Song of Ascent: The Cry
The first of fifteen pilgrimage songs. The journey to Jerusalem begins with a cry from a place of conflict. Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.
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1In 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.
Psalm 120 is the first of the fifteen Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120–134), a collection associated with pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This individual lament cries out against deceitful tongues and false lips, with the psalmist lamenting their forced residence among hostile peoples—Meshech and Kedar. The imagery of 'warrior's sharp arrows' and 'burning coals of broom wood' describes the destructive power of slander.
The Songs of Ascents may have been sung by pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem for the three annual festivals. Meshech (associated with Anatolia) and Kedar (Arabian desert) represent geographically opposite, culturally alien territories, symbolizing exile among hostile strangers.
The psalm introduces the pilgrimage collection with a cry from the margins—the psalmist is far from Zion, surrounded by those who hate peace. This geographical and spiritual displacement creates the longing that drives the entire Ascents sequence toward Jerusalem.
The psalm validates the experience of living as a person of peace in a hostile environment. It acknowledges that the journey toward God often begins in a place of conflict and longing.
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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.