Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 120:1
A Song of degrees. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
1. In my distress I called unto Jehovah,
And he answered me.
The Psalmist calls to mind past answers to prayer as an encouragement to fresh prayer in his present distress. Cp. Psa 3:4. This is a simpler and more natural explanation of the verse than to take it as a confident anticipation of a favourable answer, I call and he will surely answer me; or to suppose that the Psalmist is looking back upon trouble in the past, and that Psa 120:2-4 are the prayer to which he refers in Psa 120:1.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In my distress – In my suffering, as arising from slander, Psa 120:2-3. There are few forms of suffering more keen than those caused by slander:
Whose edge is sharper than the sword; whose tongue
Outvenoms all the worms of Nile; whose breath
Rides on the posting winds, and doth belie
All corners of the world: kings, queens, and states,
Maids, matrons, nay, the secrets of the grave
This viperous slander enters.
Cymbeline, iii. 4.
It is one of those things which a man cannot guard against; which he cannot repel by force; whose origin he cannot always trace; which will go where a vindication will not follow; whose effects will live long after the slander is refuted; which will adhere to a man, or leave a trait of suspicion, even after the most successful vindication, for the effect will be to make a second slander more easily credited than the first was.
I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me – I had no other resource. I could not meet the slander. I could not refute it. I could not prevent its effects on my reputation, and all that I could do was to commit the case to the Lord. See the notes at Psa 37:5-6.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 120:1-7
In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me.
The Songs of Degrees
How came this and fourteen following psalms to be put together, and to receive their distinctive title? It has been suggested that they were thus called from peculiarity in rhythm; but perhaps, in this respect, some of them might with as much correctness be described as songs of the goings-down. The opinion is equally doubtful that the heading was given them because, when they were chanted, the volume of voice and music gradually ascended. As much might be safely conjectured of many other psalms. It is not less a flight of fancy to explain the title as meaning Songs of the Steps, attaching the fifteen songs to the flight of fifteen steps in the Temple which led up from the common court to that of the priests; there being no evidence that the Levites were accustomed, in the great festivals, as they mounted from court to court, to halt on every step while singing, with the accompaniment of the flute, that song of the fifteen which corresponded with it in number; or no proof that the stair existed before the time of Herod. Nor can the allusion be to the carrying up of the ark to the tabernacle prepared for it by David; for the authors of half of the Songs of Degrees were not then born. Some conclude that these psalms were composed when the Jews went up from Babylon to their own country (Ezr 7:9). It is not a sufficient objection to this view that they are not called songs of the going-up, but of the goings-up, inasmuch as there were more ascents than one from Babylon to Jerusalem after the seventy years captivity; and there is no need to question that some of them were originated by circumstances of the return. But we take it that what the emancipation and its incidents suggested was, not more the composition of new songs than the adoption or adaptation of well-known hymns that had long been popular, and were suitable to the case of the returning Israelites. Fifteen were chosen; and, we may believe, scribes could not copy faster than the work was in demand. God directed the choice, and has preserved the Songs of Degrees for the use and edification of His Church to the end of time. It is not very difficult to see how appropriate were these select songs for the pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Patriotic, short and pithy, with key-words, and catch-words, they were easy to remember, and pleasant to repeat. Plaintive and low sometimes, blending with the thoughts of the aged and the sighs of the feeble and weary, they were as frequently lively and buoyant, tying the bounding youth to the slow pace of the caravan. Depicting demesne scenes, they brought to mind the dear ones left at home in the fatherly care of Jehovah. They contained sweet allusions to Davids piety, and the immortal harp he had tuned for the tribes on Mount Zion, and to Solomons magnificent and tranquil reign. They told of the beauty of the city, the splendour of the Temple, and the glad solemnities of the festival to which the pilgrims were going, or from which they were returning. Songs of defiance and triumph they were, of faith, hope and charity, of gratitude and joy, declaring the mighty deeds, watchful protection, bountiful providence and redeeming mercy of the Lord. Who, they demanded, could injure the servants of Him who had saved His people from their Egyptian, Arabian, Philistine, Babylonian and Samaritan foes? The songs of the pilgrims encouraged and strengthened them to persevere in the roughest places and against the greatest dangers. Songs of the Ascents these are, as aids in the goings-up of worship. A good hymn is wings to the soul; and the saint is a living psalm-book. The child of God often feels, when singing choice words, that his Fathers hand is helping him higher. Not only on the long journey to the feast and back were the Israelites singing pilgrims: they delighted in their sacred songs along the road and in Jerusalem, because they loved them at home. Hymns are for use in domestic and private devotion, as well as public services. The psalm-book is a looking-glass for you. In its writers, and the saints of whom they write, you may see yourself, and your experience and duty. Behold them at home, in the street, in the temple, in profound distress, in bitter conflict, looking to God, trusting in His mercy, waiting for His interposition, and triumphing in His salvation; and not merely resemble them in situation and want, but, so far as they set you a good example, in disposition, language, meaning and behaviour. Nothing can be fitter than this scroll of songs for the pilgrim to carry in his bosom, as he flies from Destruction, and aims at the Heavenly City. There is no stage in his progress in which it will not supply his heart and lips with appropriate -thought and expression. (E. J. Robinson.)
A good man with bad neighbours
Whoever is the author of the psalm he represents himself as a good man. He had prayed, and his prayer had been answered, and in the last verse he says that whilst his neighbours were for war he was for peace. But his neighbours were distinguished by two great evils–slandering tongues and querulous tempers.
I. Slandering tongues (verse 2). Slander is a common and a very pernicious evil. How frequently, says Sterne, is the honesty and integrity of a man disposed of by a smile or a shrug! How many good and generous actions have been sunk into oblivion by a distrustful look, or stamped with the imputations of proceeding from bad motives, by a mysterious and seasonable whisper.
I. The slanderous tongue was terribly painful to the psalmist. He speaks of it as–
(1) Sharp arrows of the mighty.
(2) Coals of juniper.
2. The slanderer deserves appropriate punishment.
II. Querulous tempers (verses 5, 6). There are in most neighbourhoods those of irascible, choleric, petulant tempers, always ready for angry wrangling and disputation. Like a tinder box they only require a spark to produce an explosion. Shenstone says, I consider you very testy and quarrelsome people in the same light as I do a loaded gun, which may, by accident, go off and kill one. What are you to do with people of this irascible make? Do not contend with them, do not return their spiteful and malignant utterances. As well endeavour to quench the lightning with a spoonful of water. As God made such tempers they have their use. Out of them come the severe critic, the inflexible censor, the savage warrior, the denunciatory preacher. On the contrary, show them kindness. Though much may depend upon their physical organization, the querulous spirit may be exorcized from them, may be utterly overcome. Such reformations have been effected, and Christs Gospel of kindness, mighty for that purpose, will one day turn all such natures into love. (Homilist.)
Uncongenial society
I. Its characteristics (verses 2, 6, 7). This is the very climax of bad society! There is nothing more damaging and dangerous than lying lips; nothing more viperous than a deceitful tongue; nothing more distracting and disagreeable than a spirit of strife and contention, etc.
II. Uncongenial society in its results.
1. Inflicting punishment on itself (verses 3, 4); piercing; scorching and consuming.
2. Inflicting distress on the Christian (verse 1). Causing–
(1) Misery (verse 5)
(2) Self-vindication (verse 7). (J. O. Keen, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
PSALM CXX
The psalmist, in great distress, calls on the Lord for
deliverance from calumny and defamation, 1, 2;
shows the punishment that awaits his persecutor, 3, 4;
deplores the necessity of his residence with the ungodly, 5-7.
NOTES ON PSALM CXX
This Psalm, and all the rest that follow it, to the end of Psalm 134, fifteen in number, are called Psalms of Degrees; for thus the Hebrew title hammaaloth is generally translated, as coming from the root alah, to ascend or mount upwards. Hence maaloth, steps or stairs for ascending, 1Kg 10:19-20; 2Kg 9:13. But as the word may be applied to elevation in general, hence some have thought that it may here signify the elevation of voice; “these Psalms being sung with the highest elevations of voice and music.” Others have thought the word expresses rather the matter of these Psalms, as being of peculiar excellence: and hence Junius and Tremellius prefix to each Canticum excellentissimum, “A most excellent ode.”
R. D. Kimchi says, “There were fifteen steps by which the priests ascended into the temple, on each of which they sang one of these fifteen Psalms.” This opinion I find referred to in the Apocryphal Gospel of the birth of Mary: “Her parents brought her to the temple, and set her upon one of the steps. Now there are fifteen steps about the temple, by which they go up to it, according to the fifteen Psalms of Degrees.” But the existence of such steps and practices cannot be proved.
Aben Ezra supposes that the word means some kind of tune sung to these Psalms. It is more likely, if the title be really ancient, that it was affixed to them on account of their being sung on the return from the Babylonish captivity, as the people were going up to Jerusalem; for though some of them are attributed to David, yet it is very probable that they were all made long after his time, and probably during the captivity, or about the end of it. The author of these fifteen Psalms is not known; and most probably they were not the work of one person. They have been attributed to David, to Solomon, to Ezra, to Haggai, to Zechariah, and to Malachi, without any positive evidence. They are, however, excellent in their kind, and written with much elegance; containing strong and nervous sentiments of the most exalted piety, expressed with great felicity of language in a few words.
Verse 1. In my distress] Through the causes afterwards mentioned.
I cried unto the Lord] Made strong supplication for help.
And he heard one.] Answered my prayer by comforting my soul.
It appears to be a prayer of the captives in Babylon for complete liberty; or perhaps he recites the prayer the Israelites had made previously to their restoration.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In my distress I cried unto the Lord,…. Being at a distance from his own country, or, however, from the house of God; persecuted by men, under the lash of their tongues; reproached, abused, and belied by them: in this his case and circumstances, he betook himself by prayer to the Lord, and importuned help and deliverance of him, knowing that none could help him as he; see Ps 18:6;
and he heard me; answered him, and delivered him. The petition he put up follows, which shows his case, and his particular distress.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
According to the pointing , the poet appears to base his present petition, which from Psa 120:2 onwards is the substance of the whole Psalm, upon the fact of a previous answering of his prayers. For the petition in Psa 120:2 manifestly arises out of his deplorable situation, which is described in Psa 120:5. Nevertheless there are also other instances in which might have been expected, where the pointing is ( Psa 3:5; Jon 2:3), so that consequently may, without any prejudice to the pointing, be taken as a believing expression of the result (cf. the future of the consequence in Job 9:16) of the present cry for help. , according to the original signification, is a form of the definition of a state or condition, as in Psa 3:3; 44:27; Psa 63:8, Jon 2:10, Hos 8:7, and = , Psa 18:7, is based upon the customary expression . In Psa 120:2 follows the petition which the poet sends up to Jahve in the certainty of being answered. beside , although there is no masc. (cf. however the Aramaic , ), is taken as an adjective after the form , , which it is also perhaps in Mic 6:12. The parallelism would make natural, like in Psa 52:6; the pointing, which nevertheless disregarded this, will therefore rest upon tradition. The apostrophe in Psa 120:3 is addressed to the crafty tongue. is certainly feminine as a rule; but whilst the tongue as such is feminine, the of the address, as in Psa 52:6, refers to him who has such a kind of tongue (cf. Hitzig on Pro 12:27), and thereby the is justified; whereas the rendering, “what does it bring to thee, and what does it profit thee?” or, “of what use to thee and what advancement to thee is the crafty tongue?” is indeed possible so far as concerns the syntax (Ges. 147, e), but is unlikely as being ambiguous and confusing in expression. It is also to be inferred from the correspondence between and the formula of an oath , 1Sa 3:17; 1Sa 20:13; 1Sa 25:22; 2Sa 3:35; Rth 1:17, that God is to be thought of as the subject of and : “what will,” or rather, in accordance with the otherwise precative use of the formula and with the petition that here precedes: “what shall He (is He to) give to thee ( as in Hos 9:14), and what shall He add to thee, thou crafty tongue?” The reciprocal relation of Psa 120:4 to , and of. Psa 120:4 with the superadding to , shows that Psa 120:4 is not now a characterizing of the tongue that continues the apostrophe to it, as Ewald supposes. Consequently Psa 120:4 gives the answer to Psa 120:3 with the twofold punishment which Jahve will cause the false tongue to feel. The question which the poet, sure of the answering of his cry for help, puts to the false tongue is designed to let the person addressed hear by a flight of sarcasm what he has to expect. The evil tongue is a sharp sword (Psa 57:5), a pointed arrow (Jer 9:7), and it is like a fire kindled of hell (Jam 3:6). The punishment, too, corresponds to this its nature and conduct (Psa 64:4). The “mighty one” (lxx ) is God Himself, as it is observed in B. Erachin 15 b with a reference to Isa 42:13: “There is none mighty by the Holy One, blessed is He.” He requites the evil tongue like with like. Arrows and coals (Psa 140:11) appear also in other instances among His means of punishment. It, which shot piercing arrows, is pierced by the sharpened arrows of an irresistibly mighty One; it, which set its neighbour in a fever of anguish, must endure the lasting, sure, and torturingly consuming heat of broom-coals. The lxx renders it in a general sense, ; Aquila, following Jewish tradition, ; but , Arabic ratam , ratem , is the broom-shrub (e.g., uncommonly frequent in the Belka ).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Confession and Complaints. | |
A song of degrees.
1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. 2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. 3 What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? 4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
Here is, I. Deliverance from a false tongue obtained by prayer. David records his own experience of this.
1. He was brought into distress, into great distress, by lying lips and a deceitful tongue. There were those that sought his ruin, and had almost effected it, by lying. (1.) By telling lies to him. They flattered him with professions and protestations of friendships, and promises of kindness and service to him, that they might the more securely and without suspicion carry on their designs against him, and might have an opportunity, by betraying his counsels, to do him a mischief. They smiled in his face and kissed him, even when they were aiming to smite him under the fifth rib. The most dangerous enemies, and those which it is most hard to guard against, are such as carry on their malicious designs under the colour of friendship. The Lord deliver every good man from such lying lips. (2.) By telling lies of him. They forged false accusations against him and laid to his charge things that he knew not. This has often been the lot not only of the innocent, but of the excellent ones, of the earth, who have been greatly distressed by lying lips, and have not only had their names blackened and made odious by calumnies in conversation, but their lives, and all that is dear to them in this world, endangered by false-witness-bearing in judgment. David was herein a type of Christ, who was distressed by lying lips and deceitful tongues.
2. In this distress he had recourse to God by faithful and fervent prayer: I cried unto the Lord. Having no fence against false tongues, he appealed to him who has all men’s hearts in his hand, who has power over the consciences of bad men, and can, when he pleases, bridle their tongues. His prayer was, “Deliver my soul, O Lord! from lying lips, that my enemies may not by these cursed methods work my ruin.” He that had prayed so earnestly to be kept from lying (Ps. cxix. 29) and hated it so heartily in himself (v. 163) might with the more confidence pray to be kept from being belied by others, and from the ill consequences of it.
3. He obtained a gracious answer to this prayer. God heard him; so that his enemies, though they carried their designs very far, were baffled at last, and could not prevail to do him the mischief they intended. The God of truth is, and will be, the protector of his people from lying lips, Ps. xxxvii. 6.
II. The doom of a false tongue foretold by faith, Psa 120:3; Psa 120:4. As God will preserve his people from this mischievous generation, so he will reckon with their enemies, Psa 12:3; Psa 12:7. The threatening is addressed to the sinner himself, for the awakening of his conscience, if he have any left: “Consider what shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done unto thee, by the righteous Judge of heaven and earth, thou false tongue.” Surely sinners durst not do as they do if they knew, and would be persuaded to think, what will be in the end thereof. Let liars consider what shall be given to them: Sharp arrows of the Almighty, with coals of juniper, that is, they will fall and lie for ever under the wrath of God, and will be made miserable by the tokens of his displeasure, which will fly swiftly like arrows, and will strike the sinner ere he is aware and when he sees not who hurts him. This is threatened against liars, Ps. lxiv. 7. God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. They set God at a distance from them, but from afar his arrows can reach them. They are sharp arrows, and arrows of the mighty, the Almighty; for they will pierce through the strongest armour and strike deep into the hardest heart. The terrors of the Lord are his arrows (Job vi. 4), and his wrath is compared to burning coals of juniper, which do not flame or crackle, like thorns under a pot, but have a vehement heat, and keep fire very long (some say, a year round) even when they seem to be gone out. 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, Rev. xxii. 15.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Psalms 120
The Distress Psalm
This Is the first of the fifteen successive songs of degrees of ascendancy. They were sung as the people of Israel ascended to Zion or Jerusalem on pilgrimages for annual and periodic feasts and special worship days.
Verse 1 relates Israel’s cry to the Lord in her captivity distress in Babylon, and that He heard her prayer of faith and had delivered her, a basis for further prayers of faith, as related, Daniel ch. 9; Jas 1:6.
Verse 2 recounts the psalmist’s cry for the Lord to deliver his soul from “lying lips and a deceitful tongue;” This seems to refer to the Samaritans, who by lying slander, attempted to destroy Israel’s national life or soul by preventing the erection of their temple as a religious and political center for their theocratic nation, Psa 119:69; Psa 31:18.
Verse 3 addresses the “lying slanderers,” “what shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?” The idea is, you do not think you can escape “reaping what you sow,” or escape your “sins finding you out,” do you? 1Sa 3:17. They, their slanders, will return to their own judgments, Gal 6:7-8.
Verse 4 answers the “what” retribution implication of v. 4. Lying of the slanderous tongue will bring “sharp arrows of the mighty,” meaning of the king, Psa 45:5. The anointed king of Israel and of God going forth to war against the foes is here pictured as related, Deu 32:42. This refers to special retribution from God that would strike the enemies of Israel, to burn like coals from a juniper fire, the best wood fuel in all Israel, Psa 19:12-13; and pierce like sharp arrows, Psa 140:10.
Verse 5 laments a woe on the psalmist and his people Israel as they “sojourn in Meshech, and dwelt in tents of Kedar!” A figurative expression meaning ‘among lawless and fierce people like those of Mesech or Kedar, as explained v. 6. Mesech was the chief vassal of God, an ideal representative of the barbarian world. While the Kedarenes loved strife, like their Arab father, Ishmael, about whom the angel witnessed. “He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him,” Gen 16:12.
Verse 6 states “my soul (life) hath long, too long, dwelt with him that (continually) hates peace,” the lying slanderers. It expresses weariness of a long trial of continuing sorrow, v. 25.
Verse 7 declares “1 am for peace (a person of peace): But when I speak, they are for war,” for my very nature is to love peace, Psa 109:4. Yet, when he spoke to recommend peace, his enemies wrested or twisted his words to make them an occasion for war or conflict, v.2.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1. I cried to Jehovah in my distress. The name of the author of the Psalm is not expressed, but the style of it throughout presents David to our view. Although, therefore, I cannot positively affirm, yet I am rather inclined to think that it was composed by him. Nor will it be improper, in my judgment, to explain it as if his name had been mentioned in the inscription. This, then, being granted, I would observe that although David, when in this verse he affirms that the Lord had heard him, gives thanks to him, yet his chief purpose was to set forth, in the form of complaint, how wickedly and cruelly Saul’s flatterers employed all their ingenuity and power to accomplish his destruction. He, however, sets out with an expression of his gratitude to God, telling us that he had not called upon Him in vain; and he does this, that by his own example he might encourage others, especially when oppressed with adversity, to confidence in prayer. Men, it is true, have need of God’s help every moment; but there is not a more suitable season for seeking him than when some great danger is immediately menacing us. It is therefore worthy of notice, that he was heard when, constrained and shut up by tribulation, he betook himself to the protection of God.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE SONGS OF DEGREES
Psalms 120-134
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The principal hypotheses on which to account for the Songs of Degrees, Songs of Ascents, Pilgrim Psalms, and to each of which great names are attached, and each of which has something to say for itself, are as follows:
1. The songs of the pilgrims returning from exile (Syr. Chrysostom, Theodoret).
2. The songs chanted by the Temple worshippers on each of the fifteen steps of the Temple (The Rabbins, Gospel of Mary, Vulg.Luther, Grotius).
3. Denoting some peculiar structure, a gradation of thought approaching a climax (Gesenius, Delitzsch).
4. A musical term denoting some peculiarity of rhythm or music (Michaelis, &c.).
5. And most supported songs for pilgrims making their periodical journeys to Jerusalem (Ewald, Perowne, Hengstenberg). The true interpretation probably is yet to be given, none of the above hypotheses completely answering the requirements of the case. CharacteristicsSweetness and tenderness; a sad pathetic tone; an absence generally of the ordinary parallelism; and something of a quick trochaic rhythm.Speakers Com.
