pain of living among the ungodly, crying to God in distress, spiritual exile
Historical Context: Psalm 120 is the first of fifteen "Songs of Ascents" (Psalms 120-134), sung by pilgrims traveling up to Jerusalem for the three annual festivals (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles). "Ascents" refers to going up to Jerusalem (which sits on a hill) or possibly the fifteen steps between temple courts. The collection moves thematically from distress (120) toward joy in God's house (134). Psalm 120 begins the journey in a place of exile — among liars and those who hate peace. The pilgrim longs for Jerusalem because his current dwelling (Meshech/ Kedar — representing distant, hostile lands) is filled with conflict. The journey to God's house begins with the recognition: I don't belong here.
In My Distress I Cried unto the LORD (v.1): In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. The first of the fifteen Songs of Ascents, and it begins the pilgrimage as far from Jerusalem as the collection gets. The hearing is reported in the past tense before the complaint is made, which sets the whole psalm inside an answer already given.
Deliver My Soul from Lying Lips (v.2): Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. The trouble in this psalm is entirely verbal, and the request is for rescue from speech rather than from violence. That is worth noticing at the head of a pilgrim collection: what drives the singer toward Jerusalem is not an army.
What Shall Be Done unto Thee, Thou False Tongue (vv.3-4): What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? The psalm addresses the tongue directly and answers its own question with two images, sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. Juniper renders a desert broom whose wood burns hot and holds its heat, so both pictures are of something that carries at a distance and does not go out quickly, which is what the psalm thinks slander is.
I Am for Peace, but They Are for War (vv.5-7): Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar. The two places are at opposite ends of the known world, Meshech far to the north and Kedar in the Arabian desert, and nobody lives in both; the pairing is a way of saying surrounded rather than a report of an address. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. Then the last verse, which states the mismatch without resolving it, I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war. The psalm ends there, and the collection's answer is not an argument but a journey.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 120 - The Prayer and Journey of the Outsider
David Guzik

Psalms 120-124 | The Journey Out of Exile | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalms of Ascent: Psalms 120-124 | Podcast
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Crying Out in Distress (v.1) — The psalmist cries to the LORD in his distress, and God answers him. When you're in a hard season, is your first move to cry out to God or to try to fix it yourself?
  • The Damage of Deceitful Speech (v.2) — The psalmist prays for deliverance from lying lips and a deceitful tongue. Are you more alert to being wounded by others' words than to the damage your own words might cause?
  • Living as a Stranger (v.5) — The psalmist laments dwelling among people whose values are foreign to his own. If your current environment feels spiritually out of place, could that discomfort be a sign you're meant for something more?
  • Committed to Peace Among Warmongers (v.7) — The psalmist is for peace even while those around him are bent on war. Where is God calling you to pursue peace even though you can't guarantee others will meet you there?