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Psalms 120
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.
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Afflictions and Adversities: Prayer In Psalm 120:2
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
Alliance and Society with the Enemies of God: Saints Grieve to Meet With, in Their Intercourse with The Psalm 120:5, 6
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar! / Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace.
Arrow: Figurative Psalm 120:4
Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!
Arrows: Sharp Psalm 120:4
Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!
Company: Evil Psalm 120:5–7
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar! / Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace. / I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.
David: King of Israel: At This Time Probably Writes Psalm 120:1
A song of ascents. In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me.
Deceit: Saints: Pray for Deliverance from Those Who Use Psalm 120:2
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
Exaggeration Psalm 120:2
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
Falsehood: General Scriptures Concerning Psalm 120:2–4
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue. / What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue? / Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!
Juniper: A Tree Psalm 120:4
Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!
Kedar: A Nomadic Clan of the Ishmaelites Psalm 120:5
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Lying: Punishment For Psalm 120:3, 4
What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue? / Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!
Meekness: David Psalm 120:5–7
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar! / Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace. / I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.
Meshech: A Tribe Psalm 120:5
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Peace: David Psalm 120:7
I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.
Peace: Saints should Cultivate Psalm 120:7
I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.
Peace: Social Psalm 120:6, 7
Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace. / I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.
Peace: The Wicked: Hate Psalm 120:6
Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace.
Peace: The Wicked: Opposed To Psalm 120:7
I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.
Pilgrims and Strangers: As Saints They are Exposed to Persecution Psalm 120:5–7
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar! / Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace. / I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.
Pilgrims and Strangers: As Saints They: Hate Worldly Fellowship Psalm 120:5, 6
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar! / Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace.
Prayer: Answered Psalm 120:1
A song of ascents. In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me.
Psalms: Afflictions Psalm 120:1
A song of ascents. In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me.
Sin: Repugnant to Righteous People Psalm 120:2
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary
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Psalms 120:1-7 This is the first of fifteen Psalms (Psalms 120-134)
entitled "A Song of Degrees" (Ps 121:1--literally, "A song for the degrees"), or ascents. It seems most probable they were designed for the use of the people when going up (compare 1Ki 12:27, 28) to Jerusalem on the festival occasions (De 16:16), three times a year. David appears as the author of four, Solomon of one (Ps 127:1), and the other ten are anonymous, probably composed after the captivity. In this Psalm the writer acknowledges God's mercy, prays for relief from a malicious foe, whose punishment he anticipates, and then repeats his complaint.
Psalms 120:2-3 Verses 2-3
Slander and deceit charged on his foes implies his innocence. tongue--as in Ps 52:2, 4.
Psalms 120:4 Verse 4
Sharp arrows of the mighty--destructive inflictions. coals of juniper--which retain heat long. This verse may be read as a description of the wicked, but better as their punishment, in reply to the question of Ps 120:3.
Psalms 120:5 Verse 5
A residence in these remote lands pictures his miserable condition.
Psalms 120:6-7 Verses 6-7
While those who surrounded him were maliciously hostile, he was disposed to peace. This Psalm may well begin such a series as this, as a contrast to the promised joys of God's worship. PSALM 121
Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
Pastoral and devotional reflections focused on spiritual formation and application.
Psalms 120:1-4 Verses 1-4
The psalmist was brought into great distress by a deceitful tongue. May every good man be delivered from lying lips. They forged false charges against him. In this distress, he sought God by fervent prayer. God can bridle their tongues. He obtained a gracious answer to this prayer. Surely sinners durst not act as they do, if they knew, and would be persuaded to think, what will be in the end thereof. The terrors of the Lord are his arrows; and his wrath is compared to burning coals of juniper, which have a fierce heat, and keep fire very long. This is the portion of the false tongue; for all that love and make a lie, shall have their portion in the lake that burns eternally.
Psalms 120:5-7 Verses 5-7
It is very grievous to a good man, to be cast into, and kept in the company of the wicked, from whom he hopes to be for ever separated. See here the character of a good man; he is for living peaceably with all men. And let us follow David as he prefigured Christ; in our distress let us cry unto the Lord, and he will hear us. Let us follow after peace and holiness, striving to overcome evil with good.