INTRODUCTION
This Psalm carries on its face the notion of individual and hardly bearable trial, more than that of national distress (opposition of foreigners to the rebuilding of the Temple, &c.). The trial is like that of David (1Sa. 21:7; 1Sa. 22:9, &c., mentioned in the contents of A. v.), and is inflicted by a slanderous tongue. It is soothed by the recollection that God hears the cry of the suppliant, and answers it always. A difference of opinion exists respecting almost every word and verse.Speakers Com.
THE GODLY UNDER MISREPRESENTATION
(Psa. 120:1-2)
I. That the godly are not exempt from misrepresentation. Rather are they most subject to it. They of all men have characters to lose, and from their guilelessness and sincerity are most open to attack. A greater than the Psalmist said, In the world ye shall have tribulation, and one of the keenest forms of tribulation comes from lying lips and the deceitful tongue (Mat. 10:24-28). The motives of the godly are misrepresented, their words, their actions. Misrepresentation exists in many forms, direct lying, suppression, innuendo, &c. No man can expect to be entirely free from it. The thing itself might be endured but for the senseless minds who take it in, and the bad hearts who rejoice to believe it. Misrepresentation in its worst form is that which is covered by professions of friendship to the person misrepresented.
II. That the godly are distressed by misrepresentation, and, humanly speaking, they may well be. No circumspection can guard against it. No force can destroy it. Its origin cannot always be traced. Some will even believe it to be true. It reaches those who can never be reached by its refutation. Always leaves its object open to suspicion.
Whose edge is sharper than the sword; whose tongue [breath
Outvenoms all the worms of Nile; whose
Rides on the posting winds, and doth belie
All corners of the world: kings, queens, and states,
Maids, matrons; nay, the secrets of the grave,
This viperous slander enters.Shakespeare.
III. That the godly should cry to God in misrepresentation.
1. Because God knows all the facts of the case, and therefore judges righteously. Slander should not affect a man whose conscience is clear in the sight of God. He is the Master to whom man stands or falls. Let men, therefore, commit their case to Him (1Pe. 2:24).
2. Because the slandered and suspected soul naturally yearns to unbosom itself. This it often dares not do to its dearest friend. Vehement vindication sometimes only gives rise to suspicions that there must have been something in it after all. The soul can tell its troubles to God without fear of this.
IV. That God clears the godly from misrepresentation.
1. God enables His people to live slander down. This is the only effectual refutation. Men who refuse to listen to the clearest vindication are compelled to recognise the manifestation of the truth, and the commendation of ourselves to every mans conscience (2Co. 4:2; 2Co. 1:12).
2. God will vindicate them before the assembled universe, when all shall be made manifest; and throughout eternity.
THE SELF-RETRIBUTIVE CHARACTER OF SLANDER
(Psa. 120:3-4)
What punishment shall be assigned thee, or what shall be done or added to thee, in recompense for misery caused? or, What shall (God) give unto thee, and what shall (He) add unto thee? AnswerSharp arrows (Psa. 45:5) wielded by a mighty one (Psa. 127:4; Jer. 50:9), and burning coals of juniper (Psa. 140:10; Pro. 25:22). Thus the punishment of the slanderous tongue is appropriate; for itself is a sharp sword (Psa. 57:4), a pointed arrow (Jer. 9:8), and it burns like hell fire (Jas. 3:6). The root of the retem or broom is used for fire in the desert, and retains its heat for a year.Speakers Com.
I. The work of slander. Like that which shall destroy it.
1. To sting. It is always hurtful, harassing, and annoying. It will always more or less damage the reputation, and inflict a wound on the mind or temper which will take some time to heal. Its sting often remains.
2. To burn. It sometimes blasts and utterly destroys. It has frequently undermined a mans character beyond recovery, and brought him down with grief, affliction, and poverty to an untimely grave.
II. The retribution of slander. The law of requital holds terribly good here.
1. It is stung in return. Gods arrows fly thick and sharp upon the slanderous soul. He is ever in fear lest the lie should be traced back to its source, lest it should be proved to be a lie, and lest his calumny should miss its mark. He bears about him, too, the sharpest javelin in Gods armouryCONSCIENCE!
2. It is consumed. Society consumes the evil speaker and his speech. It sternly condemns him whether his mischievous tales are true or not, and avoids his company and leaves him in contempt to perish. His accumulated fears consume him; and he that maketh a lie inherits the hottest fire of Gods wrath.
THE TRIALS OF THE GODLY
(Psa. 120:5-7)
I. Uncongenial neighbours. The Psalmists residence in Mesech and Kedar is probably not to be understood literally, as Mesech (Gen. 10:1) inhabited the mountain ranges south of and adjoining Caucasus, and the south-coast borders of the Black Sea, and Kedar was probably an Arabian tribe. They evidently stand for Barbarians. A man can hardly be subjected to a greater trial than to be compelled to mix in society with which he has no sympathy and which has no sympathy with him,e.g., a scholar with those who despise learning, an artist with those that have no taste, the pure with the impure, the sober with the profligate, and vice versa. So the Psalmist felt himself unhappy amongst men with whom he had no spiritual affinity. This is the case with the godly through all time. They dwell in a world that does not acknowledge their God, and with men who cannot appreciate their worth. Heaven is the place where all is harmony, and whose pursuits, &c., are congenial to all. Hell is the opposite.
II. Unrighteous contradictions. They will listen to nothing. They are for discord, variance, strife. All my efforts to live in peace are vain. They are determined to quarrel, and I cannot prevent it. (a) A man should separate himself in such a case as the only way of peace. (b) If this cannot be done, then he should do nothing to irritate and keep up the strife. (c) If all his efforts for peace are vain, and he cannot separate, then he should bear it patiently as divine discipline. There are few situations where piety will shine more beautifully. (d) He should look with the more earnestness for the world of peace; and the peace of heaven will be all the more grateful after such a scene of conflict and war.Barnes.
THE NATURE AND DOOM OF CALUMNY
(Psa. 120:1-4)
The Israelites had returned from Babylon, and were engaged in rebuilding the demolished Temple at Jerusalem. The Samaritansheathens by extraction, and still continuing heathens at heartwished to join in the work. The devout Jews, thinking it out of place for any who did not fully acknowledge Jehovah to take part in so sacred an enterprise, quietly but firmly declined their overtures. Exasperated with the repulse, the Samaritans employed every means to annoy the workers, and to hinder the work. They concocted the vilest slanders, and sought to prejudice the mind of the Persian king, by whose permission the liberated Jews were allowed to rebuild the Temple. The Church of God is still assailed by the malice of the wicked. What they cannot accomplish by open violence, they seek to effect by the subtlety of the tongue.
Observe:
I. That calumny is a terrible instrument of mischief.
1. It is subtle in its insinuations. A deceitful tongue. It affects a reluctance to tell all it knows. It implies more than it openly states. It deals in half truths, or in a small modicum of truth, which it makes the pivot on which a whirlwind of the most pernicious slander revolves. It is eloquent in facial expression. A wink, a shrug of the shoulder, a little hieroglyphic finger-writing on the viewless air, a whispered innuendo, will insinuate more evil into the midst of a community than the most outspoken declamation. Calumny is cheating with the tongue.
2. It is false in its representations. Lying lips. A liar does his mischief openly for the most part. Stung by a well-deserved rebuff, or prompted by a feeling of spontaneous hatred, he circulates the most flagrant falsehoods. The more barefaced the falsehood the less harm it does among the thoughtful. The consummate liar rings his own alarm bell, and the unprejudiced are sufficiently warned. But there is always a large class of people who will believe the most abominable lies: the more confidently and unblushingly they are uttered, the more firmly are they credited. The splenetic detractor is never at a loss for defamatory material. A word is falsely reported, an act misconstrued, a motive misread, and the whole plan of life misconceived. When all else is exhausted, the vile calumniator falls back upon the endless fabrications of a corrupt imagination.
3. It is dangerous in its use. It pollutes and debases those who traffic in it.
Let falsehood be a stranger to thy lips;
Shame on the policy that first began
To tamper with the heart to hide its thoughts!
And doubly shame on that unrighteous tongue
That sold its honesty and told a lie!
Havard.
It is pernicious in its effects on individuals, societies, and commonwealths. A lie, says Carlyle, should be trampled on and extinguished wherever found. I am for fumigating the atmosphere when I suspect that falsehood, like pestilence, breathes around me. The march of calumny is invisible as the wind, and often more terribly destructive.
II. That calumny is productive of acute suffering.
1. It fills the soul with anguish. In my distress. It wounds the soul as with the barb of an envenomed arrow, and inflicts incredible pain. The distress is aggravated when we discover that the javelin is thrown by the hand of a professed friend. The discovery of treachery in human nature is a painful shock to the confiding. Calumny is not easily traced to its source, and is often difficult to refute.
2. It mars the happiness of a life. Deliver my soulmy life. The Psalmist felt that his whole life was endangered. Calumny has ruined the fairest reputation, embittered many a life, blasted its prospects, diverted its influence, and injuriously affected its destiny.
III. That calumny drives the soul to seek redress in prayer.
1. The refuge of the calumniated is in God. In my distress I cried unto the Lord. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips. No man is safe from the shafts of falsehood. He cannot always refute it. He cannot prevent its effects on his reputation. Slanders may penetrate into regions where its refutation never comes. The sufferer can do nothing but commit his case to God, and trust to his own conscious integrity, the lapse of time, and the operations of Divine providence to clear his character.
2. The cry of the calumniated is not in vain. He heard me. Prayer is the surest method of relief. The soul is comforted. Grace is given to act circumspectly, and to live down the false imputations. When Plato was told how his enemies slandered him, he quietly replied, I fear them not. I will so live that no one shall believe them. In His own way, and at His own time, Jehovah vindicates His suffering people.
IV. That calumny involves its perpetrators in severest vengeance.
What shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. The juniper sparkles, burns, and crackles more vehemently than any other wood, and is of such a nature that, if covered with ashes, it will continue alive the whole year. Fiery arrows, or arrows wrapped round with inflammable material, were formerly used in sieges to set the place on fire. The Chaldee has it:The strong sharp arrows are like lightning from above, with coals of juniper kindled in hell beneath. The tongue of the calumniator was often like a sharp, fiery arrow shot by a strong hand, causing intense and prolonged pain; but now the fierce, burning arrow of vengeance, shot by the Mighty One, has pierced the soul, and will rankle there in ever-increasing torture. The future retributive sufferings of the wicked will infinitely exceed anything they ever inflicted on their most helpless victims. Beware of indulging revenge. We may safely leave our oppressors to their merited punishment. Speak not of vengeance; tis the right of God.
LESSONS:
1. Calumny is the source of many evils.
2. The best of characters are liable to its most distressing assaults.
3. God will defend, sustain, and vindicate His people, and signally punish their calumniators.
THE FEROCITY OF THE WICKED A SOURCE OF DISTRESS TO THE GOOD
(Psa. 120:5-7)
Mesech refers to a barbarous race inhabiting the Moschian regions between Iberia, Armenia, and Colchis. From this people the Muscovites descended. Kedar describes the wild, restless, nomadic offspring of Ishmael, who occupied the territory of Arabia Petra. The Psalmist did not personally reside in either Mesech or Kedar. The sixth verse gives the key to the sense in which the words are to be understood. He dwelt in the midst of a people as rudely barbarous, and as fiercely contentious, as those in Mesech and Kedar. The Church of God is now situated in the midst of a mass of gross wickedness that surrounds and assails it like an angry sea.
I. That the Good are brought into Unavoidable Contact with the Wicked.
There is no spot under heaven into which evil cannot penetrate. Go where we will it presses in upon us from every quarter. The exigencies of life will sometimes lead the godly into the company of the wicked. But for this, not only would commercial extension be impossible, but the humanising influence of social intercourse be lost to the world. The Providence of God may conduct His people into the midst of the wickedto testify against their pernicious practices, to moderate their violence, to present a holy and beneficent example, to attract to a better life. The residence of the good among the habitations of the wicked is sometimes compulsory. Without any fault of their own they are banished from home and temple, and compelled to mingle with people whose principles they disapprove, and whose practices they detest. It is possible to be encompassed with evil, and yet not participate in it. As the fire-fly will pass through the flame without being singed, as fresh water currents circulate in the sea without partaking of its saline property, as the pearl is unimpaired by the unsightly shell in which it is clasped, so the good may move about in the midst of abounding wickedness without contamination.
II. That the attitude of the wicked is one of fierce antagonism to the good.
They hate peacethey are for war. The presence of the good is a perpetual rebuke to the wicked. Their simple transparency of character makes them conscious of the duplicity and blackness of their own; their pacific temper, instead of soothing, is made an occasion of ungovernable irritability.
1. The antagonism of the wicked is prompted by a spirit of intense hatred. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. Hatred is the great mischief-maker. It sets man against himself; against society; against God; against the universe. A man, says Plato, should not allow himself to hate even his enemies; because if you indulge this passion, on some occasion it will rise of itself on others; if you hate your enemies, you will contract such a vicious habit of mind, as by degrees will break out upon those who are your friends, or those who are indifferent to you. Hatred in the heart of the wicked is a fiend let loose.
2. The antagonism of the wicked is unreasonable. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war. There are some restless, quarrelsome spirits, whom nothing will propitiate or pacify. If no provocation is given, they will invent one. Whatever efforts are made to promote peace, they construe into causes for new hostilities. They are like the Macedonians, of whom it was said, in the time of Philip, To them peace was war, and war was peace. Such conduct is senseless and unreasonable.
III. That the ferocity of the wicked is a source of distress to the good. Woe is me.
There is no greater pain to a tender, sensitive spirit, than to be brought in contact with prevalent wickedness. The most pathetic lamentations of Jeremiah were uttered when he beheld the moral degeneracy and violent discord of his countrymen. Evil is abhorrent in any aspect; but when it assumes the fierceness of a reckless, impetuous, and fiendish aggression, it is intolerable. To be compelled to dwell in the midst of the quarrelsome is a miniature pandemonium. Such an experience is often the means of discipline to the good. It teaches forbearance, patience, and self-control. It calls for the exercise of a spirit of god-like forgiveness and charity. It reveals the diabolic character of sin, and its inevitable tendency to transform men into demons.
Learn
1. The universality of sin.
2. The greatest troubles of life are the result of sin.
3. A time is coming when the good will be for ever delivered from the assaults of sin.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Psalms 120
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
Peace versus War.
ANALYSIS
(See Inserted Headlines.)
(Lm.) Song of the Steps.
(A GRATEFUL KINGS MEMORIAL.)
1
Unto Jehovah in the distress that befell me
I called and he answered me:
2
Jehovah! oh rescue my soul
from the lip of falsehood
from the tongue of deceit.
(A BELLIGERENT COUNSELLORS WARLIKE SPEECH.)
3
What shall one give to thee and what shall one add to thee,
thou tongue of deceit?
4
Arrows of a warrior
sharpened with glowing coals of broom![725]
[725] The broom shrub makes the best charcoal, and therefore the best coal to burn and glowBr.
(THE PEACEFUL KINGS LAMENT.)
5
Ah! woe is me! that I sojourn with Meshech[726]
[726] The Moschi . in Assyr. times they dwelt in W. (or N.W.) ArmeniaO.G.
that I dwell among the tents of Kedar![727]
[727] Tribes of nomads in Arabian desertO.G.
6
Full long hath my soul had her dwelling
with haters[728] of peace!
[728] So (pl.) some cod. (w. Sep., Syr., Vul.)Gn. M.T.: a hater (sing.)
7
I am peace! but when I speak
they [are] for war!
(Nm.)
PARAPHRASE
Psalms 120
In my troubles I pled with God to help me and He did!
2 Deliver me, O Lord, from liars.
3 O lying tongue, what shall be your fate?
4 You shall be pierced with sharp arrows and burned with glowing coals.[729]
[729] Literally, with coals of the broom tree.
5, 6 My troubles pile high among these haters of the Lord, these men of Meshech and Kedar. I am tired of being here among these men who hate peace.
7 I am for peace, but they are for war, and my voice goes unheeded in their councils.
EXPOSITION
If we assume the correctness of Dr. Thirtles solution of the title of the following fifteen psalms, as on broader grounds we deem ourselves entitled to do, we ought to find the contents of the psalms themselves continually verifying that conclusion. We shall accordingly call attention, in the quietest way possible, to the passing indications afforded, that the so-called Songs of Degrees, or Songs of Ascents, more exactly Songs of the Steps, are commemorative of the two-fold deliveranceof Israel from the Assyrians, and of Israels King from the premature death with which he was threatened by Jehovah. We need not suppose them all composed in celebration of the particular crisis when the sign of the Dial-steps was vouchsafed, so long as, in a general way, they are all such as Hezekiah might have either written or adapted to the various events of his reign, and employed especially to commemorate its crowning deliverance. Should two or three of these psalms approve themselves as written to celebrate Hezekiahs great Passover-feast to which he invited the Northern Tribes with a chequered and yet encouraging response, so much the better; since no one can doubt that the king would naturally desire to memorialise his efforts after the reunion of the Tribes; and then, besides, the larger the area from which our circumstantial evidence as to authorship is derived, the more convincing ought to be the result when the converging rays of light are brought to a focus.
It is easy to recognise the probability that, for some time after he began to reign, Hezekiah had about him counsellors who, without being actually disloyal to him, were quite unable to take his exalted views of the reality of Jehovahs protection of Israel; and, consequently, how naturally it came about that when, in the earlier days of the Assyrian Invasion, the Kings whole soul was set for peace, by reason of his confident trust in Jehovah, his courtiers were some of them utterly unable to follow his counsels; and, indeed, were only moved by his pacific assurances to fiercer denunciations of the foe. This apprehension of the state of the atmosphere at Hezekiahs Court, forms an apt preparation for the first psalm in the series. Kirkpatricks explanation of the strikingly figurative language employed in the course of this psalm may usefully guard us from stumbling at the outset.
Meshech, mentioned in Gen. 10:2 as a son of Japheth, was a barbarous people living between the Black Sea and the Caspian, probably the Moschi of Herodotus (iii. 94) and Mushki of the Assyrian inscriptions: Kedar, mentioned in Gen. 25:13 as the second son of Ishmael, was one of the wild tribes which roamed through the Arabian desert, whose hand was against every man (Gen. 16:12). Obviously the psalmist cannot mean to describe himself as actually living among peoples so remote from one another, but applies these typical names of barbarian tribes to his own compatriots, as we might speak of Turks and Tartars.
These Turks and Tartars were in Hezekiahs Court, and the king was getting weary of them. It is submitted that the very terms of the psalm exactly suit such a situation, and not at all the state of affairs during the Exile, or after it in the neighborhood of Jerusalem.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
The following fifteen psalms are commemorative of a twofold deliverance. What is it?
2.
In what place in this psalm are the counsellors of Hezekiah found?
3.
Who is the Meshech of Psa. 120:5?
4.
How did Hezekiah feel God would deliver Israel? How was Israel delivered?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
1. Distress cried heard This serial form trouble, prayer, and answer was common for David, and his faith in God touching the answer, gathered from past experience, was the ground of all his hope.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psalms 120
Introduction – Fifteen psalms (Psalms 120-134) are entitled “Song of Ascents,” or “Song of Degrees” ( ). Scholars believe that these songs were probably sung by the Levites as they proceeded up the Temple steps. For example, Alfred Edersheim says regarding the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles in Herod’s Temple that there were “fifteen steps which led down from the Court of Israel to that of the Women, according to the number of the fifteen Songs of Degrees in the Book of Psalms.” [112] Amo 9:6 refers to God’s staircase in heaven.”
[112] Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services as They were at the Time of Jesus Christ (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1908), 284.
Amo 9:6, “It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name.”
These songs may have been sung as the children of Israel made their way up the hills to Jerusalem for the yearly feasts. Evidence of this is seen in Psa 121:1; Psa 122:3-4.
Psa 121:1, (A Song of degrees.) “ I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills , from whence cometh my help.”
Psa 122:3-4, “Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: Whither the tribes go up , the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.”
Psa 120:1 (A Song of degrees.) In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
Psa 120:1
Psa 120:2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
Psa 120:3 Psa 120:4 Psa 120:5 Psa 120:5
Gen 25:13-15, “And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:”
1Ch 1:29-31, “These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.”
Comments – According to Isa 42:11; Isa 60:7, Kedar was a semi-nomadic tribe that lived at times in villages, and at other times moved about in tents with their flocks of animals. According to Eze 27:21 they traded their flocks with other merchants for other goods. Thus, Jeremiah refers to their tents, flocks, curtains, vessels and camels.
Isa 42:11, “Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.”
Isa 60:7, “All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.”
Jer 49:28-29, “Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east. Their tents and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side.”
Eze 27:21, “Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants.”
In addition, they also seemed to have been a warlike tribe of archers who raided the good of others.
Psa 120:5-7, “Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.”
Isa 21:17, “And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.”
