PsalmsChapter 120

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A song of ascents. In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.

Deliver me, LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.

What will he give you, and what more will he add to you, you deceitful tongue?

Sharpened arrows of a warrior, and glowing coals of the broom bush!

How miserable I am, living as a stranger in Meshech, dwelling among the tents of Kedar!

Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.

I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.

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Summary2

Chapter 120

Main Theme: A prayer for deliverance from deceitful people and a longing for peace.

Content: Psalm 120 is the first of the Songs of Ascents. The psalmist cries out to the Lord in distress and testifies that God answered him. He asks to be saved from lying lips and a deceitful tongue, describing God's judgment on liars as sharp arrows and burning coals. The psalmist laments having to live among peace-hating people—figuratively described as Meshek and Kedar—and expresses his own longing for peace in contrast to the warlike disposition of those around him.

Key Words/Images:

Song of Ascents (שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת): The first of 15 psalms (120–134) that were likely sung on the way up to Jerusalem.
Deceitful tongue: Represents falsehood and deception that threaten the psalmist's life and honor.
Meshek and Kedar: Distant peoples symbolizing alienation and life among hostile neighbors.
Arrows and burning coals: Images of God's judgment on liars, corresponding to the harm their words cause.

Historical context

Places

The psalm mentions two geographical names with symbolic meaning: Meshech (מֶשֶׁךְ) and Kedar (קֵדָר). Meshech was a people and region in northern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), known from Assyrian sources and mentioned in Ezekiel 27:13 as traders. Kedar was an Arab nomadic tribe dwelling in the Syrian-Arabian desert, descendants of Ishmael (Genesis 25:13). Geographically, these regions lay in opposite directions from Israel—Meshech to the north and Kedar to the southeast. This combination is therefore likely not meant literally but serves as a poetic expression for living among foreign, hostile peoples far from God’s people and the sanctuary.

Key Terms

The phrase שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת ("song of ascents" or "pilgrimage song") in verse 1 identifies this psalm as the first in the collection of pilgrimage psalms.

The word רְתָמִים (retamim) in verse 4 refers to the broom bush (Retama raetam), a desert plant that grows in the Negev and Sinai. Charcoal from this bush was known to burn long and intensely, making it valuable as fuel. The image of "the glowing coals of the broom bush" together with "sharp arrows" thus describes the destructive and lasting harm caused by false words.

Chapter-Specific Insights

The psalm’s focus on deceitful speech and a treacherous tongue (שְׂפַת־שֶׁקֶר, לָשׁוֹן רְמִיָּה) forms its central theme. The psalmist cries out to the Lord in distress (v. 1) and asks for deliverance from those who speak falsely (v. 2). The rhetorical question in verse 3 suggests that God will punish the treacherous tongue, and verse 4 provides the answer with the image of a warrior’s sharp arrows and the glowing coals of the broom bush—an image of prolonged, intense judgment.

People

No known people in this chapter.

Key words6

The Lord's help — God's support and protection against distress and dangers.
Peacemaker — A person who seeks harmony and avoids conflict.
Sorrow — A feeling of deep sadness or melancholy.
War — An armed conflict between nations, groups, or individuals.
Peace — A state of calm, harmony, and absence of conflict or war.
Enemies — Persons or groups who are in conflict or opposition to each other.

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