Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips . Such as Sanballat's (— Nehemiah 6:6-8 ). And from a deceitful tongue ; literally, a tongue that is fraud—a mere variant of the expression in the preceding clause. read more
What shall be given unto thee? rather, what shall he ( i . e . God) give to thee? Or, in other words—What 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" ( 1 Samuel 3:17 ; 1 Samuel 14:44 ). Thou false tongue . The "false tongue" is apostrophized, as if it were a living person. read more
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.... read more
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,... read more
Deliver my soul, O Lord - My soul is harassed and distressed. Perhaps the meaning also may be, My life is in danger. Or, if it refers to the soul as such, then it means that everything pertaining to his soul was deeply affected by the course which was pursued. He was maligned, slandered, misrepresented, deceived, and he had no comfort or peace.From lying lips - False, deceitful, slanderous. Compare the notes at Psalms 31:18.And from a deceitful tongue - From a tongue whose statements cannot be... read more
What shall be given unto thee? - Margin, “What shall the deceitful tongue give unto thee;” or, “what shall it profit thee?” Luther, “What can the false tongue do?” Others render this, “How will God punish thee?” Others, “What will he (God) give to thee?” That is, What recompence can you expect from God for these malignant calumnies? A literal translation of this verse would be, “What shall the tongue of deceit give to thee, and what shall it add to thee?” - referring to the offender himself.... read more
Psalms 120:2-4. Deliver my soul from lying lips From the unjust censures and malicious slanders of mine enemies; and from a deceitful tongue Which covers mischievous designs under pretences of kindness. What shall be given unto thee By the righteous Judge of heaven and earth; thou false tongue O thou false accuser, or slanderer, or whosoever thou art, that art guilty of any such like practices? Sharp arrows of the mighty The wrath and vengeance of the almighty God, which in... read more
Psalms 120-124 To Jerusalem for worshipEach of the fifteen Psalms 120:0 to 134 is entitled ‘A Song of Ascents’ (RSV; NIV). These psalms were apparently sung by worshippers from the country areas as they made the journey up to Jerusalem for the various annual festivals.Whether or not the psalms were written for this purpose, they have been arranged in a sequence that reflects the feelings of the travellers. They provide expressions of worship for the travellers as they set out from distant... read more
Deliver = Pluck me. Hebrew. nazal. Same word as in Psalms 119:170 . The reference is to 2 Kings 18:30 , 2 Kings 18:32 . my soul = me. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 . lips. Hebrew = lip: i.e. Rab-shakeh's. The reference is to 2 Kings 18:19-35 ; 2 Kings 19:8-13 . 2 Chronicles 32:10-19 . Isaiah 36:4-20 ; Isaiah 37:8-13 . See App-67 . tongue. Figure of speech Epistrophe ( App-6 ), with "tongue", Psalms 120:3 . read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 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 Mesech—the 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 ( Psalms 120:5 ). It is a tale... read more