The ISBE says the tribe of Kedar settled in northwest Arabia near the border with Palestine. Assyrian inscriptions have mentioned the tribe of Kedar in association with the Arabs and Nebaioth. [113]
[113] A. S. Fulton, “Kedar,” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., c1915, 1939), in The Sword Project, v. 1.5.11 [CD-ROM] (Temple, AZ: CrossWire Bible Society, 1990-2008).
The tribe of Kedar were a semi-nomadic tribe that often dwelt in tents made of haircloth. John Gill says that the continual exposure to the sun and rain made these tents black, “and yet a number of them made a fine appearance.” He quotes Shaw who had traveled to this region of the world and observed the Bedouin tribesmen:
“the Bedouin Arabs at this day live in tents called “hhymes,” from the shelter which they afford the inhabitants; and “beet el shaar,” that is, “houses of hair,” from the materials or webs of goats’ hair whereof they were made; and are such hair cloth as our coal sacks are made of; the colour of them is beautifully alluded to, #Son 1:5; for nothing certainly can afford (says he) a more delightful prospect than a large extensive plain, whether in its verdure, or even scorched up by the sunbeams, than, these movable habitations pitched in circles upon them; of which (he says) he has seen from three to three hundred.” [114]
[114] John Gill, Song of Solomon, in John Gill’s Expositor, in e-Sword, v. 7.7.7 [CD-ROM] (Franklin, Tennessee: e-Sword, 2000-2005), comments on Song of Solomon 1:5.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Prayer for Deliverance from Slander and Deceit.
v. 1. In my distress, v. 2. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue, v. 3. What shall be given unto thee, v. 4. Sharp arrows of the mighty, v. 5. Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, v. 6. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace, v. 7. I am for peace,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
THE SONGS OF ASCENTS.
THE next fifteen psalms have a common heading, which is translated “Songs of Degrees,” “Songs of Ascents,” or “Songs of Steps.” They constitute together “a Little Psalter,” which contains indications of a formal arrangement. The central psalmthe only one ascribed to Solomonhas on either side of it a group of seven; each such group formed of two psalms ascribed to David, and five anonymous ones. The ascribed psalms are separated one from another by the anonymous ones, in such sort that no two of the former ever come together. This is evidently not the result of chance.
Of the title itself different explanations are given. Some regard the degrees (ma‘aloth) as “steps,” and accept a rabbinical explanation, that the psalms were written for chanting upon fifteen steps, which led from the Court of the Women in the temple to the Court of the Men. But there is no sufficient evidence of the existence of these steps. Others, translating ma‘aloth by “ascents,” suggest that they are psalms composed for the Jews to chant on their ascent from Babylon to Jerusalem at the return from the Captivity. But the plural form is thus unaccounted for, while the ascription of five of the fifteen to David and Solomon is contradicted. Under these circumstances, recent critics mostly acquiesce in the view that the psalms were written for the pilgrims, who annually went up to Jerusalem at the three great feasts, to chant upon their journeys. (So Ewald, Thenius, Hengstenberg, Dean Johnson, and Professor Alexander.)
Psa 120:1
In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. The particular “distress’ intended can only be conjectured. Some suppose it to be the Captivity itself, others the opposition offered by the Samaritans, Ammonites, and others to the rebuilding of the temple (Ezr 4:1-24; Ezr 5:1-17.) and restoration of the wails of Jerusalem (Neh 2:19, Neh 2:20; Neh 4:1-23; Neh 6:2-14). But these guesses are scarcely of much value.
Psa 120:2
Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips. Such as Sanballat’s (Neh 6:6-8). And from a deceitful tongue; literally, a tongue that is frauda mere variant of the expression in the preceding clause.
Psa 120:3
What shall be given unto thee? rather, what shall he (i.e. God) give to thee? Or, in other wordsWhat punishment will God inflict on thee for thy false speaking? Or what shall be done unto thee? literally, or what shall he add to thee? Compare the common phrase, “God do so unto me, and more also” (1Sa 3:17; 1Sa 14:44). Thou false tongue. The “false tongue” is apostrophized, as if it were a living person.
Psa 120:4
Sharp arrows of the mighty. The psalmist answers his own questions. Sharp-pointed arrows of a Mighty One shall be given thee, and added to them shall be coals of juniper. God, i.e; shall punish thee with extreme severity.
Psa 120:5
Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech. This is scarcely to be understood literally. Israel never “sojourned in Mesech,” i.e. among the Moschi, who dwelt in Cappadocia, nor dwelt among the tents of Kedar, a people of Northern Arabia. The writer means that he dwells among hostile and barbarous people, who are to him as Kedar and Mesech. Possibly the Samaritans and Ammonites are intended. That I dwell in the tents of Kedar; rather, among the tents (see the Revised Version).
Psa 120:6
My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace; i.e. with the tribes symbolized in the preceding verse by the names “Mesech” and “Kedar,” the tribes bordering upon Judea. These were from first to last almost always at war with Israel.
Psa 120:7
I am for peace; literally, I am peace; but the meaning is as given in the Authorized Version. But when I speak (i.e. when I speak to them of peace), they are for war; i.e. they are utterly averse to peace, and are bent on continual hostility. The general history bears out this statement. There is only one apparent exception. When the Jews returned from the Captivity and began to build the temple, the Samaritans offered to join with them (Ezr 4:2). But the Samaritan offer was, perhaps, insincere. At any rate, when it was refused, they became the most bitter opponents of the Jews.
HOMILETICS
Psa 120:1-7
The perversion of power, etc.
This psalm, though “a difference of opinion exists respecting the interpretation of almost every verse and word of it,” may suggest valuable thoughts upon
I. THE PERVERSION OF POWER. It speaks of “lying lips,” a “deceitful tongue,” and of the “false tongue” (Psa 120:2, Psa 120:3). We may say that sin is perversion; it is the misdirection and abuse of our various faculties and organs; turning to a bad account all our opportunities of good. The Apostle James gives at some length the perversion of the power of speech (Jas 3:2-13). Our words may be reverent, true, kind, instructive, considerate, helpful, wise; or they may be profane, false, cruel, communicative of evil, injurious. There is hardly a limit to the possible service we may render our Lord and our kind if we avail ourselves of every opportunity of speaking the wise and gracious word; but it is impossible to estimate the evil which a man may do in a long life by a bitter, a false, an impure, a skeptical tongue. It becomes us to think that the power of speech is a great gift from the hand of God; that it is a talent entrusted tolls by our Divine Father for his glory and for the good of men. Whenever, therefore, we speak that which is hurtful to others or unworthy of ourselves we are guiltily abusing our power; we are turning that which was meant to be, and might constantly be made, a fountain of blessing into a stream of sorrow or even of sin. The same thought (respecting perversion) applies, in less degree, to the hands, the eyes, the feet; it is else, of course, very markedly true of the capacities of the mind.
II. A CHARACTERISTIC OF DIVINE PUNISHMENT. “What shall be given unto thee thou false tongue?” “Sharp arrows of the mighty, burning coals,’ is the reply. The punishment is suited to the offence. The tongue which itself is “a sharp sword” (Psa 57:4) is to be transfixed by the sharp arrows shot by a strong arm; the tongue which is itself “a fire” (Jas 3:6) is to be consumed with burning coals. As is the sin, so is the sorrow and the shame. The king that had done grievous domestic wrong was to suffer in his own family (2Sa 12:11). The traitor who betrayed his Master was to be deserted and thrown over by his own companions. The pitiless man goes unpitied in the hour of his own desolation. The miser who keeps back the blessings he might confer on others withholds all comforts and delights from his own heart and his own home. He who does not regard the sacredness of his body will live to suffer in the body; he who neglects his mind will pay the penalty in intellectual poverty and feebleness. “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap”loss, suffering, death, according to the nature of his sin.
III. THE MISERY OF UNCONGENIAL SURROUNDINGS. (Verses 5-7.) The psalmist bewails his ill fortune in that he has to dwell in places remote from the civilization and the privileges of his home; he is surrounded by ungenial associates whose spirit is hostile, with whom he cannot live on terms of amity and good will. This “Mesech” of his is found in every latitude and longitude. It is the experience of a very large proportion of men and women, especially in the earlier period of life, to find themselves living or laboring with the unsympathetic, and even with the unfriendly; with those whose views on serious and even sacred subjects are dissimilar or opposite. We may have much to do with those whose spirit and whose attitude are positively provocative, who invite and almost compel us to dispute. It is trying in the last degree. But:
1. It is a recognized and accepted part of our earthly lot, and it will not last very long; it will give place, in time, to the holy friendships and blissful intercourse of the heavenly world.
2. It is a necessary part of the discipline through which we pass, attempering and strengthening our character.
3. It provides daily opportunity for self-mastery, for submission to the will of God, for honoring the Name of Christ.
IV. OUR REFUGE IN GOD. (Verses 1, 2.) Assailed by unjust or ungenerous attack, surrounded by uncongenial companions, we can always realize the near presence of one sympathizing Friend, of the all-powerful God, who can extricate us from the worst situation, or sustain us in it, so that our souls will be at rest.
HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY
Psa 120:1-7
In Mesech and Kedar.
This psalm is a piteous declaration of the unhappy lot of him who is surrounded by the false, the treacherous, and the cruel. They of Mesechthe Moschi of Herodotus (see Exposition)dwelt where now the horribly bloodthirsty Kurds have their habitation, who of late years have horrified all Christendom by their barbarous atrocities inflicted on the Christian Armenians. Amid men of such sort the psalmist is complaining that he has to dwell (Psa 120:5). It is a tale of treachery and cruelty that he portrays or rather suggests to us in this psalm. Concerning all such men of lying lips, we learn
I. THEY ARE THE DISTRESS OF THE GODLY. How many a faithful missionary, amid similar hordes, has felt his heart die down in hopeless despair as he witnesses their horrid cruelty and deceit! We at home forget too much this special trial of the missionary. Nothing but the abundant supply of the Spirit of all grace can possibly sustain him amid such sad and revolting circumstances. If he gets used to them, and so indifferent to them, he can no longer be a true missionary; nor either if he fears them or yields to despair about them. And in less unusual form, God’s servants may yet have to say, “My soul is among lions” (Psa 57:4). Many a God-fearing working man amid a crowd of godless mates, many a Christian servant-girl amid companions who have no love for God, many a young disciple of Christ in school or office,these and others like them know by sad experience the treachery and cruelty of the ungodly.
II. THE AWFUL AND OVERWHELMING WRATH OF GOD AWAITS THESE PERSECUTORS. (Psa 120:3, Psa 120:4; see Exposition for meaning.) The false and lying tongue is often likened to fire, fire of hell, to sword and sharp arrow, and now here it is declared that what such tongue hath sown, that shall it also reap (cf. Psa 57:4; Psa 64:3; Psa 55:21; Psa 59:7; Jas 3:6; and especially Psa 140:9, Psa 140:10). Sometimes even in this world we see the Divine vengeance poured out on those who have played the part of bloody and deceitful men towards the people of God. In the persecuting ages it was not unusual nor unnatural for the persecuted ones to point out, as proofs of the Divine wrath, the fearful deaths which overtook many of their persecutors. True it is today that he who blesses the servants of God is blessed, and he who curses them is cursed.
III. IT MAY NEVERTHELESS BE APPOINTED FOR GOD‘S PEOPLE TO DWELL AMID SUCH SURROUNDINGS. The great missionary command involved the possibility of such sojourn. If we are to go into all the world, we must expect to meet with what the world has to offer. And, in God’s providence, we often have to go and dwell amid, not the friends but the foes of God. The soldier in the field, the sailor, the boy at school. It may be God’s will for us. But
IV. THEM ENMITY MAY OFTEN SEEM TO BE EXCITED BY THAT WHICH SHOULD MAKE IT ASHAMED. (Psa 120:7.) Not all at once will the Spirit of peace prevail.
V. BUT NOTHING CAN ROB THE BELIEVING SOUL OF ITS BLESSED RELIEF AND REFUGE IN GOD. (Psa 120:1.) The first verse relates what really follows on the facts told of in the other verses. Call upon, cry unto the Lord, and he will ever help.S.C.
Psa 120:1
A dark fact explained and illuminated.
The dark fact is human distress; the explanation is the prayer it leads to; the illumination, the answer it brings. We have here
I. A TOO RARE PERSONAGE. “In my distress, I,” etc. It is by no means every one who does this.
1. Some blasphemecurse God in their hearts.
2. Others east off all faithsay, “There is no God.” Many have done this.
3. Others harden their hearts, as Pharaoh did.
4. Others plunge deeper into sin. (Isa 1:5.) In the distraction which for a while they gain, they drown the sense of their misery.
5. Others turn to human aid for deliverance and solace.
6. Yet others bestir themselves to get by their own effort what help they may. The psalmist’s resource does not condemn, but will often include, these two last methods, and will further their usefulness. But to turn to God in distress is as wise as it is too seldom adopted.
II. A REAL REASON FOR DISTRESS. God sends it, or lets it come, that it may lead men to turn to him: that is ever his intent. But for such distress we should scarce turn to him at all.
III. A RIGHT MANNER OF PRAYER. “I cried.” It tells of earnestness, of humility, of believing trust, of self-distrust. It has all those elements which go to make up, acceptable and prevailing prayer. How little of our prayer is a crying unto God! It is decorous, reverent, formal, correct, and seeks true and worthy objects, but it lacks fervor, force, and the faith which will not let the Lord go unless he bless. No man ever yet “cried unto the Lord” and failed to find response.
IV. A READY AND REALIZED RESPONSE. “He heard me.” How promptly this confession comes after the statement, “I cried”! (Cf. Caesar’s “Veni, vidi, vici.”) It is like that. And the psalmist knew that he was heard. The outward circumstances may not have much changed, but in his heart the light had risen, the Lord had come.
CONCLUSION. Distress of one kind or another we all must know. Let us adopt this manner of prayer, and we shall surely find the ready response.S.C.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK
Psa 120:1, Psa 120:2
The misery made by the untruthful.
This is the first of fifteen psalms that are called “Songs of Degrees;” Revised Version, “Songs of Ascent;” literally, “Songs of Going up.” The association of them with the journeying of country pilgrims to the feasts at Jerusalem is somewhat fanciful. These psalms are naturally explained as “Songs of Heart-uplifting.” The key-note of them all is looking up out of some present distress, and seeking the help of God. “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills;” “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes;” “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.” Two things are necessary to a “song of ascent:” some special form of present distress; a looking to God for help out of that distress. It is possible effectively to illustrate these psalms from the experiences of the returned exiles.
I. THE PSALMIST‘S DISTRESS. It may be regarded as personal, and then we notice that it is a mental anxiety rather than a set of difficult circumstances. And though mental anxieties may seem to be unreal, and often are, they are our most serious and overwhelming distresses; the ones we can least effectively deal with ourselves; the ones in which God’s help is most especially needed, and least frequently sought. Or the psalmist may be regarded as personifying the nation, and speaking in its name. The restored exiles were much distressed by the malicious slanders of the surrounding nationalities, whom the psalmist likens to the barbarous tribes of the Moschi, and the nomad hordes of Kedar. Here also the distress is mental; it was not outward injury, but worry caused by the slanders spread abroad concerning them. We love to be thought well of, and are distressed when reputation is damaged.
II. THE CAUSE OF THE PSALMIST‘S DISTRUST. Men did not speak the truth about him. Slander has a mysterious power of growth and enlargement; and no man’s reputation is safe when the gossip, the tale-bearer, and the slanderer attempt to deal with it. A man may never be afraid of the truth, nor need he fear the final triumph of his slanderers, but for a time the “lying lips” may cause him infinite misery.
III. THE RELIEF OF THE PSALMIST‘S DISTRESS. He can turn to God, sure that he knows of his troubleknows the untruthfulness of the accusations made; is more jealous of his reputation than he can be of his own; could stop the lying lips at once, if he thought it best to do so; and permits them to keep on only because thus he can work out some higher good.R.T.
Psa 120:3
Sins of the tongue.
“Thou deceitful tongue.” Describing this tongue, the psalmist adds, “It is as the sharp arrows of the mighty man, as coals of broom.” The sin specially in the view of the psalmist is that of the slanderer. What shall be done to him? “The law of retaliation can hardly meet the case, since none can slander the slanderer, he is too black to be blackened; neither would any of us blacken him if we could. Wretched being! He fights with weapons which true men cannot touch. Like the cuttlefish, he surrounds himself with an inky blackness into which honest men cannot penetrate. Like the foul skunk, he emits an odor of falsehood which cannot be endured by the true; and therefore he often escapes unchastised by those whom he has most injured. His crime, in a certain sense, becomes his shield; men do not care to encounter so base a foe. But what will God do with lying tongues? He has uttered his most terrible threats against them, and he will terribly execute them in due time” (Spurgeon). “From gossips, tale-bearers, writers of anonymous letters, forgers of newspaper paragraphs, and all liemongers, good Lord, deliver us!”
(1) A man may sin with his tongue against himself, and seriously injure his own success in life.
(2) A man may sin with his tongue against God, misrepresenting him, his truth, his working, or his people. Or
(3) a man may sin with his tongue against his neighbor. Then his wrong doings and sayings may be classed under the term slander, the peculiarity of which is that it has enough truth in it to carry it, and enough lie in it to make it mischievous.
I. THE GENESIS OF SLANDER. As a fixed disposition. It comes out of failing to teach the child always strictly to match statement with fact. It comes out of failing to gain full self-control. It comes from letting feeling rule language. It comes from the disposition which finds pleasure in the suffering of others (see cruelty of children to animals). It comes from envy at the success of others.
II. THE OCCASIONS OF SLANDER. These are often merely times of idle gossip. They may be times of jealousy or revenge. They may be only the delight a man has in mischief-making.
III. THE PUNISHMENT OF SLANDER. It comes in the deterioration of the slanderer’s own character; in the lost confidence and love of his neighbor; and in the just judgment of God.R.T.
Psa 120:3
The deceitful tongue.
“Lips are soft; but when they are lying lips they suck away the life of character, and are as murderous as razors. Lips should never be red with the blood of honest men’s reputes, nor salved with malicious falsehoods. Some seem to lie for lying’s sake, it is their sport and spirit. The faculty of speech becomes a curse when it is degraded into a mean weapon for smiting men behind their backs. Those who fawn and flatter, and all the while have enmity in their hearts, are wicked beings; they are the seed of the devil, and he worketh in them after his own deceptive nature.” “Ungodly men will do mischief to other men purely for mischief’s sake; yet when once mischief is done it proves most mischievous to the doers of it; and while they hold their brethren’s heaviness a profit, though they are never the Better, they shall feel and find themselves in a short time much the worse” (Caryl).
I. THE TONGUE IS SHARPER THAN AN ARROW.
1. It is shot in private.
2. It is tipped with poison.
3. It is polished with seeming kindness.
4. It is aimed at the tenderest part.
II. THE TONGUE IS MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN FIRE.
1. Its scandals spread with greater rapidity.
2. They consume that which other fires cannot touch.
3. They are less easily quenched.
“The tongue,” says an apostle, “is a fire and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” A fiery dart of the wicked one. (Outline by George Rogers.)R.T.
Psa 120:4
Coals of juniper,
This verse, and its connection with the preceding one, may be explained in two ways. Psa 120:4 may describe the “deceitful tongue,” likening it to the sharp arrow of a mighty man, or to the fierce coals of the broom, which long keep their heat. Or it may indicate the swift and sure and overwhelming judgments of God, which are sharp and piercing as an arrow, fierce and burning as a fire. “Wickedness shall be returned on the head of the wicked; for the lying tongue is itself a sword or arrow (Psa 3:3; Psa 57:5), and burns like a fire (see Psa 140:10, Psa 140:11).” Burckhardt found the Bedouin of Sinai burning the roots of the juniper (desert broom, rithm, ritem, or genista) into coal; and says that they make the best charcoal, and throw out the most intense heat, and hold the heat for an almost indefinite time.
I. THE DECEITFUL TONGUE IS LIKE ARROWS AND COALS. This explanation falls in with the general idea of the psalm. The writer complains that, loving peace himself, he meets with nothing but hostility and treachery (see Psa 64:3; Psa 55:21; Psa 59:7). Both sharpened arrows are used, which pierce deeply; and envenomed arrows, which leave a sting behind. Unkind words both pierce and sting. Similar ideas attach to the other figure. Coals of fire burn at once, and give smarting pain at once, but they also leave misery and suffering behind; and so does slanderous speech.
II. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE DECEITFUL TONGUE IS LIKE ARROWS AND COALS. On the whole, this idea is to be preferred. It is in the manner of the psalms to burst forth with an imprecation of God’s judgments on the head of such treacherous and slanderous neighbors. Swift, sure, and sharp shall be the judgment of slanderers. Their punish-melt is comparable to an arrow keen in itself, and driven home with all the force with which a mighty man shoots it from his bow of steel. The woes that come on the slanderer shall be like “coals of juniper,” which are “quick in flaming, fierce in blazing, and long in burning.” “It is better to be the victim of slander than to be the author of it. The shafts of calumny will miss the mark, but not so the arrows of God; the coals of malice will cool, but not the fire of justice.R.T.
