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Selected Verse: Psalms 120:1 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Ps 120:1	Strong Concordance	A Song [07892] of degrees [04609]. In my distress [06869] I cried [07121] unto the LORD [03068], and he heard [06030] me.
	King James	A Song of degrees. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

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Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
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.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

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.

The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917]
A Song of degrees Literally, "of ascents." Perhaps chanted by the people as they went up to Jerusalem to the feasts. See, for example (Psa 112:1); (Psa 112:2).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
According to the pointing ויּענני, 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 ויענני might have been expected, where the pointing is ויּענני (Psa 3:5; Jon 2:3), so that consequently ויּענני 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. צרתה, 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 בּצּרתה לּי = בּצּר־לּי, Psa 18:7, is based upon the customary expression צר לּי. In Psa 120:2 follows the petition which the poet sends up to Jahve in the certainty of being answered. רמיּה beside לשׁון, although there is no masc. רמי (cf. however the Aramaic רמּי, רמּאי), is taken as an adjective after the form טריּה, עניּה, which it is also perhaps in Mic 6:12. The parallelism would make לשׁון natural, like לשׁון מרמה 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. לשׁון is certainly feminine as a rule; but whilst the tongue as such is feminine, the לשׁון רמיה 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 לך 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 מה־יּתּן לך וּמה־יּסיף לך and the formula of an oath כּה יעשׂה־לּך אלהים לכה יוסיף, Sa1 3:17; Sa1 20:13; Sa1 25:22; Sa2 3:35; Rut 1:17, that God is to be thought of as the subject of יתן and יסיף: "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 (נתן as in Hos 9:14), and what shall He add to thee, thou crafty tongue?" The reciprocal relation of Psa 120:4 to מה־יתן, and of. Psa 120:4 with the superadding עם to מה־יסיף, 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 δυνατός) is God Himself, as it is observed in B. Erachin 15b 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, σὺν τοῖς ἄνθραξι τοῖς ἐρημικοῖς; Aquila, following Jewish tradition, ἀρκευθίναις; but רתם, Arabic ratam, ratem, is the broom-shrub (e.g., uncommonly frequent in the Belkâ).

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
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.

Top

⁵ Commit [01556] thy way [01870] unto the LORD [03068]; trust [0982] also in him; and he shall bring it to pass [06213].
⁶ And he shall bring forth [03318] thy righteousness [06664] as the light [0216], and thy judgment [04941] as the noonday [06672].

² Deliver [05337] my soul [05315], O LORD [03068], from lying [08267] lips [08193], and from a deceitful [07423] tongue [03956].
³ What shall be given [05414] unto thee? or what shall be done [03254] unto thee, thou false [07423] tongue [03956]?

² His seed [02233] shall be mighty [01368] upon earth [0776]: the generation [01755] of the upright [03477] shall be blessed [01288].

¹ Praise [01984] ye the LORD [03050]. Blessed [0835] is the man [0376] that feareth [03372] the LORD [03068], that delighteth [02654] greatly [03966] in his commandments [04687].

¹¹ Let not an evil speaker [0376] [03956] be established [03559] in the earth [0776]: evil [07451] shall hunt [06679] the violent [02555] man [0376] to overthrow [04073] him.

¹³ The LORD [03068] shall go forth [03318] as a mighty man [01368], he shall stir up [05782] jealousy [07068] like a man [0376] of war [04421]: he shall cry [07321], yea, roar [06873]; he shall prevail [01396] against his enemies [0341].

⁴ That they may shoot [03384] in secret [04565] at the perfect [08535]: suddenly [06597] do they shoot [03384] at him, and fear [03372] not.

⁶ And [2532] the tongue [1100] is a fire [4442], a world [2889] of iniquity [93]: so [3779] is [2525] the tongue [1100] among [1722] our [2257] members [3196], that it defileth [4695] the whole [3650] body [4983], and [2532] setteth on fire [5394] the course [5164] of nature [1078]; and [2532] it is set on fire [5394] of [5259] hell [1067].

⁷ Therefore thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635], Behold, I will melt [06884] them, and try [0974] them; for how shall I do [06213] for [06440] the daughter [01323] of my people [05971]?

⁵ Be thou exalted [07311], O God [0430], above the heavens [08064]; let thy glory [03519] be above all the earth [0776].

