Psalms 120

I call on the Lord in my distress

took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.a ²Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people. ³O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you? How will he increase your punishment?

⁴You will be pierced with sharp arrows and burned with glowing coals. ⁵How I suffer in far-off Meshech. It pains me to live in distant Kedar. ⁶I am tired of living among people who hate peace.

⁷I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war!b

Commentary

Psalm 120 opens the Songs of Ascents, a collection of fifteen psalms (120–134) sung by pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for the feasts. This first song is a lament from a believer living among hostile, deceitful people in a foreign land—likely a picture of exile or sojourning. The

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Bible Dictionary· Psalms 120(2)

Red Sea Tongue

References· Psalms 120

a: v.1 — Psalms 18:6, Jonah 2:2, Psalms 118:5, Hebrews 5:7, Psalms 50:15, Psalms 130:1, Psalms 107:13, Psalms 131:1, Isaiah 37:3-4, Luke 22:44
b: v.7 — Matthew 5:9, Psalms 109:4, Hebrews 12:14, Psalms 34:14, Romans 12:18, Psalms 35:20, Ephesians 2:14-17, 1 Samuel 24:9-11, 1 Samuel 26:2-4, Psalms 55:20

Midvash cross references + OpenBible.info data (CC BY 4.0).

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