Psa 120:5
Our uncomfortable surroundings.
“Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech!” These names Mesech and Kedar are not to be regarded as literally descriptive. They poetically represent the very trying circumstances and associations in which at the lime the psalmist was placed. The Mesech are only known as a half-barbarous people living towards the north, on the mountains south of Caucasus (Eze 38:9,Eze 38:15, Eze 38:16). Kedar is a term representing the warrior-tribes of Arabia far to the south-east (Gen 25:13; Isa 21:17; Eze 27:21). There can be little question that the names are here used typically, because it was not wise to fix in a poem or psalm the actual names of the uncomfortable neighbors.
I. WE CANNOT HELP HAVING UNCOMFORTABLE SURROUNDINGS. It is only in a very small sense that a man can be said to choose his own lot. He cannot choose his parents, brothers and sisters, early home, schooling, and many other things. We speak of his making his way in life, but Providence is always overruling things, and putting men in unexpected places. Most men have to say, in looking back over life, “I never could have dreamed of being where I have been, or of doing what I have done.” Our culture largely comes through our life-associations, and we cannot help their sometimes being not at all “according to our mind.”
II. WE CANNOT HELP FEELING OUR UNCOMFORTABLE SURROUNDINGS. It is indeed essential to discipline through them that we should feel them. The misery of trying, unlovely, mischievous neighbors is but like the pain of the surgeon who would heal. God wants us to feel, because he wants to use the feeling. Indeed, keenness to feel may help him to do his gracious work.
III. WE CAN HELP BEING MASTERED BY UNCOMFORTABLE SURROUNDINGS. They cannot hurt us unless we allow them to. If feeling is allowed to rule the will, they are sure to master us. If the will be made to rule feeling, they cannot. Just what God’s grace does for us is so to strengthen the will that nothing can unduly or unworthily influence us.
IV. WE CAN WIN THE TRIUMPH OF THE GODLY LIFE EVEN AMIDST UNCOMFORTABLE SURROUNDINGS. We can, on the principle of the psalmist, who, out of his distress, persisted in “looking up,” crying unto God for help, singing “songs of ascent.”R.T.
Psa 120:7
The misery of the war-spirit to peace-lovers.
“I am for peace,” is literally, “I am peace.” This is my very nature; so I instinctively revolt from all this slander and quarrelling and contention. Associating the passage with the restored exiles, it may be noticed that the one thing absolutely essential to their well-being was a state of quietness and peace. They had plenty to do. Jerusalem, its houses, walls, anti temple, to rebuild. Civil and ecclesiastical order to re-establish, and a national character to gain. External peace, as well as internal peace, were absolutely essential to the complete reoccupation of their land. So we too often think that peace is the one condition on which our spiritual culture depends, and God shows us, as he showed the restored exiles, that, spite of the misery it may bring us, it is better for us to be in the midst of contentions, conflicts, and perils. But, like the psalmist, we may freely speak to God about this our trouble, and we need not change our spirit of peace-loving and peace-seeking under any external pressure. Distinguish between war and the war-spirit. It is the latter which the peace-loving man finds so trying. He can deal with actual war upon its merits, and he may be able to recognize its necessity and its beneficent mission; but the litigious, contentious, quarrelsome spirit, that is always inventing or manufacturing some occasion of difficulty, always disturbing the peace, is a painful distress to all peace-lovers.
I. MISERY COMES FROM EFFORTS TO KEEP THE PEACE BEING MISAPPREHENDED. The Prayer-book Version has, “I labor for peace, but when I speak unto them thereof, they make ready to battle.” Thinking he meant to start a fight.
II. MISERY COMES FROM EFFORTS TO KEEP THE PEACE BEING DEFEATED. We never like to fail in things we set our hearts upon.
III. MISERY COMES FROM THE MORAL ATMOSPHERE WHICH THE WAR–SPIRIT ENGENDERS. Nothing morally beautiful can flourish in that atmosphere.
IV. MISERY COMES FROM THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF DOING THE THINGS WHICH REQUIRE PEACEFUL SURROUNDINGS. This is illustrated in the ease of the restored exiles, who wanted to get on with their national reconstruction work.R.T.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Psalms 120.
David prayeth against Doeg, and reproveth his tongue. He complaineth of his necessary conversation with the wicked.
A Song of Degrees.
Title. Shiir hammangaloth. A song of degrees] Or ascent: It is very uncertain why this title is prefixed to this and the following psalms. The more general opinion seems to be that of those who conjecture that they were so called, because, after the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, they were sung by the Levites as they went up the stairs or steps of the temple. See Ezekiel 40. Others, however, think that this title refers to some gradual rise or exaltation of the voice in singing: Others render the words by “A song of excellencies;” supposing the words to express the excellence of the composition; and Mr. Fenwick, agreeably to his plan, understands them to be, “Songs for ascending or aspiring souls.” The reader will find a dissertation on the subject prefixed by Calmet to his commentary on this psalm. As far as one may guess from the general import of the psalms which have this title, says Mr. Mudge, they mean psalms sung upon the occasion of the Jews coming up from the country, as they did three times a year, to pay their devotions at Jerusalem. Thus the reader sees what different sentiments there are upon the subject; and the truth of the matter seems to be, that, as neither the author nor the occasion of these psalms can be determinately fixed, so it is impossible to say what is the exact meaning of the title. The English argument asserts, that the psalm is a prayer of David against Doeg, when his calamities reduced him to the necessity of taking refuge in the country of the Arabians, expressed in the fifth verse by the tents of Kedar. The Syriac title intimates, that it was a prayer used by the Jews during their captivity in Babylon. Both these opinions may be reconciled, by supposing that, though the psalm was originally composed by David on account of the calumnies of Doeg, yet it was so well adapted to the situation of the captive Jews, that they made use of it as descriptive of the distress which they groaned under in Babylon.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psalms 120
A Song of Degrees
In 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.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Contents and Composition.On the superscription compare Introd. 6, No. 5. We have but little to add here. Ewald now decides for the reference to the festival journeys to Jerusalem. So also Liebusch in the Ouedlinburg Osterprogramm. 1866, mentions The pilgrim songs in the Fifth Book of the Psalms. Delitzsch, on the contrary, now holds to the expression songs of ascents, but refers, it, with Gesenius and others, to the artificial climactic form of the rhythm, in which the poem, by the repetition of one of the significant words immediately preceding advances by a gradual ascent. Hitzig traces this obscure and doubtful term, for which none of the explanations proposed are sufficient, (Hupfeld), to a word-play, by the collector and redactor of the fifteen Psalms which are furnished with this title, referring to the steps of the Temple. For the ascent to the outer court was made through each of the three gates by seven steps, and that to the inner court by eight; and in this small collection of songs, which are closely connected by many similarities both of form and contents, the first contains seven, the second eight verses. It is further to be remarked that, in Psalms 121. is written exceptionally lammalth, which seems to favor the explanation: for the upward journeys (Aquila, Symmachus), but may just as well mean: after the manner of steps (Del.); for it is just in that Psalm that the climactic structure, which in others almost disappears, is displayed quite characteristically. This difference is entirely unnoticed by the Sept., Chald., and Jerome, and regarded by Hitzig as a mistake of the copyist.
[Hengstenberg, with whom Alexander and Perowne, as well as most commentators, agree, favors the view first mentioned above. Against the view given in the Syrian translation, and also by Chrysostom and Theodoret, and formerly held by Ewald, that the title refers to those songs which were sung by Israel on the way home from Babylon, he urges the consideration that David and Solomon are mentioned as the composers of some of the Psalms which bear that title. He accounts for the position assigned to those Psalms, and the dissimilarity of style and modes of thought between them and the others, on the hypothesis, that these five ancient Psalms, sung by the people, as they went up to Jerusalem, before the captivity, were made the basis of a whole series or system, designed for the same use, by an inspired writer, after the restoration, who not only added new Psalms of his own, as appears from the resemblances of tone and diction, but joined them to the old ones in a studied or artificial manner, entirely inconsistent with the supposition of fortuitous or random combination. On the characteristics of the Psalms bearing the general title, he remarks: These Psalms have much in common. The tone never rises in any of them above a certain height, and descends very speedily from that height when gained. They all bear the character of simplicity. With the exception of Psalms 132. they are all of short compass. In all of them, with the same exception, the parallelism of the clauses is little attended to. No one of them bears an individual character; they all refer to the whole Church of God with the exception, in some measure, of Psalms 127., which, without being individual, places before us, in the first instance, the particular members of the Church, but which the collector has applied also to the circumstances of the whole community.J. F. M.]
In the Psalm before us is first presented an acknowledgment of prayer heard in former times (Psa 120:1). There is then offered a prayer for deliverance from the power of a false, warlike, and savage enemy (Psa 120:2-4). The suppliant longing for peace then complains (Psa 120:5-7) of that enemys implacable hatred, this complaint being the more sorrowful and urgent, as he had already bitterly experienced, dwelling as he did in the midst of such savage foes, the painful contrast, already too much aggravated, to his former condition. Nothing definitely can be said as to the historical situation, not even whether the author had in mind purely personal experiences, or sufferings of his nation shared by him. Nor can we say whether the name of the enemy is to be taken historically or symbolically.
Psa 120:2-4. The expressions here are so concise and obscure, and it is possible to connect them in so many different ways, that the sense is highly doubtful. It is first most readily suggested to consider Psa 120:3 as a continuation of the addressto Jehovah, and to take the deceitful tongue as the subject (Mendelssohn, Olshausen). But such a question would afford a sense but little suitable, and would be still less aptly connected with Psa 120:4. It has therefore been proposed to invert this order, and to regard Jehovah as the subject, and the deceitful tongue as addressed in the vocative (many since Isaaki, also Hengst. and Del.) An allusion is then supposed to exist to the formula usually employed in the announcement of the Divine punishments, (1Sa 3:17 and frequently), and Psa 120:4 is taken as a continuation of the question, and as a figurative description of the tongue (J. D. Mich., Ewald), which is a sharp sword (Psa 57:5), and a pointed arrow (Jer 9:7), and like the fire of hell (Jam 3:6); or it is regarded as the answer to the question, and as a sarcastic description of the punishments (comp. Psa 140:11) according to the law of retribution. But the supposition of a sudden change of subject is very harsh in this connection, nor do adequate reasons for it appear. If, then, we return to the construction, according to which the deceitful tongue is the subject, it would certainly be in the highest degree forced and strange to suppose the possessor of the tongue to be meant, as metonymically implied in Psa 120:2, and Psa 120:4 to mention the punishments to be inflicted upon him for his deceitful conduct (Chald., de Dieu) or to describe figuratively the injuries which he causes to others, while he himself gains nothing by them (Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Calvin, and many of the older expositors; also Rosenmller and De Wette). But, instead of this, there would be an address to the Poet, whether in the form of a question put by himself, or by a third person, in poetical fashion, or whether it is, which however is least probable, referred to an indefinite person, as being a general expression. Psa 120:4 would then present the conditions which called forth the prayer in Psa 120:2, expressing figuratively the dangerous effects of the tongue, but in the form of an answer (Hitzig), and not as an explanatory description (Luther, Geier). [Dr. Moll thus translates Psa 120:3-4 : What to thee gives, and what to thee brings the tongue of deceit? (tongue being the subject). Arrows of a strong one, sharpened, along with coals of the broom-tree. This ingenious mode of viewing the passage appears to present its most natural connection, and, at the same time, to bring out its poetic beauty. The following rendering of Psa 120:1-4 will exhibit this view, the arrangement of the clauses in the original being in some cases neglected for the sake of perspicuity.
1. (The Poet.) I called to Jehovah in my distress, and He answered me.
2. Jehovah, deliver me from lips of lying, from the tongue of deceit.
3. (A third person is represented as addressing the Poet). What does the tongue of deceit give thee and bring to thee?
4. (The Poet). Arrows of a mighty man, sharpened, with coals of the broom-tree.
The opinion mentioned above, as that of Hengstenberg and Delitzsch, is favored by Alexander and Perowne.J. F. M.]
The roots of the rethem, that is, of the broom-tree (Gesen.), not of the juniper (Jerome, the Rabbins, and the older expositors), furnish the best wood-coals in the opinion of the Arabs (Burckhardt, Reisen in Syrien II., 791, 1073. Robinson, Palestine, I., 336). They retain the glow longest, and, therefore, along with sharp arrows, are a suitable figure in the present connection. It is not said that the arrows were sharpened with broom-tree coals, or hardened, pointed in them (older expositors cited in De Wette), or that they were burning (Knapp). The particular term is perhaps chosen in allusion to the mention made in the following verse of an abode in the tents of Kedar, a predatory Arab tribe (Gen 10:2; Isa 42:11; Isa 60:7; Sol. Son 1:5). But it does not follow from this, any more than it does from the cry of woe, (Calv., J. H. Mich.), that Psa 120:4 should be severed from the preceding verse.
Psa 120:5-6. Neither can Psa 120:4 be combined with the following verse, as though it represented the same historical situation. For we cannot justify the ingenious change of the reading into (Hupfeld), in order to gain the meaning: the arrows of a warrior are sharp in the tents of Rethamim, according to the analogy of Psa 120:5, and the similar proper name in Num 33:18. Moreover Mesech is named besides, along with Kedar, as a place of residence. This name points to a region between the Caspian and Black Seas in the far North near Magog (Eze 38:2). The attempts which have been made to bring it into connection with Damascus (Hitzig), or to refer it to another Ishmaelitish tribe elsewhere unmentioned (Olshausen), or to explain it appellatively of the long duration of the abode in a strange land (Sept. et al.) and thus to do away with the proper name, have arisen from the difficulty of assigning to the author a residence among two tribes so far apart, especially when such residence is also described as still continuing. Most expositors, therefore, since Saadias and Calvin, regard both names as figurative designations of rude and hostile companions. These are supposed by some to have been the nations among whom the Jews lived in the Exile; by others, the Samaritans, who retarded the re-building of the city; by others still, the tribes among whom the people of God dwelt during the dispersion.
[Psa 120:7. Delitzsch: He, for his part is peace, (comp. Micah 9:4; Psa 109:4; Psa 110:3), inasmuch as love of peace, readiness for peace, and longing for peace fills his soul: yet, if he does but open his mouth, they are for war, their voice and conduct become hostile at once. . . . The Psalm ends with the shrill dissonance of and . The cry for help, with which it begins, lingers hovering over that discord, longing for its removal.J. F. M.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
To him who seeks peace, it is not always granted, in this world, to live in peace with those about him. He must often, and sometimes for a long period, have the bitterest experiences of their quarrelsome and hostile dispositions, and suffer much pain from their sore and malicious attacks by word and act. But the living God remains ever his Refuge, and the blessed experience of prayers, heard in times past, strengthens and encourages his faith in the coming of a like blessing in the troubled present, and his hopes of deliverance after renewed supplication.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
The pious have no peace in the world, but they can rest in God.Wounds, inflicted by a sharp and malicious tongue, burn more severely than fire does, but God has a balm for them.Blessed is he, who, though experiencing suffering in this evil world, experiences deliverance too, from answers to prayer.
Starke: Liars and calumniators are the most injurious people in the world, and yet they injure none as much as they do themselves; for they are accursed, and an abomination unto God.The kingdom of the devil is a kingdom of lies, and will in all likelihood, continue so, but Christs kingdom is one of eternal truth, whose fruit is peace and love.The true Church has ever to dwell among the most cruel enemies, and under oppression. Frisch: It is much easier to heal a severe wound, than to repair the effects of a calumny circulated by lying tongues.Guenther: The troubled, filthy spring of evil speaking is selfishness, envy, hatred of brethren, departure from God. If therefore, it is a sure mark of godlessness, and of a carnal disposition, to slander ones brother, it is not to be wondered at, if the children of light have to suffer most from such poisonous arrows.Taube: He who has entered into communion with the God of peace, through the blood of reconciliation, is a child of peace (Mat 5:9), while the wicked are like the troubled sea, which can never rest. (Isa 57:20 f.).
[Bp. Horne: Marvel not, O disciple of Jesus! if the world hate and oppose thee, but pray only that, when thou shalt be used as He was, thou mayest be enabled to bear that usage as He did.
Barnes: I cried unto the Lord, etc,. I had no other resource. I could not meet the slander, I could not refute it. I could not prevent its effects on my reputation, and all that I could do was to commit the case to the Lord.There is a world of peace, and the peace of heaven will be all the more grateful and blessed, when we go up to it from such a scene of conflict and war.J. F. M.].
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
Here are the breathings of a devout soul under distress; and the soul finding confidence at the mercy-seat, reproves some ungodly person that assaulted him.
A Song of degrees.
Psa 120:1
I detain the Reader at the opening of this Psalm, just to make a short observation on the title, which is quite new, and which is first placed at the head of this Psalm, and then at the head of fourteen others which immediately follow. It is called a song of degrees. But what the term means is all matter of conjecture: the most generally received opinion is, that those fifteen songs were composed for the temple service. The great point for believers to be interested about, is to cover Christ in them. And if we find him in any and in every degree, the Psalm will be blessed. If we discern nothing of him through the Psalm, it will not in any degree prove profitable. I venture to think, however, that principally with reference to Jesus by the Spirit of prophecy was this Psalm written. Some have thought that David wrote it about the matter of Doeg, in his accusing David to Saul, 1Sa 22:181Sa 22:18 . But really the subject of David’s personal distresses, however great to himself, could not be sufficiently interesting to become a subject for the temple service. If, however, we drop Doeg, and hold up Judas; and if we consider the exercises of the Lord Jesus, David’s Lord, on account of this traitor; in this sense the Psalm becomes truly great and interesting; and we shall then find occasion to bless the Holy Ghost that, a thousand years before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, he graciously taught the church such things concerning her Lord. The first prominent feature in this Psalm, is the cry of the soul, and the sure answer of Jehovah: so saith Paul concerning Christ, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, was heard in that he feared, Heb 5:7 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
PSALMS
XI
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS
According to my usual custom, when taking up the study of a book of the Bible I give at the beginning a list of books as helps to the study of that book. The following books I heartily commend on the Psalms:
1. Sampey’s Syllabus for Old Testament Study . This is especially good on the grouping and outlining of some selected psalms. There are also some valuable suggestions on other features of the book.
2. Kirkpatrick’g commentary, in “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges,” is an excellent aid in the study of the Psalter.
3. Perowne’s Book of Psalms is a good, scholarly treatise on the Psalms. A special feature of this commentary is the author’s “New Translation” and his notes are very helpful.
4. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David. This is just what the title implies. It is a voluminous, devotional interpretation of the Psalms and helpful to those who have the time for such extensive study of the Psalter.
5. Hengstenburg on the Psalms. This is a fine, scholarly work by one of the greatest of the conservative German scholars.
6. Maclaren on the Psalms, in “The Expositor’s Bible,” is the work of the world’s safest, sanest, and best of all works that have ever been written on the Psalms.
7. Thirtle on the Titles of the Psalms. This is the best on the subject and well worth a careful study.
At this point some definitions are in order. The Hebrew word for psalm means praise. The word in English comes from psalmos , a song of lyrical character, or a song to be sung and accompanied with a lyre. The Psalter is a collection of sacred and inspired songs, composed at different times and by different authors.
The range of time in composition was more than 1,000 years, or from the time of Moses to the time of Ezra. The collection in its present form was arranged probably by Ezra in the fifth century, B.C.
The Jewish classification of Old Testament books was The Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. The Psalms was given the first place in the last group.
They had several names, or titles, of the Psalms. In Hebrew they are called “The Book of Prayers,” or “The Book of Praises.” The Hebrew word thus used means praises. The title of the first two books is found in Psa 72:20 : “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The title of the whole collection of Psalms in the Septuagint is Biblos Psalman which means the “Book of Psalms.” The title in the Alexandrian Codex is Psalterion which is the name of a stringed instrument, and means “The Psalter.”
The derivation of our English words, “psalms,” “psalter,” and “psaltery,” respectively, is as follows:
1. “Psalms” comes from the Greek word, psalmoi, which is also from psallein , which means to play upon a stringed instrument. Therefore the Psalms are songs played upon stringed instruments, and the word here is used to apply to the whole collection.
2. “Psalter” is of the same origin and means the Book of Psalms and refers also to the whole collection.
3. “Psaltery” is from the word psalterion, which means “a harp,” an instrument, supposed to be in the shape of a triangle or like the delta of the Greek alphabet. See Psa 33:2 ; Psa 71:22 ; Psa 81:2 ; Psa 144:9 .