³ What shall be given [05414] unto thee? or what shall be done [03254] unto thee, thou false [07423] tongue [03956]?

⁴ Sharp [08150] arrows [02671] of the mighty [01368], with coals [01513] of juniper [07574].

¹⁴ Give [05414] them, O LORD [03068]: what wilt thou give [05414]? give [05414] them a miscarrying [07921] womb [07358] and dry [06784] breasts [07699].

¹⁷ Where thou diest [04191], will I die [04191], and there will I be buried [06912]: the LORD [03068] do [06213] so to me, and more [03254] also, if ought but death [04194] part [06504] thee and me.

³⁵ And when all [03605] the people [05971] came [0935] to cause [01262] David [01732] to eat [01262] meat [03899] while it was yet [05750] day [03117], David [01732] sware [07650], saying [0559], So do [06213] God [0430] to me, and more also [03254], if I taste [02938] bread [03899], or ought [03972] else, till [06440] the sun [08121] be down [0935].

²² So [03541] and more [03254] also do [06213] God [0430] unto the enemies [0341] of David [01732], if I leave [07604] of all that pertain to him by [05704] the morning [01242] light [0216] any that pisseth [08366] against the wall [07023].

¹³ The LORD [03068] do [06213] so [03541] and much more [03254] to Jonathan [03083]: but if it please [03190] my father [01] to do thee evil [07451], then I will shew [01540] [0241] it thee, and send thee away [07971], that thou mayest go [01980] in peace [07965]: and the LORD [03068] be with thee, as he hath been with my father [01].

¹⁷ And he said [0559], What is the thing [01697] that the LORD hath said [01696] unto thee? I pray thee hide [03582] it not from me: God [0430] do so [06213] to thee, and more also [03254], if thou hide [03582] any thing [01697] from me of all the things [01697] that he said [01696] unto thee.

²⁷ The slothful [07423] man roasteth [02760] not that which he took in hunting [06718]: but the substance [01952] of a diligent [02742] man [0120] is precious [03368].

⁶ The righteous [06662] also shall see [07200], and fear [03372], and shall laugh [07832] at him:

³ What shall be given [05414] unto thee? or what shall be done [03254] unto thee, thou false [07423] tongue [03956]?

⁶ The righteous [06662] also shall see [07200], and fear [03372], and shall laugh [07832] at him:

¹² For the rich men [06223] thereof are full [04390] of violence [02555], and the inhabitants [03427] thereof have spoken [01696] lies [08267], and their tongue [03956] is deceitful [07423] in their mouth [06310].

² Deliver [05337] my soul [05315], O LORD [03068], from lying [08267] lips [08193], and from a deceitful [07423] tongue [03956].

⁷ Then the earth [0776] shook [01607] and trembled [07493]; the foundations [04146] also of the hills [02022] moved [07264] and were shaken [01607], because he was wroth [02734].

⁷ For they have sown [02232] the wind [07307], and they shall reap [07114] the whirlwind [05492]: it hath no stalk [07054]: the bud [06780] shall yield [06213] no meal [07058]: if [0194] so be it yield [06213], the strangers [02114] shall swallow it up [01104].

¹⁰ And the LORD [03068] spake [0559] unto the fish [01709], and it vomited out [06958] Jonah [03124] upon the dry [03004] land.

⁸ My soul [05315] followeth hard [01692] after [0310] thee: thy right hand [03225] upholdeth [08551] me.

³ But thou, O LORD [03068], art a shield [04043] for me; my glory [03519], and the lifter up [07311] of mine head [07218].

¹⁶ If I had called [07121], and he had answered [06030] me; yet would I not believe [0539] that he had hearkened [0238] unto my voice [06963].

³ For thou hadst cast [07993] me into the deep [04688], in the midst [03824] of the seas [03220]; and the floods [05104] compassed [05437] me about: all thy billows [04867] and thy waves [01530] passed over [05674] me.

⁵ I laid me down [07901] and slept [03462]; I awaked [06974]; for the LORD [03068] sustained [05564] me.

⁵ Woe [0190] is me, that I sojourn [01481] in Mesech [04902], that I dwell [07931] in the tents [0168] of Kedar [06938]!

² Deliver [05337] my soul [05315], O LORD [03068], from lying [08267] lips [08193], and from a deceitful [07423] tongue [03956].