A song of ascents.
We begin a sequence of fifteen psalms that identify as "songs of ascents", presumably sung as people in procession went up to the temple in Jerusalem.
Psalm 120:1, A cry for help
I call on the LORD in my distress,
and he answers me.
The psalmist calls for help. The cry is described in the verses that follow. Most importantly, the singer seeks rescue from those who speak lies against him.
Psalm 120: 2-4, Warrior's arrows
Save me, O LORD, from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues.
What will he do to you,
and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?
He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom tree.
The singer calls out for help and then describes the attack -- it is slander from those around him who seek his demise. By calling out to God, the singer relies on God for vengeance, leaving that to Him.
Lies are often described as arrows (Jeremiah 9:3, Proverbs 25:18, Psalm 64:3-4, etc.) Here the liar will receive the arrows, burning like hot coals.
Psalm 120:5-6, A man of peace
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.
In the Table of Nations in Genesis 10, Meshech is a son of Japheth, son of Noah (see Genesis 10:2) The region of Meshech would have been to the far northwest (says Alter), between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. The region of Kedar, home of the Qedarites, would have been southeast of Israel, in the Arabian Peninsula. The two regions probably stand for distant foreign places, in which the singer would be a lost and homesick stranger. If this psalm is written after the exile, the speaker may represent those returning to Jerusalem from faraway places. Alternately, the speaker may merely be emphasizing how lonely he has been, surrounded by liars who treat him like an alien.
Psalm 120:7, A man of peace
I am a man of peace;
but when I speak, they are for war.
The singer is surrounded by enemies who want war. If the speaker is someone like Ezra or Nehemiah, this desire for violence may be literal. Or this verse could stress the violence that eventually comes from those who resort to gossip and slander.
Some Random Thoughts
I am reminded, in this psalm, especially the last verse, of the social media trolls who merely want to attack and argue. In the New Testament, in his letter to the Romans, Paul asks the church to strive for peace. (See Romans 12:18 for example.) This is difficult to do when someone else wants to fight and argue and so, in the terminology of this psalm, seeks "war."
First published November 1, 2025; updated November 1, 2025