In our collection there are 150 psalms. In the Septuagint there is one extra. It is regarded as being outside the sacred collection and not inspired. The subject of this extra psalm is “David’s victory over Goliath.” The following is a copy of it: I was small among my brethren, And youngest in my father’s house, I used to feed my father’s sheep. My hands made a harp, My fingers fashioned a Psaltery. And who will declare unto my Lord? He is Lord, he it is who heareth. He it was who sent his angel And took me from my father’s sheep, And anointed me with the oil of his anointing. My brethren were goodly and tall, But the Lord took no pleasure in them. I went forth to meet the Philistine. And he cursed me by his idols But I drew the sword from beside him; I beheaded him and removed reproach from the children of Israel.
It will be noted that this psalm does not have the earmarks of an inspired production. There is not found in it the modesty so characteristic of David, but there is here an evident spirit of boasting and self-praise which is foreign to the Spirit of inspiration.
There is a difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint. Omitting the extra one in the Septuagint, there is no difference as to the total number. Both have 150 and the same subject matter, but they are not divided alike.
The following scheme shows the division according to our version and also the Septuagint: Psalms 1-8 in the Hebrew equal 1-8 in the Septuagint; 9-10 in the Hebrew combine into 9 in the Septuagint; 11-113 in the Hebrew equal 10-112 in the Septuagint; 114-115 in the Hebrew combine into 113 in the Septuagint; 116 in the Hebrew divides into 114-115 in the Septuagint; 117-146 in the Hebrew equal 116-145 in the Septuagint; 147 in the Hebrew divides into 146-147 in the Septuagint; 148-150 in the Hebrew equal 148-150 in the Septuagint.
The arrangement in the Vulgate is the same as the Septuagint. Also some of the older English versions have this arangement. Another difficulty in numbering perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another, viz: In the Hebrew often the title is verse I, and sometimes the title embraces verses 1-2.
The book divisions of the Psalter are five books, as follows:
Book I, Psalms 1-41 (41 chapters)
Book II, Psalms 42-72 (31 chapters)
Book III, Psalms 73-89 (17 chapters)
Book IV, Psalms 90-106 (17 chapters)
Book V, Psalms 107-150 (44 chapters)
They are marked by an introduction and a doxology. Psalm I forms an introduction to the whole book; Psa 150 is the doxology for the whole book. The introduction and doxology of each book are the first and last psalms of each division, respectively.
There were smaller collections before the final one, as follows:
Books I and II were by David; Book III, by Hezekiah, and Books IV and V, by Ezra.
Certain principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection:
1. David is honored with first place, Book I and II, including Psalms 1-72.
2. They are grouped according to the use of the name of God:
(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovah psalms;
(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohim-psalms;
(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovah psalms.
3. Book IV is introduced by the psalm of Moses, which is the first psalm written.
4. Some are arranged as companion psalms, for instance, sometimes two, sometimes three, and sometimes more. Examples: Psa 2 and 3; 22, 23, and 24; 113-118.
5. They were arranged for liturgical purposes, which furnished the psalms for special occasions, such as feasts, etc. We may be sure this arrangement was not accidental. An intelligent study of each case is convincing that it was determined upon rational grounds.
All the psalms have titles but thirty-three, as follows:
In Book I, Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 33 , (4 are without titles).
In Book II, Psa 43 ; Psa 71 , (2 are without titles).
In Book IV, Psa 91 ; Psa 93 ; Psa 94 ; Psa 95 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 97 ; Psa 104 ; Psa 105 ; Psa 106 , (9 are without titles).
In Book V, Psa 107 ; III; 112; 113; 114; 115; 116; 117; 118; 119; 135; 136; 137; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150, (18 are without titles).
The Talmud calls these psalms that have no title, “Orphan Psalms.” The later Jews supply these titles by taking the nearest preceding author. The lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; and 10 may be accounted for as follows: Psa 1 is a general introduction to the whole collection and Psa 2 was, perhaps, a part of Psa 1 . Psalms 9-10 were formerly combined into one, therefore Psa 10 has the same title as Psa 9 .
QUESTIONS
1. What books are commended on the Psalms?
2. What is a psalm?
3. What is the Psalter?
4. What is the range of time in composition?
5. When and by whom was the collection in its present form arranged?
6. What the Jewish classification of Old Testament books, and what the position of the Psalter in this classification?
7. What is the Hebrew title of the Psalms?
8. Find the title of the first two books from the books themselves.
9. What is the title of the whole collection of psalms in the Septuagint?
10. What is the title in the Alexandrian Codex?
11. What is the derivation of our English word, “Psalms”, “Psalter”, and “Psaltery,” respectively?
12. How many psalms in our collection?
13. How many psalms in the Septuagint?
14. What about the extra one in the Septuagint?
15. What is the subject of this extra psalm?
16. How does it compare with the Canonical Psalms?
17. What is the difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint?
18. What is the arrangement in the Vulgate?
19. What other difficulty in numbering which perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another?
20. What are the book divisions of the Psalter and how are these divisions marked?
21. Were there smaller collections before the final one? If so, what were they?
22. What principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection?
23. In what conclusion may we rest concerning this arrangement?
24. How many of the psalms have no titles?
25. What does the Talmud call these psalms that have no titles?
26. How do later Jews supply these titles?
27. How do you account for the lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ?
XII
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS (CONTINUED)
The following is a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms:
1. The author: “A Psalm of David” (Psa 37 ).
2. The occasion: “When he fled from Absalom, his son” (Psa 3 ).
3. The nature, or character, of the poem:
(1) Maschil, meaning “instruction,” a didactic poem (Psa 42 ).
(2) Michtam, meaning “gold,” “A Golden Psalm”; this means excellence or mystery (Psa 16 ; 56-60).
4. The occasion of its use: “A Psalm of David for the dedication of the house” (Psa 30 ).
5. Its purpose: “A Psalm of David to bring remembrance” (Psa 38 ; Psa 70 ).
6. Direction for its use: “A Psalm of David for the chief musician” (Psa 4 ).
7. The kind of musical instrument:
(1) Neginoth, meaning to strike a chord, as on stringed instruments (Psa 4 ; Psa 61 ).
(2) Nehiloth, meaning to perforate, as a pipe or flute (Psa 5 ).
(3) Shoshannim, Lilies, which refers probably to cymbals (Psa 45 ; Psa 69 ).
8. A special choir:
(1) Sheminith, the “eighth,” or octave below, as a male choir (Psa 6 ; Psa 12 ).
(2) Alamoth, female choir (Psa 46 ).
(3) Muth-labben, music with virgin voice, to be sung by a choir of boys in the treble (Psa 9 ).
9. The keynote, or tune:
(1) Aijeleth-sharar, “Hind of the morning,” a song to the melody of which this is sung (Psa 22 ).
(2) Al-tashheth, “Destroy thou not,” the beginning of a song the tune of which is sung (Psa 57 ; Psa 58 ; Psa 59 ; Psa 75 ).
(3) Gittith, set to the tune of Gath, perhaps a tune which David brought from Gath (Psa 8 ; Psa 81 ; Psa 84 ).
(4) Jonath-elim-rehokim, “The dove of the distant terebinths,” the commencement of an ode to the air of which this song was to be sung (Psa 56 ).
(5) Leannoth, the name of a tune (Psa 88 ).
(6) Mahalath, an instrument (Psa 53 ); Leonnoth-Mahaloth, to chant to a tune called Mahaloth.
(7) Shiggaion, a song or a hymn.
(8) Shushan-Eduth, “Lily of testimony,” a tune (Psa 60 ). Note some examples: (1) “America,” “Shiloh,” “Auld Lang Syne.” These are the names of songs such as we are familiar with; (2) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” are examples of sacred hymns.
10. The liturgical use, those noted for the feasts, e.g., the Hallels and Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-150).
11. The destination, as “Song of Ascents” (Psalms 120-134)
12. The direction for the music, such as Selah, which means “Singers, pause”; Higgaion-Selah, to strike a symphony with selah, which means an instrumental interlude (Psa 9:16 ).
The longest and fullest title to any of the psalms is the title to Psa 60 . The items of information from this title are as follows: (1) the author; (2) the chief musician; (3) the historical occasion; (4) the use, or design; (5) the style of poetry; (6) the instrument or style of music.
The parts of these superscriptions which most concern us now are those indicating author, occasion, and date. As to the historic value or trustworthiness of these titles most modern scholars deny that they are a part of the Hebrew text, but the oldest Hebrew text of which we know anything had all of them. This is the text from which the Septuagint was translated. It is much more probable that the author affixed them than later writers. There is no internal evidence in any of the psalms that disproves the correctness of them, but much to confirm. The critics disagree among themselves altogether as to these titles. Hence their testimony cannot consistently be received. Nor can it ever be received until they have at least agreed upon a common ground of opposition.
David is the author of more than half the entire collection, the arrangement of which is as follows:
1. Seventy-three are ascribed to him in the superscriptions.
2. Some of these are but continuations of the preceding ones of a pair, trio, or larger group.
3. Some of the Korahite Psalms are manifestly Davidic.
4. Some not ascribed to him in the titles are attributed to him expressly by New Testament writers.
5. It is not possible to account for some parts of the Psalter without David. The history of his early life as found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1and 2 Chronicles, not only shows his remarkable genius for patriotic and sacred songs and music, but also shows his cultivation of that gift in the schools of the prophets. Some of these psalms of the history appear in the Psalter itself. It is plain to all who read these that they are founded on experience, and the experience of no other Hebrew fits the case. These experiences are found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.
As to the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition, I have this to say:
1. This theory has no historical support whatever, and therefore is not to be accepted at all.
2. It has no support in tradition, which weakens the contention of the critics greatly.
3. It has no support from finding any one with the necessary experience for their basis.
4. They can give no reasonable account as to how the titles ever got there.
5. It is psychologically impossible for anyone to have written these 150 psalms in the Maccabean times.
6. Their position is expressly contrary to the testimony of Christ and the apostles. Some of the psalms which they ascribe to the Maccabean Age are attributed to David by Christ himself, who said that David wrote them in the Spirit.
The obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result if it be Just, is a positive denial of the inspiration of both Testaments.
Other authors are named in the titles, as follows: (1) Asaph, to whom twelve psalms have been assigned: (2) Mosee, Psa 90 ; (3) Solomon, Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ; (4) Heman, Psa 80 ; (5) Ethem, Psa 89 ; (6) A number of the psalms are ascribed to the sons of Korah.
Not all the psalms ascribed to Asaph were composed by one person. History indicates that Asaph’s family presided over the song service for several generations. Some of them were composed by his descendants by the game name. The five general outlines of the whole collection are as follows:
I. By books
1. Psalms 1-41 (41)
2. Psalms 42-72 (31)
3. Psalms 73-89 (17)
4. Psalms 90-106 (17)
5. Psalms 107-150 (44)
II. According to date and authorship
1. The psalm of Moses (Psa 90 )
2. Psalms of David:
(1) The shepherd boy (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 ).
(2) David when persecuted by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ).
(3) David the King (Psa 101 ; Psa 18 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 110 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 21 ; Psa 60 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 3:4 ; Psa 64 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 ).
3. The Asaph Psalms (Psa 50 ; Psa 73 ; Psa 83 ).
4. The Korahite Psalms (Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 84 ).
5. The psalms of Solomon (Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ).
6. The psalms of the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah (Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 )
7. The psalms of the Exile (Psa 74 ; Psa 79 ; Psa 137 ; Psa 102 )
8. The psalms of the Restoration (Psa 85 ; Psa 126 ; Psa 118 ; 146-150)
III. By groups
1. The Jehovistic and Elohistic Psalms:
(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovistic;
(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohistic Psalms;
(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovistic.
2. The Penitential Psalms (Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 )
3. The Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120-134)
4. The Alphabetical Psalms (Psa 9 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 37 ; 111:112; Psa 119 ; Psa 145 )
5. The Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 11-113; 115-117; 146-150; to which may be added Psa 135 ) Psalms 113-118 are called “the Egyptian Hallel”
IV. Doctrines of the Psalms
1. The throne of grace and how to approach it by sacrifice, prayer, and praise.
2. The covenant, the basis of worship.
3. The paradoxical assertions of both innocence & guilt.
4. The pardon of sin and justification.
5. The Messiah.
6. The future life, pro and con.
7. The imprecations.
8. Other doctrines.
V. The New Testament use of the Psalms
1. Direct references and quotations in the New Testament.
2. The allusions to the psalms in the New Testament. Certain experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart, such as: (1) his peaceful early life; (2) his persecution by Saul; (3) his being crowned king of the people; (4) the bringing up of the ark; (5) his first great sin; (6) Absalom’s rebellion; (7) his second great sin; (8) the great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 ; (9) the feelings of his old age.
We may classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time, thus:
1. His peaceful early life (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 )
2. His persecution by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 7 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 120 ; Psa 140 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ; Psa 17 ; Psa 18 )
3. Making David King (Psa 27 ; Psa 133 ; Psa 101 )
4. Bringing up the ark (Psa 68 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 15 ; Psa 78 ; Psa 96 )
5. His first great sin (Psa 51 ; Psa 32 )
6. Absalom’s rebellion (Psa 41 ; Psa 6 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 109 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 39 ; Psa 3 ; Psa 4 ; Psa 63 ; Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 5 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 )
7. His second great sin (Psa 69 ; Psa 71 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 103 )
8. The great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 (Psa 2 )
9. Feelings of old age (Psa 37 )
The great doctrines of the psalms may be noted as follows: (1) the being and attributes of God; (3) sin, both original and individual; (3) both covenants; (4) the doctrine of justification; (5) concerning the Messiah.
There is a striking analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms. The Pentateuch contains five books of law; the Psalms contain five books of heart responses to the law.
It is interesting to note the historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms. These were controversies about singing uninspired songs, in the Middle Ages. The church would not allow anything to be used but psalms.
The history in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah is very valuable toward a proper interpretation of the psalms. These books furnish the historical setting for a great many of the psalms which is very indispensable to their proper interpretation.
Professor James Robertson, in the Poetry and Religion of the Psalms constructs a broad and strong argument in favor of the Davidic Psalms, as follows:
1. The age of David furnished promising soil for the growth of poetry.
2. David’s qualifications for composing the psalms make it highly probable that David is the author of the psalms ascribed to him.
3. The arguments against the possibility of ascribing to David any of the hymns in the Hebrew Psalter rests upon assumptions that are thoroughly antibiblical.
The New Testament makes large use of the psalms and we learn much as to their importance in teaching. There are seventy direct quotations in the New Testament from this book, from which we learn that the Scriptures were used extensively in accord with 2Ti 3:16-17 . There are also eleven references to the psalms in the New Testament from which we learn that the New Testament writers were thoroughly imbued with the spirit and teaching of the psalms. Then there are eight allusions ‘to this book in the New Testament from which we gather that the Psalms was one of the divisions of the Old Testament and that they were used in the early church.
QUESTIONS
1. Give a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms.
2. What is the longest title to any of the psalms and what the items of this title?
3. What parts of these superscriptions most concern us now?
4. What is the historic value, or trustworthiness of these titles?
5. State the argument showing David’s relation to the psalms.
6. What have you to say of the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition?
7. What the obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result, if it be just?
8. What other authors are named in the titles?
9. Were all the psalms ascribed to Asaph composed by one person?
10. Give the five general outlines of the whole collection, as follows: I. The outline by books II. The outline according to date and authorship III. The outline by groups IV. The outline of doctrines V. The outline by New Testament quotations or allusions.
11. What experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart?
12. Classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time.
13. What the great doctrines of the psalms?
14. What analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms?
15. What historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms?
16. Of what value is the history in Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah toward a proper interpretation of the psalms?
17. Give Professor James Robertson’s argument in favor of the Davidic authorship of the psalms.
18. What can you say of the New Testament use of the psalms and what do we learn as to their importance in teaching?
19. What can you say of the New Testament references to the psalms, and from the New Testament references what the impression on the New Testament writers?
20. What can you say of the allusions to the psalms in the New Testament?
XVII
THE MESSIAH IN THE PSALMS
A fine text for this chapter is as follows: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Psalms concerning me,” Luk 24:44 . I know of no better way to close my brief treatise on the Psalms than to discuss the subject of the Messiah as revealed in this book.
Attention has been called to the threefold division of the Old Testament cited by our Lord, namely, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luk 24:44 ), in all of which were the prophecies relating to himself that “must be fulfilled.” It has been shown just what Old Testament books belong to each of these several divisions. The division called the Psalms included many books, styled Holy Writings, and because the Psalms proper was the first book of the division it gave the name to the whole division.
The object of this discussion is to sketch the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah, or rather, to show how nearly a complete picture of our Lord is foredrawn in this one book. Let us understand however with Paul, that all prophecy is but in part (1Co 13:9 ), and that when we fill in on one canvas all the prophecies concerning the Messiah of all the Old Testament divisions, we are far from having a perfect portrait of our Lord. The present purpose is limited to three things:
1. What the book of the Psalms teaches concerning the Messiah.
2. That the New Testament shall authoritatively specify and expound this teaching.
3. That the many messianic predictions scattered over the book and the specifications thereof over the New Testament may be grouped into an orderly analysis, so that by the adjustment of the scattered parts we may have before us a picture of our Lord as foreseen by the psalmists.
In allowing the New Testament to authoritatively specify and expound the predictive features of the book, I am not unmindful of what the so-called “higher critics” urge against the New Testament quotations from the Old Testament and the use made of them. In this discussion, however, these objections are not considered, for sufficient reasons. There is not space for it. Even at the risk of being misjudged I must just now summarily pass all these objections, dismissing them with a single statement upon which the reader may place his own estimate of value. That statement is that in the days of my own infidelity, before this old method of criticism had its new name, I was quite familiar with the most and certainly the strongest of the objections now classified as higher criticism, and have since patiently re-examined them in their widely conflicting restatements under their modern name, and find my faith in the New Testament method of dealing with the Old Testament in no way shattered, but in every way confirmed. God is his own interpreter. The Old Testament as we now have it was in the hands of our Lord. I understand his apostle to declare, substantially, that “every one of these sacred scriptures is God-inspired and is profitable for teaching us what is right to believe and to do, for convincing us what is wrong in faith or practice, for rectifying the wrong when done, that we may be ready at every point, furnished completely, to do every good work, at the right time, in the right manner, and from the proper motive” (2Ti 3:16-17 ).
This New Testament declares that David was a prophet (Act 2:30 ), that he spake by the Holy Spirit (Act 1:16 ), that when the book speaks the Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7 ), and that all its predictive utterances, as sacred Scripture, “must be fulfilled” (Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:16 ). It is not claimed that David wrote all the psalms, but that all are inspired, and that as he was the chief author, the book goes by his name.
It would be a fine thing to make out two lists, as follows:
1. All of the 150 psalms in order from which the New Testament quotes with messianic application.
2. The New Testament quotations, book by book, i.e., Matthew so many, and then the other books in their order.
We would find in neither of these any order as to time, that is, Psa 1 which forecasts an incident in the coming Messiah’s life does not forecast the first incident of his life. And even the New Testament citations are not in exact order as to time and incident of his life. To get the messianic picture before us, therefore, we must put the scattered parts together in their due relation and order, and so construct our own analysis. That is the prime object of this discussion. It is not claimed that the analysis now presented is perfect. It is too much the result of hasty, offhand work by an exceedingly busy man. It will serve, however, as a temporary working model, which any one may subsequently improve. We come at once to the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah.
1. The necessity for a Saviour. This foreseen necessity is a background of the psalmists’ portrait of the Messiah. The necessity consists in (1) man’s sinfulness; (2) his sin; (3) his inability of wisdom and power to recover himself; (4) the insufficiency of legal, typical sacrifices in securing atonement.
The predicate of Paul’s great argument on justification by faith is the universal depravity and guilt of man. He is everywhere corrupt in nature; everywhere an actual transgressor; everywhere under condemnation. But the scriptural proofs of this depravity and sin the apostle draws mainly from the book of the Psalms. In one paragraph of the letter to the Romans (Rom 3:4-18 ), he cites and groups six passages from six divisions of the Psalms (Psa 5:9 ; Psa 10:7 ; Psa 14:1-3 ; Psa 36:1 ; Psa 51:4-6 ; Psa 140:3 ). These passages abundantly prove man’s sinfulness, or natural depravity, and his universal practice of sin.
The predicate also of the same apostle’s great argument for revelation and salvation by a Redeemer is man’s inability of wisdom and power to re-establish communion with God. In one of his letters to the Corinthians he thus commences his argument: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? -For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preach-ing to save them that believe.” He closes this discussion with the broad proposition: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” and proves it by a citation from Psa 94:11 : “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”
In like manner our Lord himself pours scorn on human wisdom and strength by twice citing Psa 8 : “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Mat 11:25-26 ). “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Mat 21:15-16 ).
But the necessity for a Saviour as foreseen by the psalmist did not stop at man’s depravity, sin, and helplessness. The Jews were trusting in the sacrifices of their law offered on the smoking altar. The inherent weakness of these offerings, their lack of intrinsic merit, their ultimate abolition, their complete fulfilment and supercession by a glorious antitype were foreseen and foreshown in this wonderful prophetic book: I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; And thy burnt offerings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, Nor he-goat out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all of the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Psa 50:8-13 .
Yet again it speaks in that more striking passage cited in the letter to the Hebrews: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers, once purged should have no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, But a body didst thou prepare for me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure: Then said I, Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of me) To do thy will, O God. Saying above, Sacrifice and offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, (the which are offered according to the law), then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:1-9 ).
This keen foresight of the temporary character and intrinsic worthlessness of animal sacrifices anticipated similar utterances by the later prophets (Isa 1:10-17 ; Jer 6:20 ; Jer 7:21-23 ; Hos 6:6 ; Amo 5:21 ; Mic 6:6-8 ). Indeed, I may as well state in passing that when the apostle declares, “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” he lays down a broad principle, just as applicable to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. With reverence I state the principle: Not even God himself by mere appointment can vest in any ordinance, itself lacking intrinsic merit, the power to take away sin. There can be, therefore, in the nature of the case, no sacramental salvation. This would destroy the justice of God in order to exalt his mercy. Clearly the psalmist foresaw that “truth and mercy must meet together” before “righteousness and peace could kiss each other” (Psa 85:10 ). Thus we find as the dark background of the psalmists’ luminous portrait of the Messiah, the necessity for a Saviour.
2. The nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah. In no other prophetic book are the nature, fullness, and blessedness of salvation so clearly seen and so vividly portrayed. Besides others not now enumerated, certainly the psalmists clearly forecast four great elements of salvation:
(1) An atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit offered once for all (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:4-10 ).
(2) Regeneration itself consisting of cleansing, renewal, and justification. We hear his impassioned statement of the necessity of regeneration: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” followed by his earnest prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” and his equally fervent petition: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa 51 ). And we hear him again as Paul describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin Psa 32:1 ; Rom 4:6-8 .
(3) Introduction into the heavenly rest (Psa 95:7-11 ; Heb 3:7-19 ; Heb 4:1-11 ). Here is the antitypical Joshua leading spiritual Israel across the Jordan of death into the heavenly Canaan, the eternal rest that remaineth for the people of God. Here we find creation’s original sabbath eclipsed by redemption’s greater sabbath when the Redeemer “entered his rest, ceasing from his own works as God did from his.”
(4) The recovery of all the universal dominion lost by the first Adam and the securement of all possible dominion which the first Adam never attained (Psa 8:5-6 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 ; 1Co 15:24-28 ).
What vast extent then and what blessedness in the salvation foreseen by the psalmists, and to be wrought by the Messiah. Atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit; regeneration by the Holy Spirit; heavenly rest as an eternal inheritance; and universal dominion shared with Christ!
3. The wondrous person of the Messiah in his dual nature, divine and human.
(1) His divinity,
(a) as God: “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Psa 45:6 and Heb 1:8 ) ;
(b) as creator of the heavens and earth, immutable and eternal: Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end Psa 102:25-27 quoted with slight changes in Heb 1:10-12 .
(c) As owner of the earth: The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein, Psa 24:1 quoted in 1Co 10:26 .
(d) As the Son of God: “Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee” Psa 2:7 ; Heb 1:5 .
(e) As David’s Lord: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:41-46 .
(f) As the object of angelic worship: “And let all the angels of God worship him” Psa 97:7 ; Heb 1:6 .
(g) As the Bread of life: And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven Psa 78:24 ; interpreted in Joh 6:31-58 . These are but samples which ascribe deity to the Messiah of the psalmists.
(2) His humanity, (a) As the Son of man, or Son of Adam: Psa 8:4-6 , cited in 1Co 15:24-28 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Compare Luke’s genealogy, Luk 3:23-38 . This is the ideal man, or Second Adam, who regains Paradise Lost, who recovers race dominion, in whose image all his spiritual lineage is begotten. 1Co 15:45-49 . (b) As the Son of David: Psa 18:50 ; Psa 89:4 ; Psa 89:29 ; Psa 89:36 ; Psa 132:11 , cited in Luk 1:32 ; Act 13:22-23 ; Rom 1:3 ; 2Ti 2:8 . Perhaps a better statement of the psalmists’ vision of the wonderful person of the Messiah would be: He saw the uncreated Son, the second person of the trinity, in counsel and compact with the Father, arranging in eternity for the salvation of men: Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 . Then he saw this Holy One stoop to be the Son of man: Psa 8:4-6 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Then he was the son of David, and then he saw him rise again to be the Son of God: Psa 2:7 ; Rom 1:3-4 .
4. His offices.
(1) As the one atoning sacrifice (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 ).
(2) As the great Prophet, or Preacher (Psa 40:9-10 ; Psa 22:22 ; Heb 2:12 ). Even the method of his teaching by parable was foreseen (Psa 78:2 ; Mat 13:35 ). Equally also the grace, wisdom, and power of his teaching. When the psalmist declares that “Grace is poured into thy lips” (Psa 45:2 ), we need not be startled when we read that all the doctors in the Temple who heard him when only a boy “were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luk 2:47 ); nor that his home people at Nazareth “all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luk 4:22 ); nor that those of his own country were astonished, and said, “Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Mat 13:54 ); nor that the Jews in the Temple marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (Joh 7:15 ) ; nor that the stern officers of the law found their justification in failure to arrest him in the declaration, “Never man spake like this man” (Joh 7:46 ).
(3) As the king (Psa 2:6 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 45:1-17 ; Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:42-46 ; Act 2:33-36 ; 1Co 15:25 ; Eph 1:20 ; Heb 1:13 ).
(4) As the priest (Psa 110:4 ; Heb 5:5-10 ; Heb 7:1-21 ; Heb 10:12-14 ).
(5) As the final judge. The very sentence of expulsion pronounced upon the finally impenitent by the great judge (Mat 25:41 ) is borrowed from the psalmist’s prophetic words (Psa 6:8 ).
5. Incidents of life. The psalmists not only foresaw the necessity for a Saviour; the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation; the wonderful human-divine person of the Saviour; the offices to be filled by him in the work of salvation, but also many thrilling details of his work in life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. It is not assumed to cite all these details, but some of the most important are enumerated in order, thus:
(1) The visit, adoration, and gifts of the Magi recorded in Mat 2 are but partial fulfilment of Psa 72:9-10 .
(2) The scripture employed by Satan in the temptation of our Lord (Luk 4:10-11 ) was cited from Psa 91:11-12 and its pertinency not denied.
(3) In accounting for his intense earnestness and the apparently extreme measures adopted by our Lord in his first purification of the Temple (Joh 2:17 ), he cites the messianic zeal predicted in Psa 69:9 .
(4) Alienation from his own family was one of the saddest trials of our Lord’s earthly life. They are slow to understand his mission and to enter into sympathy with him. His self-abnegation and exhaustive toil were regarded by them as evidences of mental aberration, and it seems at one time they were ready to resort to forcible restraint of his freedom) virtually what in our time would be called arrest under a writ of lunacy. While at the last his half-brothers became distinguished preachers of his gospel, for a long while they do not believe on him. And the evidence forces us to the conclusion that his own mother shared with her other sons, in kind though not in degree, the misunderstanding of the supremacy of his mission over family relations. The New Testament record speaks for itself:
Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them Luk 2:48-51 (R.V.).
And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. Joh 2:3-5 (R.V.).
And there come his mother and his brethren; and standing without; they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother Mar 3:31-35 (R.V.).
Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest. For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world. For even his brethren did not believe on him. Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil. Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; because my time is not fulfilled. Joh 7:2-9 (R.V.).
These citations from the Revised Version tell their own story. But all that sad story is foreshown in the prophetic psalms. For example: I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother’s children. Psa 69:8 .
(5) The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was welcomed by a joyous people shouting a benediction from Psa 118:26 : “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mat 21:9 ); and the Lord’s lamentation over Jerusalem predicts continued desolation and banishment from his sight until the Jews are ready to repeat that benediction (Mat 23:39 ).
(6) The children’s hosanna in the Temple after its second purgation is declared by our Lord to be a fulfilment of that perfect praise forecast in Psa 8:2 .
(7) The final rejection of our Lord by his own people was also clear in the psalmist’s vision (Psa 118:22 ; Mat 21:42-44 ).
(8) Gethsemane’s baptism of suffering, with its strong crying and tears and prayers was as clear to the psalmist’s prophetic vision as to the evangelist and apostle after it became history (Psa 69:1-4 ; Psa 69:13-20 ; and Mat 26:36-44 ; Heb 5:7 ).
(9) In life-size also before the psalmist was the betrayer of Christ and his doom (Psa 41:9 ; Psa 69:25 ; Psa 109:6-8 ; Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:20 ).
(10) The rage of the people, Jew and Gentile, and the conspiracy of Pilate and Herod are clearly outlined (Psa 2:1-3 ; Act 4:25-27 ).
(11) All the farce of his trial the false accusation, his own marvelous silence; and the inhuman maltreatment to which he was subjected, is foreshown in the prophecy as dramatically as in the history (Mat 26:57-68 ; Mat 27:26-31 ; Psa 27:12 ; Psa 35:15-16 ; Psa 38:3 ; Psa 69:19 ).
The circumstances of his death, many and clear, are distinctly foreseen. He died in the prime of life (Psa 89:45 ; Psa 102:23-24 ). He died by crucifixion (Psa 22:14-17 ; Luk 23 ; 33; Joh 19:23-37 ; Joh 20:27 ). But yet not a bone of his body was broken (Psa 34:20 ; Joh 19:36 ).
The persecution, hatred without a cause, the mockery and insults, are all vividly and dramatically foretold (Psa 22:6-13 ; Psa 35:7 ; Psa 35:12 ; Psa 35:15 ; Psa 35:21 ; Psa 109:25 ).
The parting of his garments and the gambling for his vesture (Psa 22:18 ; Mat 27:35 ).
His intense thirst and the gall and vinegar offered for his drink (Psa 69:21 ; Mat 27:34 ).
In the psalms, too, we hear his prayers for his enemies so remarkably fulfilled in fact (Psa 109:4 ; Luk 23:34 ).
His spiritual death was also before the eye of the psalmist, and the very words which expressed it the psalmist heard. Separation from the Father is spiritual death. The sinner’s substitute must die the sinner’s death, death physical, i.e., separation of soul from body; death spiritual, i.e., separation of the soul from God. The latter is the real death and must precede the former. This death the substitute died when he cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Psa 22:1 ; Mat 27:46 ).
Emerging from the darkness of that death, which was the hour of the prince of darkness, the psalmist heard him commend his spirit to the Father (Psa_31:35; Luk 23:46 ) showing that while he died the spiritual death, his soul was not permanently abandoned unto hell (Psa 16:8-10 ; Act 2:25 ) so that while he “tasted death” for every man it was not permanent death (Heb 2:9 ).
With equal clearness the psalmist foresaw his resurrection, his triumph over death and hell, his glorious ascension into heaven, and his exaltation at the right hand of God as King of kings and Lord of lords, as a high Driest forever, as invested with universal sovereignty (Psa 16:8-11 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 68:18 ; Psa 2:6 ; Psa 111:1-4 ; Psa 8:4-6 ; Act 2:25-36 ; Eph 1:19-23 ; Eph 4:8-10 ).
We see, therefore, brethren, when the scattered parts are put together and adjusted, how nearly complete a portrait of our Lord is put upon the prophetic canvas by this inspired limner, the sweet singer of Israel.
QUESTIONS
1. What is a good text for this chapter?
2. What is the threefold division of the Old Testament as cited by our Lord?
3. What is the last division called and why?
4. What is the object of the discussion in this chapter?
5. To what three things is the purpose limited?
6. What especially qualifies the author to meet the objections of the higher critics to allowing the New Testament usage of the Old Testament to determine its meaning and application?
7. What is the author’s conviction relative to the Scriptures?
8. What is the New Testament testimony on the question of inspiration?
9. What is the author’s suggested plan of approach to the study of the Messiah in the Psalms?
10. What the background of the Psalmist’s portrait of the Messiah and of what does it consist?
11. Give the substance of Paul’s discussion of man’s sinfulness.
12. What is the teaching of Jesus on this point?
13. What is the teaching relative to sacrifices?
14. What the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah and what the four great elements of it as forecast by the psalmist?
15. What is the teaching of the psalms relative to the wondrous person of the Messiah? Discuss.
16. What are the offices of the Messiah according to psalms? Discuss each.
17. Cite the more important events of the Messiah’s life according to the vision of the psalmist.
18. What the circumstances of the Messiah’s death and resurrection as foreseen by the psalmist?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
XVI
THE MESSIANIC PSALMS AND OTHERS
We commence this chapter by giving a classified list of the Messianic Psalms, as follows:
The Royal Psalms are:
Psa 110 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 72 ; Psa 45 ; Psa 89 ;
The Passion Psalms are:
Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 ;
The Psalms of the Ideal Man are Psa 8 ; Psa 16 ; Psa 40 ;
The Missionary Psalms are:
Psa 47 ; Psa 65 ; Psa 68 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 100 ; Psa 117 .
The predictions before David of the coming Messiah are, (1) the seed of the woman; (2) the seed of Abraham; (3) the seed of Judah; (4) the seed of David.
The prophecies of history concerning the Messiah are, (1) a prophet like unto Moses; (2) a priest after the order of Melchizedek; (3) a sacrifice which embraces all the sacrificial offerings of the Old Testament; (4) direct references to him as King, as in 2Sa 7:8 ff.
The messianic offices as taught in the psalms are four, viz: (1) The Messiah is presented as Prophet, or Teacher (Psa 40:8 ); (2) as Sacrifice, or an Offering for sin (Psa 40:6 ff.; Heb 10:5 ff.) ; (3) he is presented as Priest (Psa 110:4 ); (4) he is presented as King (Psa 45 ).
The psalms most clearly presenting the Messiah in his various phases and functions are as follows: (1) as the ideal man, or Second Adam (8); (2) as Prophet (Psa 40 ); (3) as Sacrifice (Psa 22 ) ; (4) as King (Psa 45 ) ; (5) as Priest (Psa 110 ) ; (6) in his universal reign (Psa 72 ).
It will be noted that other psalms teach these facts also, but these most clearly set forth the offices as they relate to the Messiah.
The Messiah as a sacrifice is presented in general in Psa 40:6 . His sufferings as such are given in a specific and general way in Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 . The events of his sufferings in particular are described, beginning with the betrayal of Judas, as follows:
1. Judas betrayed him (Mat 26:14 ) in fulfilment of Psa 41:9 .
2. At the Supper (Mat 26:24 ) Christ said, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him,” referring to Psa 22 .
3. They sang after the Supper in fulfilment of Psa 22:22 .
4. Piercing his hands and feet, Psa 22:16 .
5. They cast lots for his vesture in fulfilment of Psa 22:18 .
6. Just before the ninth hour the chief priests reviled him (Mat 27:43 ) in fulfilment of Psa 22:8 .
7. At the ninth hour (Mat 27:46 ) he quoted Psa 22:1 .
8. Near his death (Joh 19:28 ) he said, in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 , “I thirst.”
9. At that time they gave him vinegar (Mat 27:48 ) in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 .
10. When he was found dead they did not break his bones (Joh 19:36 ) in fulfilment of Psa 34:20 .
11. He is represented as dead, buried, and raised in Psa 16:10 .
12. His suffering as a substitute is described in Psa 69:9 .
13. The result of his crucifixion to them who crucified him is given in Psa 69:22-23 . Compare Rom 11:9-10 .
The Penitential Psalms are Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 . The occasion of Psa 6 was the grief and penitence of David over Absalom; of Psa 32 was the blessedness of forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah; Psa 38 , David’s reference to his sin with Bathsheba; Psa 51 , David’s penitence and prayer for forgiveness for this sin; Psa 102 , the penitence of the children of Israel on the eve of their return from captivity; Psalm 130, a general penitential psalm; Psa 143 , David’s penitence and prayer when pursued by Absalom.
The Pilgrim Psalms are Psalms 120-134. This section of the psalter is called the “Little Psalter.” These Psalms were collected in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, in troublous times. The author of the central psalm of this collection is Solomon, and he wrote it when he built his Temple. The Davidic Psalms in this collection are Psa 120 ; Psa 122 ; Psa 124 ; Psa 131 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 133 . The others were written during the building of the second Temple. They are called in the Septuagint “Songs of the Steps.”
There are four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents,” viz:
1. The first theory is that the “Songs of the Steps” means the songs of the fifteen steps from the court of the women to the court of Israel, there being a song for each step.
2. The second theory is that advanced by Luther, which says that they were songs of a higher choir, elevated above, or in an elevated voice.
3. The third theory is that the thought in these psalms advances by degrees.
4. The fourth theory is that they are Pilgrim Psalms, or the songs that they sang while going up to the great feasts.
Certain scriptures give the true idea of these titles, viz: Exo 23:14-17 ; Exo 34:23-24 ; 1Sa 1:3 ; 1Ki 12:27-28 : Psa 122:1-4 ; and the proof of their singing as they went is found in Psa_42:4; 100; and Isa 30:29 . They went, singing these psalms, to the Feasts of the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Psa 121 was sung when just in sight of Jerusalem and Psa 122 was sung at the gate. Psa 128 is the description of a good man’s home and a parallel to this psalm in modern literature is Burns’s “Cotter’s Saturday Night.” The pious home makes the nation great.
Psa 133 is a psalm of fellowship. It is one of the finest expressions of the blessings that issue when God’s people dwell together in unity. The reference here is to the anointing of Aaron as high priest and the fragrance of the anointing oil which was used in these anointings. The dew of Hermon represents the blessing of God upon his people when they dwell together in such unity.
Now let us look at the Alphabetical Psalms. An alphabetical psalm is one in which the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are used alphabetically to commence each division. In Psalms 111-112, each clause so begins; in Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 145 ; each verse so begins; in Psa 37 each stanza of two verses so begins; in 119 each stanza of eight verses so begins, and each of the eight lines begins with the same letter. In Psa 25 ; 34 37 the order is not so strict; in Psa 9 and Psa 10 there are some traces of this alphabetical order.
David originated these alphabetical psalms and the most complete specimen is Psa 119 , which is an expansion of the latter part of Psa 19 .
A certain group of psalms is called the Hallelujah Psalms. They are so called because the word “Hallelujah” is used at the beginning, or at the ending, and sometimes at both the beginning and the ending. The Hallelujah Psalms are Psalm 111-113; 115-117; 146-150. Psa 117 is a doxology; and Psalms 146-150 were used as anthems. Psa 148 calls on all creation to praise God. Francis of Assisi wrote a hymn based on this psalm in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister. Psa 150 calls for all varieties of instruments. Psalms 113-118 are called the Egyptian Hallel. They were used at the Passover (Psalm 113-114), before the Supper and Psalm 115-118 were sung after the Supper. According to this, Jesus and his disciples sang Psalms 115-118 at the last Passover Supper. These psalms were sung also at the Feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles, Dedication, and New Moon.
The name of God is delayed long in Psa 114 . Addison said, “That the surprise might be complete.” Then there are some special characteristics of Psa 115 , viz: (1) It was written against idols. Cf. Isa 44:9-20 ; (2) It is antiphonal, the congregation singing Psa 115:1-8 , the choir Psa 115:9-12 , the priests Psa 115:13-15 and the congregation again Psa 115:16-18 . The theme of Psa 116 is love, based on gratitude for a great deliverance, expressed in service. It is appropriate to read at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper and Psa 116:15 is especially appropriate for funeral services.
On some special historical occasions certain psalms were sung. Psa 46 was sung by the army of Gustavus Adolphus before the decisive battle of Leipzig, on September 17, 1631.Psa 68 was sung by Cromwell’s army on the occasion of the battle of Dunbar in Scotland.
Certain passages in the Psalms show that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices. For instance, Psa 118:27 ; Psa 141:2 seem to teach very clearly that they approved the Mosaic sacrifice. But other passages show that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important and foresaw the abolition of the animal sacrifices. Such passages are Psa 50:7-15 ; Psa 4:5 ; Psa 27:6 ; Psa 40:6 ; Psa 51:16-17 . These scriptures show conclusively that the writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.
QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS
1. What are the Royal Psalms?
2. What are the Passion Psalms?
3. What are the Psalms of the Ideal Man?
4. What are the Missionary Psalms?
5. What are the predictions before David of the coming Messiah?
6. What are the prophecies of history concerning the Messiah?
7. Give a regular order of thought concerning the messianic offices as taught in the psalms.
8. Which psalms most clearly present the Messiah as (1) the ideal man, or Second Adam, (2) which as Prophet, or Teacher, (3) which as the Sacrifice, (4) which as King, (5) which as Priest, (6) which his universal reign?
9. Concerning the suffering Messiah, or the Messiah as a sacrifice, state the words or facts, verified in the New Testament as fulfilment of prophecy in the psalms. Let the order of the citations follow the order of facts in Christ’s life.
10. Name the Penitential Psalms and show their occasion.
11. What are the Pilgrim Psalms?
12. What is this section of the Psalter called?
13. When and under what conditions were these psalms collected?
14. Who is the author of the central psalm of this collection?
15. What Davidic Psalms are in this collection?
16. When were the others written?
17. What are they called in the Septuagint?
18. What four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents”?
19. What scriptures give the true idea of these titles?
20. Give proof of their singing as they went.
21. To what feasts did they go singing these Psalms?
22. What was the special use made of Psa 121 and Psa 122 ?
23. Which of these psalms is the description of a good man’s home and what parallel in modern literature?
24. Expound Psa 133 .
25. What is an alphabetical psalm, and what are the several kinds?
26. Who originated these Alphabetical Psalms?
27. What are the most complete specimen?
28. Of what is it an expansion?
29. Why is a certain group of psalms called the Hallelujah Psalms?
30. What are the Hallelujah Psalms?
31. Which of the Hallelujah Psalms was a doxology?
32. Which of these were used as anthems?
33. Which psalm calls on all creation to praise God?
34. Who wrote a hymn based on Psa 148 in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister?
35. Which of these psalms calls for all varieties of instruments?
36. What is the Egyptian Hallel?
37. What is their special use and how were they sung?
38. Then what hymns did Jesus and his disciples sing?
39. At what other feasts was this sung?
40. Why was the name of God delayed so long in Psa 114 ?
41. What are the characteristics of Psa 115 ?
42. What is the theme and special use of Psa 116 ?
43. State some special historical occasions on which certain psalms were sung. Give the psalm for each occasion.
44. Cite passages in the psalms showing that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices.
45. Cite other passages showing that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Psa 120:1 A Song of degrees. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
A Song of degrees ] A most excellent song, Tremellius rendereth it; and so indeed this and the fourteen following are, both for the matter and for the form or manner of expression, which is wondrous short and sweet, as the very epigrams of the Holy Ghost himself, wherein each verse may well stand for an oracle. And in this sense Adam Hammahalah, or a man of degrees, is put for an eminent or excellent man, 1Ch 17:17 . Others understand it otherwise; wherein they have good leave to abound in their own sense; since sine periculo hic erratur, an error here is not dangerous.
Ver. 1. In my distress I cried unto the Lord ] Oratio sine malis est, ut avis sine alis, Distress addeth wings to our devotions. Our Saviour, being in an agony, prayed more earnestly, Luk 22:44 . So do all his members, and especially when they lie under the lash of a lying tongue, as here, Psa 120:2 . “Being defamed, we pray,” saith Paul, 1Co 4:13 .
And he heard me
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
“A song of the ascents.” It is the situation amid threatening foes north and south, from whom deliverance is sought. There was “the liar,” the Antichrist, on one side; on the other, the hordes of the great external enemy. The last days are unmistakable here.
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 120:1-4
1In my trouble I cried to the Lord,
And He answered me.
2Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips,
From a deceitful tongue.
3What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you,
You deceitful tongue?
4Sharp arrows of the warrior,
With the burning coals of the broom tree.
Psa 120:1 In my trouble Exactly what trouble (BDB 865 I, feminine noun) is not stated but it is somehow related to
1. lying lips, Psa 120:2 a
2. deceitful tongue, Psa 120:2 b,3b
The etymological root of the related verb (BDB 864) denotes that which binds or restrains. Used metaphorically of something narrow, tight, or in a constricted place. The same root is used of an adversary or foe (BDB 865 III).
This concept of restriction is opposite of the Hebrew imagery of spaciousness, openness, and freedom.
I cried to the Lord In times of distress faithful followers turn to YHWH in prayer and He hears (the verbs denote a past event). See SPECIAL TOPIC: EFFECTIVE PRAYER .
The name for Deity is YHWH, the covenant name for Israel’s God. See SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY .
Psa 120:2 Deliver my soul The verb (BDB 664, KB 717) is a Hiphil imperative. It denotes an intense prayer. The basic meaning of this root in the Hiphil is to snatch away, like prey from a predator’s mouth.
The term soul (BDB 659) is nephesh, which denotes a life force. See full note online at Gen 35:18.
lying lips. . .deceitful tongue These are in a Hebrew synonymous parallel relationship. See Special Topic: Hebrew Poetry .
Psa 120:3 The psalmist addresses his opponents directly. He asserts that YHWH will give them what they deserve (AB, p. 196; UBS Handbook, p. 1048).
Psa 120:4 The imagery of Psa 120:4 is the answer to the question of Psa 120:3. This is how YHWH will respond to these lying tongues (cf. Psa 7:13).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Title. A Song. Hebrew. shir. See App-65: viz. one of the Songs promised by Hezekiah in Isa 38:20.
degrees = the degrees, or steps. Hebrew. hamma’aloth (with Art.): i.e. the “degrees” mentioned six times in 2Ki 20:8-11, and five times in Isa 38:8 (Hebrew) No other “degrees” known to Scripture which are connected with the shadow of the sun. For the origin, authorship, examination, and Structure, see App-67, and note on p. 827.
distress. The first Psalm of each of the five groups speaks of DISTRESS; the second of TRUST; the third of BLESSING AND PEACE IN ZION. The distress, here, refers to Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem (2Ki 19:3. Isa 37:3).
cried. See 2Ki 19:3, 2Ki 19:4, 2Ki 19:14-19. 2Ch 32:20. Isa 37:15-20; Isa 38:2, Isa 38:3. See App-67.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
heard = answered.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
This time let’s turn in our Bibles to Psa 120:1-7 to begin our Bible study this evening. Now you’ll notice these psalms have a heading. The psalm, “A song of degrees.” The word literally is ascents, A-S-C-E-N-T-S. And these are sort of the marching songs for the people of Israel as they would come thrice annually to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
There’s a lot of things about the nation Israel that excite me. There are a lot of things that I wish that somehow we could incorporate in our worship of the Lord. This business of all of them gathering together three days out of the… well, actually there was the feast days were seven days, but three times out of the year. At the Feast of Passover, at the Feast of Pentecost, and at the Feast of Succoth or Tabernacles. This business of everybody gathering together and just having a great worship service and a great feasting time and a time of worshipping the Lord. This, to me, would be exciting when the nation, the whole nation, is gathering to acknowledge that God reigns over the nation. And just the worshipping of the Lord together. How exciting that must have been.
Now Jerusalem is situated, in a sense, in what is known as the Jerusalem Mountains. So no matter where you are coming from, you are ascending towards Jerusalem. Whether you come from the Galilee region or the Jordan region, and usually coming from Galilee they would come down the Jordan River and then from Jericho make their way up the twenty miles to Jerusalem. Or whether you’re coming from the Sharon valley, the coastal plains, the area of Joppa or whatever, you’re always coming up when you come to Jerusalem. You’re coming from Beersheba, coming from Samaria, you’re always ascending up to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is sort of on the mountain, and yet, it is surrounded by mountains. Mount Zion, Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus, and the mountains that surround the city itself, but yet from anywhere in the country, coming to worship you are ascending to the city, and so these were called the songs of the ascents.
These were sung by the pilgrims as they were coming to Jerusalem on these glorious feast days. Coming to worship the Lord. And so the songs that they were singing as they were coming. Now in the marching and so forth, there are certain cadences that they get into when they’re marching, and sometimes they sing songs in cadence to go along with their marching. You know, the count off, one, two, three, four, you know. And it’s always sort of fun, you know. “First they hire me, then they fire me, then by golly I left! I left. I left, right, left.” You know, and going along in cadence. And so these were those kind of songs that they would sing in sort of a cadence as they were coming to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. Remembering many times the alien areas where they were living, those who were alien towards God and alien towards those who worship God. So remembering the enemies and the areas from which they have come, but they had anticipation. And in these next fifteen psalms, there is underneath that anticipation, I’m soon going to be standing there in the assembly, worshipping God. And that glorious anticipation of standing there in Jerusalem, within the gates of Jerusalem, worshipping the Lord with the assembled multitude.
According to Josephus there were, many times, well over a million people who would gather for these feasts to worship the Lord together. So the first of these psalms of ascents, the psalmist is looking forward to that time.
In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from the deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! ( Psa 120:1-5 )
In other words, he’s coming now from these antagonistic areas, Mesech, Kedar, people who hate God. People who have been against those who worship the Lord. “I’ve been dwelling there, O God, I’ve cried unto Thee in my distress.”
My soul hath long dwelt with him that hates peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war ( Psa 120:6-7 ).
So the first psalm expresses that turmoil of living in a world that is antagonistic towards God. Much the kind of a world that you live in. And so many times living in the world, living amongst the ungodly, we can identify with the soul that is longing for that fellowship with God. The soul that is longing for that peace of God, and yet, all of the turmoil, all of the confusion, all of the lying and conniving and all that is going on in the world around him. And so the soul longing for God. And as he is coming towards Jerusalem, because you’re always ascending upwards,
“
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Psa 120:1. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
Slander occasions distress of the most grievous kind. Those who have felt the edge of a cruel tongue know assuredly that it is sharper than the sword. Calumny rouses our indignation by a sense of injustice, and yet we find ourselves helpless to fight with the evil, or to act in our own defense. We could ward off the strokes of a cutlass, but we have no shield against a liars tongue. Silence to man and prayer to God are the best cures for the evil of slander. It is of little use to appeal to our fellows on the matter of slander, for the more we stir in it the more it spreads, it is of no avail to appeal to the honour of the slanderer, for they have none, and the most piteous demands for justice will only increase their malignity and encourage them to fresh insult. However, when cries to man would be our weakness, cries to God will be our strength. The ear of our God is not deaf, nor even heavy. He listens attentively, he catches the first accent of supplication; he makes each of his children confess, he heard me.
Psa 120:2. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
Lips are soft; but when they are lying lips they suck away the life of character and are as murderous as razors. Lips should never be red with the blood of honest mens reputes, nor salved with malicious falsehoods. The faculty of speech becomes a curse when it is degraded into a mean weapon for smiting men behind their backs. Those who fawn and flatter, too, and all the while have enmity in their hearts, are horrible beings; they are the seed of the devil, and he worketh in them after his own deceptive nature. Better to meet wild beasts and serpents than deceivers: these are a kind of monster whose birth is from beneath, and whose end lies far below.
Psa 120:3. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?
The Psalmist seems lost to suggest a fitting punishment. It is the worst of offences this detraction, calumny, and slander. Judgment sharp and crushing would be measured out to it if men were visited for their transgressions. But what punishment could be heavy enough? What will God do with lying tongues? He has uttered his most terrible threats against them, and he will terribly execute them in due time.
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
Psa 120:1-7
Psalms 120
INTRODUCTION TO SONGS OF ASCENTS
Psalms 120-134
As Spurgeon put it, “We have left the continent of that vast 119th Psalm for the islands and islets of the Songs of Degrees. However, he reminded us that God is the author of both the great and the small, and that all of the Word of God is precious.
In our version (American Standard Version), the title “A Song of Ascents” appears in the superscription of each of these fifteen psalms. This superscription varies in the versions. “The KJV (King James) has `Song of Degrees’; American Standard Version and RSV have `Song of Ascents’; and some recent translators have `A Pilgrim Song.
“These fifteen psalms constitute a Little Psalter, which contains indications of a formal arrangement. The central psalm in this collection, the only one ascribed to Solomon, has on either side of it a group of seven psalms, each such group having two psalms ascribed to David and five anonymous psalms. The ascribed psalms are separated one from another by the anonymous psalms, in such a sort that no two of the ascribed psalms come together. This is evidently not the result of chance.
Several theories of why this group of psalms is so named are available. The Jewish explanation is that there were fifteen steps from the Court of the Women to the Court of the Men in the Temple, and that each of these psalms was sung in succession on those steps. Another view is that these songs were sung in successive phases of the Jews’ return from captivity. Apparently the true explanation is that these psalms were written for the pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem for the great annual feasts, Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. “It seems most probable that these songs form a collection for the use of pilgrims who came up to Jerusalem at the great feasts.
It is of special interest to us, as Dummelow noted, that, “There is an indication in these titles that these Psalms were especially intended for vocal music. Exquisitely beautiful they are, well fitted for pilgrim songs, either for the Jew to Jerusalem, or for the Christian to that heavenly Zion whose builder and maker is God.
“Three times yearly all the tribes had to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the great feasts (The set times are given in Leviticus 25); and these psalms were probably chanted by godly Israelites as they moved toward their great center of worship in Jerusalem,
Psa 120:1-7
Psalms 120
PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM BAD NEIGHBORS
THE TEXT OF THE PSALM
“In my distress I cried unto Jehovah,
And he answered me.
Deliver my soul, O Jehovah, from lying lips,
And from a deceitful tongue.
What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee?
Thou deceitful tongue.
Sharp arrows of the mighty,
With coals of juniper.
Woe is me that I sojourn in Meshech,
That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
My soul hath long had her dwelling
With him that hateth peace.
I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war.”
A PRAYER FOR HELP AGAINST A SLANDERING TONGUE
“Thou Deceitful tongue” (Psa 120:2). The tongue is apostrophized here, being addressed with a question of just what should be done to such a tongue, The literature of the ages has often addressed the problem of the slandering tongue. Shakespeare spoke of one:
Whose tongue is sharper than the sword, whose tongue
Out venoms all the worms of Nile, whose breath
Rides on the posting winds.
“The tongue is a fire … a world of iniquity … is set on fire by hell … it is a restless evil … full of deadly poison” (Jas 3:6-9).
The psalmist’s prayer here is to be delivered from such ravages of such slanderous tongues.
Delitzsch pointed out that, “The tongue is feminine as a rule; but, in spite of that, it is a man who is here addressed who has that kind of a tongue!
THE PSALMIST ANTICIPATES RETRIBUTIVE PUNISHMENT OF SUCH A TONGUE
“Sharp arrows of the mighty with coals of juniper” (Psa 120:4). “The mighty here, `the mighty man’ in the margin, is a reference to God who will punish the wicked tongue. “Sharp arrows are an appropriate reference here, because, “In Jer 9:7, the deceitful tongue is compared to a deadly arrow. It is therefore fitting that Jehovah should send sharp arrows against those who slander the righteous.
“Coals of juniper” (Psa 120:4). The marginal reference here makes this the “broom tree.” “This is the white broom (Retama roetam), the most popular of the thorny brushwoods in the Near East. It is collected for burning because it insures a long, hot fire. (See The Interpreter’s Bible, p. 642).
The last three verses have the quality of a mild lament. The psalmist is displeased with his neighbors. The scene is that of many Jews traveling from distant lands, where Jews were often persecuted. Most scholars agree, however, that Meshech and Kedar here are idiomatic references to “barbarous and hostile people.
“Meshech was a nation of Asia Minor, and Kedar was part of the Syrian desert south of Damascus.” Despite the general opinion about these names being, “Synonyms of barbarism, it is easy to imagine that there were actually pilgrims from such places who joined the great annual processions to Jerusalem.
In this connection, Spurgeon, hoped that, “The pious people were not so foolish as to sing about their bad neighbors when they were leaving them for awhile. This struck us as amusing, and we borrowed the idea for a title for this psalm.
Kidner commented on the appropriateness of this psalm’s being the first of the fifteen. “It begins the series in a distant land, so that we join the pilgrims as they set out on their journey, which will bring us to Jerusalem in Psalms 122 and to the ark, the priests, and the temple services in the last psalm of the group.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 120:1. David’s distress was always that which came from the persecutions of his enemies, not any bodily affliction. In such times he prayed to God and was heard.
Psa 120:2. The word soul is used for the whole being, for the enemies did not have any effect on David’s inner man spiritually. But they used falsehood and deceit in trying to persecute him and making his life as miserable as possible.
Psa 120:3. This verse is addressed to the foes who were resorting to lies in their enmity against David. It is a question for them to answer as to what they expected to gain by such evil means as they were using against the Psalmist.
Psa 120:4. In this verse the Psalmist answers the question he asked in the preceding verse. The lying enemy was to receive his just dues from the mighty; that is, some force greater than he. Those just dues are figuratively called sharp arrows and coals of juniper. This last word is really a name of several evergreen trees. These great plants contain much rosin which is very inflammable, and referred to here to indicate the intensity of the punishment to come on the evil characters.
Psa 120:5. Meshech and Kedar were some barbarous tribes of the ancient times. David was not literally living among them, but he used the names figuratively to designate the wicked people who were continually hounding him with their persecutions.
Psa 120:6. This verse is more along the same line with the preceding one. However, David does not use any figures but makes the plain charge that he was and has been long tormented with people who do not want to be at peace with him.
Psa 120:7. The Psalmist never advocated “peace at any price,” but his enemies did not want peace at all. They preferred to keep up a state of hostility by all means.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
The next fifteen psalms appear to have formed a book of themselves bearing the title, “The Songs of Ascents.” That collection is incorporated by the editor at this point not without purpose.
The title appearing at the head of each has been variously translated, A Song of Degrees,” “A Song of Ascents,” A Song for the Goings Up.” In the Hebrew translation to which we have already referred, it appears as “A song of the ascents,” and in the title index in each case the psalm is called “Pilgrim’s song.”
The meaning of this title has been variously interpreted also. Without referring to the different suggestions made, we shall consider them as songs sung by those pilgrims who went up to Jerusalem to worship. Placing the collection immediately after the great psalm dealing with the perfection of the will of God is significant. Those who know the will of God turn their faces toward the Temple of worship. These songs of desire, and hope, and approach are appropriate for the pilgrims’ use as they go up to worship.
The first is wholly the cry of the soul acquainted with the perfection of the will of God. The first declaration is one of experience gained. He looks back, and remembers how he has been heard and answered. His present circumstance is absence from the house of his God. He is dwelling among a people whose motives and activities are contrary to his deepest convictions and desires. Mesech and the tents of Kedar figuratively describe the distance of his abode from the home and center of peace. He is surrounded by lying and deceitful people, such as hate peace and are all for war. His heart turns toward Jehovah and the dwelling of His glory, the holy house of worship. He cries to Jehovah for deliverance, and in the midst of adversity declares his confidence that the judgments of God will operate against the evildoers.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Where to Find Help
Psa 120:1-7; Psa 121:1-8
This is the first of the Songs of Degrees. It has been suggested that they were pilgrim-songs to beguile the journeys from all parts of the country to the great annual feasts. They have been associated with the reign of the good Hezekiah. Mesech and Kedar are typical enemies, who forced their way into the kingdom of Judah and vexed the people of God. They are compared to sharp swords and arrows in Psa 57:4; Psa 64:3, but now in turn they shall be pierced and scorched. How many who start on a pilgrimage to the Celestial City must run a similar gauntlet! Their enemies arise from their own household. In such distress of soul, prayer is our only hope, Psa 120:1.
Psa 121:1-8
The keynote of this psalm is the word keep, which occurs in one form or another six times. In Psa 121:1 and Psa 121:2 the soloist suggests that in hours of trial we should look beyond mountains and hills to the Lord who made them all. In Psa 121:3-8 the chorus endorses and commends the choice. All the saints of every dispensation add their cumulative testimony to the wisdom of entrusting the keeping of soul and body to our faithful Creator. Notice the exquisite sequence of phrases: neither slumber nor sleep; by day, by night; thy going out, and thy coming in; thee and. thy soul; this time forth and for evermore. The meshes are woven very closely.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Psalm 120-134
The Psalms of Degrees
Fifteen brief Psalms follow, called songs of degrees, or, ascents. They were in all probability used by Israel going up to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate the feasts of the Lord–Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, a testimony for Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. They are indeed Psalms of the goings-up for we rise higher and higher as we read through them. Prophetically they give us again the steps from trial and suffering to the glorious consummation.
As they are so simple in language and construction no lengthy annotations are needed. Psa 120:1-7 begins with distress, picturing again the suffering of the righteous godly remnant. In Psa 121:1-8 the Keeper of Israel, the Covenant Keeping God, is revealed, who has made heaven and earth and neither sleeps nor slumbers. He has kept Israel in all their troubles and saved them. Psa 122:1-9 brings us to Jerusalem and the house of the Lord. The redeemed ones go up to worship there. Thrones are there also for judgment, the thrones of which our Lord speaks in Mat 19:28. Peace and prosperity have come.
In Psa 123:1-4 there is another cry to Jehovah to be gracious and the next one, Psa 124:1-8 celebrates the deliverance of Israel. Blessed be the LORD. Men arose against them, but the Lord delivered His people. Mount Zion comes in view in Psa 125:1-5. It cannot be moved, it abideth forever. Then when the word and the law go forth from Zion and Jerusalem there will be peace upon Israel. Psa 126:1-6 celebrates the returning of the captives and this is the song they sing: The LORD has done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Psa 127:1-5 acknowledges the Lord as the One from whom all blessing and help must come. Psa 128:1-6, which follows, shows the blessing which will be enjoyed when the Lord reigneth and blesseth His people out of Zion. Then we have a description of Israels affliction in the past and how the hand of the Lord delivered them out of all their afflictions–Psa 129:1-8. And in Psa 130:1-8 we have a Psalm calling for forgiveness and waiting for the plenteous mercy and redemption which is promised to His people. Psa 131:1-3 shows Israel prostrate, hoping in the Lord. Then follows the beautiful One hundred thirty-second Psalm in which Zion and its King is prophetically unfolded. It begins with the promise made by David to build a house, but the Lord made a covenant instead with him. The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it; of the fruit of thy body will I set upon Thy throne (Act 2:30). And that is Christ, as the Son of David. He will choose Zion; it is His resting-place. He is enthroned in Zion and what is connected with it is found in verses 13-18.
The One hundred thirty-third Psalm gives a blessed picture, not of the church, as it is so often taught, but of the great brotherhood of Israel, when once more they are a nation before the Lord. Then the Spirit will flow upon them and through them. In the last songs of the ascents, Psa 134:1-3, we behold them in the house of the Lord, in the temple, lifting up their hands in worship in the sanctuary, praising the Lord and calling for blessing out of Zion.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
A Song of degrees
Literally, “of ascents.” Perhaps chanted by the people as they went up to Jerusalem to the feasts. See, e.g. Psa 112:1; Psa 112:2.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
my distress: Psa 18:6, Psa 30:7, Psa 30:8, Psa 50:15, Psa 107:13, Psa 116:3, Psa 116:4, Psa 118:5, Isa 37:3, Isa 37:4, Isa 37:14-20, Isa 38:2-5, Jon 2:2, Luk 22:44, Heb 5:7
Reciprocal: Jdg 15:19 – Enhakkore 2Sa 22:7 – my distress 2Ch 14:11 – cried unto Psa 6:9 – hath heard
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A CASE OF DISTRESS
My distress.
Psa 120:1
The first of the Songs of Ascents, sung by the devout Hebrews, as they gathered from the farthest parts of the land to the great annual feasts. Ah, ye now desolate hills and valleys of the Holy Land, how blithe ye were in those happy days, when successive bands of pilgrims joined from the adjacent valleys in the great accumulated multitude that swept up to the Temple with their songs to keep the feast!
I. The early stages in our journey towards the New Jerusalem are not always the happiest.We are beset with the persecutions of our relatives and associates. Our enemies are they of our own household. The father is set against his son, and the mother against her daughter; the brother against his sister, and the friend against her friend. There are, as the psalm indicates, lying lips, and a deceitful tongue; sharp arrows of sarcasm and hatred, with coals of juniper, which may stand for jealousy and spite. Woe is unto us then! From morning to night our ears are assailed with flouts and sneers, with taunting words and venomous suggestions. We seem to sojourn in Meshech, and dwell among the tents of Kedar, who represent alien and hostile souls. How greatly we long for congenial and pious surroundings! We say that for too long our soul has had its dwelling with those that hate peace; and we hardly dare speak of peace lest we stir others up more vehemently to war.
II. In such circumstances, and in your distress, cry unto the Lord.He may not at once extricate you, because you may be needed where you are as His witness and confessor, but He will strengthen you with His grace so that you may be able to stand. He will make you a brazen wall, and an iron pillar, against which your enemies shall not prevail. And the most abandoned of these shall, one day, come and sue for mercy.
Illustration
It is a bitter experience to have to live where there is no sympathy, but carping criticism and incessant innuendo. O lily among thorns, this is no new experience! Thy Lord hath been through these paths before thee: see the bent twigs which prove that He has passed this way. But thy loneliness can never be quite as sorrowful as His, for thou hast always Him. And remember there is a compensation, in that the strict scrutiny of thy foes makes thee ever so much more watchful and prayerful, and drives thee oftener to the bosom of God.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Solitary!
A song of the ascents.
{Verse 3: Or, “will he give,” “will he add . . . O deceitful tongue?”}
No mere historical view of the origin of these psalms can unite them together in an intelligible manner. Nothing will do it except the realization that they give us various lines of connection between the history of Israel in their distress as nationally away from God, and that prophetic future which we find so clearly announced for them in the pages of the Old Testament. The partial return from Babylon cannot fill out the picture here, -can give nothing but a faint and transient anticipation of it. Here is where commentators go astray so largely as to the Psalms; trying to satisfy themselves with theories of their origin in the past, with which Scripture itself, it is plain; so little concerns itself, and which are mere, if not wild, conjectures; while, as given by men led of the Holy Ghost, their meaning is to be sought in connection with those counsels of God as to Israel and the world, with regard to which all their voices come into harmony, and adjust and explain each other. In these “songs of the ascents” especially, the history is so generalized that it would be difficult, indeed, to fix its connections. Who can tell us about the “sojourning in Meshech,” or the “dwelling in the tents of Kedar”? Accordingly Delitzsch, with many others, decides that “both these names of peoples are to be understood emblematically.” And elsewhere we have really nothing to furnish a clue at all. Yet, read in connection; there is no real difficulty as to the purport of these psalms. Had not the often unanswerable “how?” come so largely to displace the all-important “why?” in the minds of the professed interpreters of Scripture, they would not have been in the confusion that they are today. The “how” may be largely human: the “why” is divine. And where God is, we shall find Him more accessible than man is, as He is how much more worthy of being sought to, and the knowledge thus obtained infinitely more gainful.
The 120th psalm is almost all distress. The main point of cheer in it is what comes first of all, that “in my strait to Jehovah I call, and He answereth me.” This the psalmist realizes, although the great deliverance that he seeks for has not come. God does not always cash His notes at sight; but if not, He pays large interest on them. “The lying lip” and the “deceitful tongue” are the subject of his first complaint, whether this be some special deceiver, or more general. The third verse may be understood in two very different ways; and most would read it with the common version; as an address to the “tongue,” -the deceiver. In this case the question will be as to the judgment of God, and the fourth verse will announce the judgment. The numerical structure seems to decide for another interpretation; in which the question “what does this deceitful tongue give to thee?” is answered by experience. In this case, the transition is better seen also, to the war spirit of the close of the psalm: “Sharp arrows of the mighty” remind us of the similar “sharp razor” of the “mighty one” in the fifty-second psalm, who is addressed also as a “deceitful tongue.” And “coals of broom” do not seem so suitable an image for divine judgment as for human fury breaking out. This naturally leads on to the psalmist’s lament over his sojourn in Meshech and in the tents of Kedar, nomads, very likely to suggest the “sharp arrows” he has spoken of; and whose trade as Ishmaelites was depredation and war.
The names are, as already said, “emblematic”: “My soul has long dwelt with him that hateth peace”; that is the moral of it. “I am peace,” -a man characterized by that; but to speak it only rouses the opposition: “when I speak, they are for war.” This is what the world is: and this is what it showed itself to be when the Prince of peace came into it. Thus it was that He, over whom; as born into it, the angels proclaimed peace, in His own clear knowledge of the immediate result, proclaimed “not peace, but a sword.” He could indeed say “I am peace,” -the very incarnation of it. What did His humanity mean but “peace: good pleasure in man”? Yet His rejection was written upon the cross in every typical human language.
Israel were not then, and have not since been; the “sons of peace,” such as the Lord sent His disciples out to seek. And we must look on to the latter days to find them as depicted here. The remnant,then,will indeed be “like sheep in the midst of wolves”; the essential opposition between Christ’s people and the world will have sharpened into its acutest form; and it is simple enough that this first psalm here should give it expression.
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
This group is differentiated by the title attached to each: A Song of Degrees or A Song of Ascents. The title seems derived from the going up of the people to Jerusalem at the great festivals which came three times a year. (Compare Deu 16:16; 1Ki 12:27-28, etc.); the thought being that they chanted the psalms at different stages in their journey.
The pertinency of this application of these psalms is more apparent in some than others. For example, Psalms 121 represents the pilgrim looking towards the goal of his journey, and inspired by its contemplation to apply the thought of the strength of its hills to the care of God for His people, and especially His care for them on their journey, by night or day (Psa 121:3-6). The spiritual application is easily suggestive. Psalms 124, 126, 129, 130, suggest the Babylonian captivity. Psalms 134 represents the companies arriving at the sanctuary and calling on the priests to unite in praising God on their behalf, to which the priests reply in the language of the Mosaic blessing which they only could pronounce (Psa 134:3).
Of the whole group Psalms 132 is the most important in some respects. May Solomon have been its author? It opens with a declaration of his father Davids zeal for the building of the temple (Psa 132:1-7). Ephratah (Psa 132:6) is another name for Bethlehem (Gen 48:7). The fields of the wood stands for Jair or Kirjath-jearim whence the ark was brought up by David to Jerusalem. The psalm next pleads with God for fulfillment of His promises to David concerning the temple (Psa 132:8-18). The solomonic application is clear in verses 10-12, and yet, it has a typical reference to the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
QUESTIONS
1. How is this group of psalms designated?
2. What is the probable sense of that designation?
3. At what period may some of the group have been composed?
4. Show their pertinency, by the analysis of one or more of the group.
5. State the probable history of Psalms 132.
6. Interpret Psalms 134.
Fuente: James Gray’s Concise Bible Commentary
This and the fourteen psalms which follow, are entitled, Songs of Mahaloth, or degrees. Kimchi, and some of the rabbins say, they were so called because they were sung on the steps of the second temple, which were fifteen in number, and stood between the court of the men, and of the women. Dr. Lightfoot has adopted this opinion. For the same reason most of the Greek Versions denominate these psalms, songs of ascension.
Psa 120:5. Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, and dwell in the tents of Kedar; two races descended from Ishmael, and famed for wickedness. The words are therefore figurative of the Hebrews, who equalled them in wickedness.
REFLECTIONS.
David evidently wrote this psalm while in exile in the desert of Maon, and resident among the wicked and litigious children of Mesech, a descendant of Japhet, and of Kedar, the second son of Ishmael. Gen 10:2. But who this lying tongue was is not named; for the part that Dog acted was so notorious, that there was no need to offend by the mention of his name. The slanders which this man daily whispered in the ears of Saul, were keener to David than almost any other part of his affliction.
The punishment of lying and slander is dreadful in its nature. This prophecy of Dogs fall was, it is feared, literally accomplished. He fell, as is not doubted, with Saul on Gilboa; and not unlikely by some of the expert archers who wounded the king. And oh, what became of his soul? His salvation was difficult, because he made no reparation of his faults. Surely, if deep repentance did not take place, coals of juniper, or of every hard wood, which makes the hottest fire, awaited him in hell. This should induce all persons who have slandered or misrepresented their neighbours character, to make haste and undo their crime.
When good men are at a distance from the house of God, or driven into camps and garrisons, where they hear nothing but the language of cursing and carnal mirth, they should mourn, and look mentally towards Gods sanctuary, and in due time he will help them out of their misery, and bring them to his house. When a good man has a misunderstanding with a neighbour, or is embroiled with a faction, after explanation, he wishes to hear no more of it; but the wicked are always prepared for war. They hatch mischief, and strife is the food of their depravity.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
CXX. Prayer Against Calumniators.Here begin the Psalms of Ascents, i.e. Pss. intended to be sung by the pilgrims at the three great feasts on their way up to Jerusalem, which stood on a height. Psalms 120-134 all bear this title (see also Psa 84:5). The title Psalms of Ascents may have been originally given to the collection and then written over each Ps. individually.
Psa 120:1-4. What shall he (i.e. Yahweh) give unto thee? The punishment is in accordance with the guilt. In Jer 9:7 the deceitful tongue is compared to a deadly arrow. It is therefore fitting that Yahweh should send sharp arrows against those who slander the righteous. The author adds burning broom, which emits intense heat. But the collocation of arrows and burning charcoal is awkward.
Psa 120:5-7. The Psalmist compelled to dwell among foes. The men of Kedar were an Arab tribe, deriving their name black from their swarthy complexion or, more probably, from the black tents in which they lived. The men of Meshech, on the other hand, lived between the Caspian and the Black Sea. The names Kedar and Meshech are mentioned, not because the Jews of the Dispersion found a home among them, but because they are types of wild and half-civilised men. Compare our name of Tartar or Turk. It is not they who attack the Jews, they would have found other weapons than calumny, but men who are Jews themselves and yet hate their godly fellow-countrymen with savage fury. It is remarkable that in this, the first song of ascents, there is no reference to pilgrimage. Most likely Psa 120:5-7 led to its use by the pilgrims.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
PSALM 120
In the midst of the distresses of the captivity, the godly man finds his resource in the Lord.
(v. 1) The soul in its distress had cried unto the Lord, and had been made conscious that he was heard. From this past experience he draws encouragement in his present distress.
(vv. 2-4) The remaining verses of the psalm present the occasion of the distress. First, the godly man finds himself in a world of corruption. Lying lips proclaim that which is false; a deceitful tongue affects to speak the truth. The lies of the world are often hidden under an affectation of the truth. Plausible words may be a cover for deadly error. The psalmist realizes that judgment upon judgment is coming upon the wicked man; therefore he asks, What shall be given unto thee? or, what shall be added unto thee? It is not, however, for the godly man to vindicate himself: Christ, the Mighty One, (JND) will use sharp arrows and fire, against those who have spoken evil of His people (Psa 14:5).
(v. 5) Secondly, the godly man deplores that he is still in a foreign land, captive to those who treat him with hostility and barbarity.
(vv. 6-7) Thirdly, the godly man is in the midst of the violent world. For long he has dwelt with those who hate peace.
Thus, though a captive in a world of corruption and violence he finds his resource in God.
Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible
120:1 [A Song of {a} degrees.] In my {b} distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
(a) That is, of lifting up the tune and rising in singing.
(b) Even though the children of God should rejoice when they suffer for righteousness sake, yet it is a great grief to the flesh to hear evil for well doing.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Psalms 120
Psalms 120-134 are all "songs of ascent." This group, in turn, constitutes the major part of the Great Hallel psalms (Psalms 120-136). The psalms of ascent received this title because the pilgrim Israelites sang them as they traveled from their homes all over the land and ascended Mt. Zion for the annual feasts. David composed at least four of these 15 psalms (Psalms 122, 124, 131, , 133). Solomon wrote one (Psalms 127), and the remaining 10 are anonymous. They may not have been composed for use by pilgrims, originally; they were probably written for other purposes. However, the pilgrims used them as songs of ascent and, according to the Mishnah, during the second temple period they were incorporated into the temple liturgy. [Note: Middoth 2:5.]
One scholar saw these psalms as falling into three groups of five psalms each (120-24; 125-29; 130-34). He noted that the central psalm in each group reflects royal or Zion theology: 122 (Jerusalem), 127 (the temple), and 132 (David). The effect of the total collection, therefore, is to focus on the temple and the Davidic monarchy. [Note: Erich Zenger, "The Composition and Theology of the Fifth Book of Psalms: Psalms 107-145," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 80 (1998):92., proposed a different division that recognizes Psalms 127 as the central psalm surrounded by four groups of psalms (120-23; 124-26; 128-31; and 132-34) each of which contains the divine name 12 times.] E. W. Hengstenberg proposed a different division that recognizes Psalms 127 as the central psalm surrounded by four groups of psalms (120-23; 124-26; 128-31; and 132-34) each of which contains the divine name 12 times. [Note: E. W. Hengstenberg, Commentary on the Psalms , 3:409.]
In Psalms 120, an unknown composer asked God for protection from people who wanted to stir up war (cf. Psalms 42). This psalm has been called an individual lament that anticipates thanksgiving. [Note: Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101-150, pp. 147-48.]
"Apart from the last clause in Psa 120:1, there is not a glad note in the whole of Psalms 120." [Note: Armerding, p. 134.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
1. God’s deliverance from liars 120:1-2
The psalmist testified that he had prayed to God for deliverance from liars and that God had granted his request.
"After over fifty years of ministry, I am convinced that most of the problems in families and churches are caused by professed Christians who do not have a real and vital relationship to Jesus Christ. They are not humble peacemakers but arrogant troublemakers." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 335.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 120:1-7
THE collection of pilgrim songs is appropriately introduced by one expressive of the unrest arising from compulsory association with uncongenial and hostile neighbours. The psalmist laments that his sensitive “soul” has been so long obliged to be a “sojourner” where he has heard nothing but lying and strife. Weary of these, his soul stretches her wings towards a land of rest. His feeling ill at ease amidst present surroundings stings him to take the pilgrims staff. “In” this singers “heart are the ways.”
The simplicity of this little song scarcely admits of separation into parts; but one may note that an introductory verse is followed by two groups of three verses each, -the former of which is prayer for deliverance from the “deceitful tongue,” and prediction that retribution will fall on it (Psa 120:2-4); while the latter bemoans the psalmists uncongenial abode among enemies (Psa 120:5-7).
The verbs in Psa 120:1 are most naturally referred to former experiences of the power of prayer, which encourage renewed petition. Devout hearts argue that what Jehovah has done once He will do again. Since His mercy endureth forever, He will not weary of bestowing, nor will former gifts exhaust His stores. Men say, “I have given so often that I can give no more”; God says, “I have given, therefore I will give.” The psalmist was not in need of defence against armed foes, but against false tongues. But it is not plain whether these were slanderous, flattering, or untrustworthy in their promises of friendship. The allusions are too general to admit of certainty. At all events, he was surrounded by a choking atmosphere of falsehood, from which he longed to escape into purer air. Some commentators would refer the allusions to the circumstances of the exiles in Babylon; others to the slanders of the Samaritans and others who tried to hinder the rebuilding of the Temple; others think that his own hostile fellow countrymen are the psalmists foes. May we not rather hear in his plaint the voice of the devout heart, which ever painfully feels the dissonance between its deep yearnings and the Babel of vain words which fills every place with jangling and deceit? To one who holds converse with God, there is nothing more appalling or more abhorrent than the flood of empty talk which drowns the world. If there was any specific foe in the psalmists mind, he has not described him so as to enable us to identify him. Psa 120:3 may be taken in several ways, according as “deceitful tongue” is taken as a vocative or as the nominative of the verb “give,” and as that verb is taken in a good or a bad sense, and as “thee” is taken to refer to the tongue or to some unnamed person. It is unnecessary to enter here on a discussion of the widely divergent explanations given. They fall principally into two classes. One takes the words “deceitful tongue” as vocative, and regards the question as meaning, “What retribution shall God give to thee, O deceitful tongue?” while the other takes it as asking what the tongue shall give unto an unnamed person designated by “thee.” That person is by some considered to be the owner of the tongue, who is asked what profit his falsehood will be to him; while others suppose the “thee” to mean Jehovah, and the question to be like that of Job. {Job 10:3} Baethgen takes this view, and paraphrases, “What increase of Thy riches canst Thou expect therefrom, that Thou dost permit the godless to oppress the righteous?” Grammatically either class of explanation is warranted; and the readers feeling of which is most appropriate must decide. The present writer inclines to the common interpretation, which takes Psa 120:3 as addressed to the deceitful tongue, in the sense, “What punishment shall God inflict upon thee?” Psa 120:4 is the answer, describing the penal consequences of falsehood, as resembling the crimes which they avenge. Such a tongue is likened to sharp arrows and swords in Psa 57:4; Psa 64:3, etc. The punishment shall be like the crime. For the sentiment compare Psa 140:9-10. It is not necessary to suppose that the “Mighty” is God, though such a reference gives force to the words. “The tongue which shot piercing arrows is pierced by the sharpened arrows of an irresistibly strong One; it, which set its neighbour in a fever of anguish, must endure a lasting heat of broom coals, which consumes it surely” (Delitzsch).
In the group of Psa 120:5-7, the psalmist bemoans his compulsory association with hostile companions, and longs to “flee away and be at rest.” Meshech was the name of barbarous tribes who, in the times of Sargon and Sennacherib inhabited the highlands to the east of Cilicia, and in later days retreated northwards to the neighbourhood of the Black Sea (Sayce, “Higher Criticism and Monuments,” p. 130). Kedar was one of the Bedawin tribes of the Arabian desert. The long distance between the localities occupied by these two tribes requires an allegorical explanation of their names. They stand as types of barbarous and truculent foes-as we might say, Samoyeds and Patagonians. The psalmists plaint struck on Cromwells heart, and is echoed, with another explanation of its meaning which he had, no doubt, learned from some Puritan minister: “I live, you know where, in Meshech, which they say signifies prolonging; in Kedar, which signifies blackness; yet the Lord forsaketh me not” (Carlyle, “Letters and Speeches,” 1:127: London, 1846). The peace-loving psalmist describes himself as stunned by the noise and quarrelsomeness of those around him. “I am peace”. {compare Psa 109:4} But his gentlest word is like a spark on tinder. If he but speaks, they fly to their weapons, and are ready without provocation to answer with blows.
So the psalm ends as with a long-drawn sigh. It inverts the usual order of similar psalms, in which the description of need is wont to precede the prayer for deliverance. It thus sets forth most pathetically the sense of discordance between a man and his environment, which urges the soul that feels it to seek a better home. So this is a true pilgrim psalm.